How do you ask a new patient about sex and gender—or know which pronoun to use? Keep the conversation straightforward and respectful to put everyone at ease, says Morgan Orndorff, a transgender man who works as an administrator at a major academic medical center. “Everyone is a little different in terms of their sensitivity level”…
The ACR’s ability to address the big picture of rheumatologic care while focusing on individual practice and patient needs is one of the many things that attracted Luke Barré, MD, MPH, to the College early in his career. With training in both preventive medicine and rheumatology, Dr. Barré believes combined global and local views are…
With only 15 practicing rheumatologists in the state, members of West Virginia’s Rheumatology (WVR) Society knew early on they needed a stronger voice to help their patients. So WVR Society President Suzanne Gharib, MD, joined West Virginia’s state medical society, comprising physicians from a range of specialties. “It turns out our state medical society was…
When Marilynn “Lynn” Punaro, MD, MACR, isn’t working with medical students, seeing patients in the clinic, participating in translational research or performing leadership duties, she’s enjoying a good book—especially a good mystery. This shouldn’t be a surprise. It was mystery that led Dr. Punaro to a career in pediatric rheumatology more than 30 years ago,…
We are sad to report that Nathan Wei, MD, FACR, passed away March 27 from aggressive cancer. Dr. Wei was a passionate, compassionate, fiercely independent innovator, student and teacher, who carved out his own way of doing things, always in the pursuit of excellent patient care. He was unafraid to embrace cutting-edge medical services for…
Retirement is not always the closing chapter of a long career. For some rheumatologists, it’s the start of new, fulfilling storylines. “I never thought I wouldn’t practice medicine until I was physically unable to do it anymore,” says Harry Gewanter, MD, who retired from his Richmond, Va., pediatric rheumatology practice two years ago. Dr. Gewanter…
Many trainees tell me they’re attracted to rheumatology because it demands becoming a complete physician. We need knowledge of the brain, eye, lung, kidney, liver, skin, bones and vascular system to be effective rheumatologists. And because our diseases are frequently multisystem diseases, rheumatologists must be the quintessential collaborators. For more than 30 years, I’ve directed…
It started with an inhaler. Like many of you, I am a rheumatologist. And like you, I see some patients more often their own primary care provider. This is so often the case that I have gradually devolved into their backup, all-purpose doctor. I am the doc they notify when they get hospitalized for pneumonia…
Kent “Kwas” Huston, MD, remembers the conversations he had with his father’s rheumatology patients in Kansas City, Mo., when he visited his father’s practice while he was growing up. “They shared what a difference he made for them,” Dr. Huston explains. Dr. Huston also saw firsthand the importance of rheumatology care. His mother was diagnosed…
This past June, a 64-year-old man with a history of psoriatic arthritis and severe arthritis appeared at our clinic for his regular follow-up with concerns about a letter from his insurance company. The letter stated the company wouldn’t pay for the patient’s secukinumab (i.e., Cosentyx) prescription anymore and suggested he take ixekizumab (i.e., Taltz) instead,…