Why aren’t we preventing RA yet?

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Ever since the seminal studies demonstrating a prolonged preclinical period for seropositive RA, which have been replicated in multiple cohorts around the world using both retrospective and prospective study designs, the rheumatology community has been tantalized by the prospect of preventing the onset of inflammatory joint disease in seropositive individuals exhibiting no clinically detectable synovitis. So why can’t we prevent RA yet?

An Opportunity to Say Yes

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Often, I am asked why I get to do all the fun stuff in rheumatology like blogging, traveling, meeting and interviewing interesting people, and collaborating in cool projects. How do I get those opportunities? Why am I involved in so many things? The answer: because I say, “Yes!”

No is a complete sentence

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No is a complete sentence. For context, I am a "yes" person, and I always have been.

Giving Good Care in Diversity takes Time

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Dr. Yvonne Sherrer and second-year fellow Dr. Corin Agoris discuss a case where extended time led to improved patient outcomes.

My Life in the Gray Zone

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For someone who grew up in a family of engineers, where logic and definitive answers were absolute, I live comfortably in the gray zone of uncertainty.  

The Benefits of Networking

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Networking provides the framework for an exchange of ideas and new opportunities that can actually open doors.

Best of 2022: The Sacred Bond

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Patients and their family for years have been inviting me to their dinners, picnics, baptisms, anniversaries, and funerals. I always felt somewhat awkward when asked to participate in a patient’s life outside of my office or the hospital setting and usually will decline politely. I tell myself I should not blur the lines between patient care and friendship. I broke this rule recently.

The Sacred Bond

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Patients and their family for years have been inviting me to their dinners, picnics, baptisms, anniversaries, and funerals. I always felt somewhat awkward when asked to participate in a patient’s life outside of my office or the hospital setting and usually will decline politely. I tell myself I should not blur the lines between patient care and friendship. I broke this rule recently.

Three Healthcare Hashtags You Should Follow 

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I've sent more than 2,000 tweets since joining Twitter in July 2010. Even better, I've read (and sometimes shared) thousands of other educational, informative and sometimes humorous tweets from fellow rheumatologists, physicians, healthcare providers and others around the world. While following individuals and organizations relevant to you is important, so is following hashtags. Here are three I recommend.

Rheuma-Yogi-ology

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Since the start of the pandemic, my emotions have swung like the pendulum of the hydroxychloroquine efficacy/inefficacy for COVID-19 debate. Stress has always been a part of my life, but it magnified with the recent events in our world. Dr. Lenny Calabrese had cited the benefits of mindfulness meditation to improve immunologic health and sharpen mental acuity. I had seen benefits in my patients, but never could do it myself. How can people meditate and strike a pose when there is so much to worry about?  Stress-eating seems so much more comforting! 

Change from Within

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I attended the #whitecoats4blacklives rally at Dallas City Hall a few weeks ago to support our black colleagues, patients, and friends. It was inspiring, humbling, and emotional. I encouraged other physicians to join me, posting on the Dallas Physician Facebook page that we need to lead by example for our community and our children to fight structural racism. One black physician posed a very important point to my post, “What permanent changes will you make in your personal and professional lives as a result of this? Because not endorsing racism is not the same as not being complicit in it.” 

Reprioritizing your mental health

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With a global pandemic, protests, fake news, real news, politics, home schooling, quarantine, and constant change to our day to day lives looming, the time to reprioritize is now. We need to step up for our patients, staff, loved ones, and ourselves. This week, I challenge you to reconsider how your mental health affects not only your life, but those of everyone around you.