Articles By Kathryn H. Dao, M.D.
Is DAS28 and HAQ-DI Headed for the Graveyard?
Dr. Joseph Smolen delivered one of the most elegant and informative talk on rheumatoid arthritis at this ACR’s meeting as a tribute to Dr. Paul Klemperer. Dr. Smolen led us on a journey, and had us feeling content with what we are doing in practice as we walked with him from historical discoveries of RA through new drug development. Then Dr. Smolen did the unthinkable: he made us crash!
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Because It's Rare Doesn’t Mean It Doesn’t Exist: A Tribute to Relapsing Polychondritis
During medical training, we were taught about rare diseases that are unlikely to be encountered, but there is a reason why our professors even mention these diseases. It is not just for our board exams; the lectures are for us to recognize the features of the disease when the rare patient comes across our exam table.
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Walking the Tightrope of Treat to Target in Psoriatic Arthritis
In the last few years, new studies have been published examining if early intervention and tight control (TC) of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) disease activity will have the same beneficial outcomes as it does for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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Pain: Objectifying a Subjective Symptom
My typically pleasant 76 year old male was livid when I walked into the exam room. He was pacing back and forth with furrowed eyebrows. I gingerly inquired what was bothering him the most.
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Sexist Rheumatology
Cush and Dao are at it again. This time it's whether men or women are better patients. Cush says men are better patients; Dao says Er, not so fast bub! This is their light-hearted, gender biased debate on the best patients: Men vs. Women.
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The Board Certification Tango
Recently, I was invited to apply for an open seat on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the large organization that certifies physicians in the United States. Part of the process is to write a personal statement on my views of the ABIM mission and what I would like to accomplish.
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The Millennial Doctor- Mighty or Mediocre?
A 3rd year medical student started his rotation with me this past week and the rotation was a challenge for us both.
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Creaky Joints Nails New Patient Pregnancy and Family Planning Guidelines
Patients and physicians are riddled with misconceptions when pregnancy is concerned. As construed by Dr. Jack Cush, most rheumatologists treat pregnancy like a cancer and avoid the gravid patient, deferring to obstetricians who do not have training in rheumatology to manage the rheumatic condition as well as the pregnancy.
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Who Are We Doing This For?
We take many things for granted. I walked 11,151 steps today going from sessions to posters and exhibit halls to learn as much as I can to take back to my clinic so I can help my patients. My feet were hurting, and my back bothered me as I tried to get comfortable for the next lecture; yet, these minor discomforts are nothing compared to what our patients experience on a daily basis.
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