13th Annual James J. Lane, Jr., M.D. Lecture

The James J. Lane, Jr., MD Endowed Lecture Series was established to honor Dr. Lane’s contributions to the field of clinical rheumatology. Dr. Lane was the first fellowship trainee in the Division of Arthritis at the UW from 1958 to 1959. Each year on a Thursday in March, a lecture is held in honor of Dr. Lane as part of the Department of Medicine’s Grand Rounds program.   This year, Dr. Mariana Kaplan will present the 13th Lane Lecture on March 7th for Medicine Grand Rounds. Her topic is entitled: Premature atherosclerosis in systemic autoimmunity: lesson from lupus. She will also present a lecture on March 8th with the topic entitled: Linking innate immunity and organ damage in SLE.   Click here to see her flyer.

Grant Hughes Section Head at HMC

We are very pleased to announce that Grant Hughes, MD will assume the position of Section Head in Rheumatology at Harborview Medical Center as of August 1, 2012.   Dr. Hughes is well known to all in the Division. He trained as a fellow at UW and has excelled as a physician, scientist and educator. He has demonstrated exemplary leadership skills in his role as acting section head at HMC.   Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hughes on this appointment.

Open Rheumatology Job Positions

One new position has been posted for a Physician Scientist that will be located at South Lake Union. There are other job positions that are still open.   Please click here to view the current positions available.

Welcome 3 New Fellows

We welcome three new fellows in our fellowship program that started in July 2012:   Myriam Guevara, MD Megan Shaw, MD Amy Tolsdorf, MD   For more details on our fellows, click here.

2012 Beeson Award goes to Gordon Starkebaum (UW online news July 13, 2012)

Gordon A. Starkebaum, UW professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, received the 2012 Beeson Award. The award commemorates Paul Beeson, a distinguished physician at the Seattle VA in the 1970s, who was celebrated for his teaching skills. Starkebaum was chosen by medicine residents for this honor in recognition of outstanding clinical teaching and for exemplifying scholarliness, humility, compassion, and integrity. In presenting the Beeson Award, VA chief residents cited Starkebaum’s “unfailing kindness, teaching talent, curiosity, humility, and vigor.” Starkebaum has been a member of the faculty since 1978. He is chief of the Arthritis Section at the VA, where he served as chief of staff and associate dean of the School of Medicine for nine years. He received his medical degree from Columbia University and completed a medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship at UW. Starkebaum is a past president of the American College of Rheumatology, the Northwest Rheumatism Society, and the National Association of VA Physician Executives. He is also president of the board of directors of the Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research.

Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award

Congratulations to Dr. Wayne Tsuji for being selected as the 2011-2012 Outstanding Clinical Faculty Member of the year.

Clinical Faculty Promotions

Congratulations to the following clinical faculty members who have been promoted beginning July 1, 2012:   Dr. Julie Carkin - Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Jernberg - Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Thuc Nguyen - Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Jeff Peterson - Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Kent Ta - Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Wayne Tsuji - Clinical Professor

Keith Elkon Appointed to LRI Scientific Advisory Board

Rheumatology Division Head, Keith Elkon, is one of four prominent scientists appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Lupus Research Institute (LRI).   The institute is the world’s leading private supporter of innovative research in lupus. Its board members help shape its strategic direction and identify the most promising programs leading to better diagnosis and treatment of SLE. Dr. Elkon is the Mannik-Henderson Professor of Medicine and adjunct professor of immunology. An authority on lupus, he is a consultant for numerous international funding agencies.   See the LRI release here.