‘Captivating’ Hooked on Rheum stories highlight National Doctor's Day
There is no such thing as a “typical” story of how physicians find their specialty. Often, these stories can be as varied and impactful as the physicians themselves.
In honor of National Doctor's Day, Healio Rheumatology compiled a few of the most-read entries from the Hooked on Rheum series, where rheumatologists share the story of how they fell in love with the specialty.
Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, RJ Fasenmyer chair of clinical immunology at the Cleveland Clinic, and professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University — and chief medical editor of Healio Rheumatology — came up with the idea for Hooked on Rheum to give rheumatologists a platform to share their stories.
“I find Hooked on Rheum one of the most captivating segments that we do in Healio Rheumatology because it gives personal insight into how people came to follow the same roads that I did,” Calabrese told Healio. “I am constantly impressed at how varied the reasons are.”
Beyond the personal stories, interpersonal links and connection define medicine for physicians in many specialties.
“Networking, professionally, allows us to hear from other people who are key opinion leaders who have critically appraised and synthesized data that we don’t have the time for,” Calabrese said. “I find this of particular value, in those areas. The second part of it is that medicine is still a human profession and networking professionally is a way to maintain and strengthen those links with our colleagues.”
Since March 2021, Healio Rheumatology has published 13 entries in the Hooked on Rheum series. Read the stories from some of these physicians below:
Cassandra Calabrese, DO
My dad, Leonard Calabrese, DO, has emulated what it means to love what you do. He and I are longtime travel buddies and I had joined him for many American College of Rheumatology and EULAR conferences, attending more of these events — albeit not as a registered attendee — than most rheumatologists by the time I was in college. Read more.
Deborah Dyett Desir, MD
How I became a rheumatologist is kind of an odd story. When I was in medical school at Yale, I did my work in the infectious diseases section with Richard Root, MD, and William Greene, MD. I had a prize-winning thesis on inflammation and white blood cells. Read more.
Ellen M. Gravallese, MD
I was in my fourth year at Columbia Medical School and was planning to become a hematologist. Columbia had an affiliation with a community hospital in Cooperstown, New York, and it was arranged for me to spend a month there as a visiting student. Unfortunately, there was only one rotation available that month: Rheumatology. Read more.
Chuck Radis, DO
The lobster boat tied off at the wharf. It was Ben Shipman, my rheumatoid arthritis patient, and he offered me a ride to Chebeague Island where my medical clinic was scheduled. Read more.
Gregg Silverman, MD
During my first year of medical school, I was accepted into the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Officer Student Training Extern Program (COSTEP). During my 1978 and 1979 summer breaks, I was stationed at the NIH Clinical Center. Read more.
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