September 03, 2025
2 min read
Learning the fundamental immunology and immunopathology of the late 1970s in medical school was intriguing.
In those days, much to the credit of the “whole man” emphasis in the DO ethos, I was headed to be a generalist, at least as broad as a competent internist.
I got hooked on rheumatology by mavens at the Cleveland Clinic, the likes of John Clough, MD; Art Scherbel, MD; Alan Mackenzie, MD; and Leonard H. Calabrese, DO. One barb was that these guys could convey the nuances of those weird diseases in a way that even I could grasp, while most of my contemporaries grimaced at immunologically mediated maladies and held them at arm’s length.
Another barb was that the therapeutic armamentarium was narrow enough, then, that I could imagine training to be a specialist and not give up general medicine. After 10 years of doing both, the demand dynamic necessarily narrowed my scope to rheumatology for the remaining 28 years.
Although each of these icons were highly approachable, kind and patient to me, it was Calabrese, Healio Rheumatology’s own chief medical editor, who had demonstrated in word and action that the “whole man” approach need not suffer in sub-specialization, nor from the scope and operational excellence we achieved in our expansive group in Arizona and beyond. Stories about Len’s father, a renowned physician in his own, less auspicious surroundings, illuminated the power of empathy. It was that form of generational wealth I had access to with Len, and it paid off in satisfaction with the rest of my active practice.
During my career, the explosion in understanding of rheumatic disorders and targeted therapeutic advances demanded those of us facing the burden of disease to reach beyond conventional thinking to meet the challenge. Our group responded with efficient management of access to care, a sizable contribution to clinical research and big data, and teaching students and clinicians. At the end of the day, not only did this field allow me to dwell within the “whole man” dimension of doctoring, but also within a global perspective of how health care gets done nationally and internationally.
These Hooked on Rheum reflections are routinely about the blend of science and the mentors that hook us on rheumatology. It takes both. And so, the road less traveled.
Paul H. Caldron, DO, PhD, FACP, FACR, MBA
Retired, Arizona Arthritis and Rheumatology Associates, PC
For more information:
Paul H. Caldron, DO, PhD, FACP, FACR, MBA, can be reached at pcaldron@global.t-bird.edu.
