Investing in rheumatology training is essential to building a strong and capable workforce. Clinician educators are responsible for developing educational programs, instructing rheumatologists to meet accreditation standards and promoting an atmosphere of quality care for patients. Although clinician educators play a critical role in attracting the next generation of rheumatology professionals, faculty pursuing careers as…
ATLANTA—At the ACR/ARP 2019 Annual Meeting, several widely renowned experts across an array of specialty subjects provided a comprehensive and compelling review of advances in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of a number of rheumatologic conditions. Sjögren’s Syndrome Frederick Vivino, MD, FACR, chief of rheumatology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and professor of clinical medicine…
Ever wonder what role physician regulators—rheumatologists, in particular—perform at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)? “I am not sure that many practicing rheumatologists know there are clinicians who work for the FDA,” says rheumatologist Nadia Habal, MD, a medical officer in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Rheumatology Products at the FDA. “It would…
Two experts weigh in on whether & how axial spondyloarthritis patients should exercise…
ATLANTA—When it comes to treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, most clinicians agree: One size does not fit all. Many treatment options exist, and seldom is there 100% consensus on what the first course of action or general approach should be. In the face of such variability, four clinicians took the stage at the 2019 ACR/ARP…
(Reuters Health)—Sports physicians routinely prescribe corticosteroids to athletes for conditions, such as inflammation, asthma and allergies, but not all of them know which forms of these drugs are banned under anti-doping rules, a study suggests. The survey of 603 physicians from 30 countries found four in five prescribe oral corticosteroids to athletes, one of the…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, an increase in opioid dosage appears to be of no clear benefit, according to a two-year study. As Benjamin J. Morasco, PhD, tells Reuters Health by email, “When we followed patients with chronic pain, who were already prescribed long-term opioid therapy, we found patients as a…
The Rheumatology Research Foundation has appointed S. Louis Bridges Jr., MD, PhD, to serve as president for a two-year term. Dr. Bridges has served as the director of the University of Alabama–Birmingham (UAB) Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology since 2009. He is also the director of the UAB Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone and Autoimmunity…
ATLANTA—Two ways to investigate injuries to the upper extremities are by in-depth physical examinations and ultrasound. In a Clinical Practice session at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, Anatomy: Correlating Physical Exam and Ultrasound in Common Sports Injuries of the Upper Extremity, Carlin Senter, MD, FACP, associate professor of primary care sports medicine at the University…
Having completed her term as ARP president, Hazel L. Breland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, CLA, has stepped into a new role as chair of the ARP’s Membership and Nominations Committee (https://www.rheumatology.org/Rheumatology-Professionals). Dr. Breland is associate professor of occupational therapy at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, where she teaches graduate students and serves as…