William Koopman Named Master of American College of Rheumatology
ATLANTA – William J. Koopman, MD; distinguished professor and chair emeritus of the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology, department of medicine, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was named a Master of the American College of Rheumatology at a session of the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting, on November 7 in Atlanta.
The member designation of Master is conferred by the board of directors of the College on ACR members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through scholarly achievement and/or service to their patients, students and profession.
Dr. Koopman received his medical degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Medical School (Alpha Omega Alpha). He completed his internship and residency training in internal medicine at the Massachussetts General Hospital and spent three years as a staff fellow in the laboratory of immunology and microbiology at the National Institute of Dental Research at the National Institutes of Health. He was recruited to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1977 where he became professor and was named the third director of the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology in 1983. He is the founding director of the UAB Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Center and was also appointed chairman of the department of medicine in 1995. Dr. Koopman has the distinction of holding three different endowed chairs during his career at UAB and is currently distinguished professor and chair emeritus in the department of medicine.
Dr. Koopman played a leadership role in the ACR as editor of Arthritis & Rheumatism from 1985–1990, member of the board of directors, and president from 1996–1997. He was selected as a Master of the American College of Physicians. In 2004, Dr. Koopman received the UAB Distinguished Faculty Award and the President’s Gold Medal, the highest award the University bestows on a faculty member. In 2008, he received the Robert H. Williams Distinguished Chair of Medicine Award from the Association of Professors of Medicine.
The American College of Rheumatology is an international professional medical society that represents more than 8,000 rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals around the world. Its mission is to advance rheumatology. The ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier meeting in rheumatology. For more information about the meeting, visit www.rheumatology.org/education. Follow the meeting on twitter by using the official hashtag: #ACR2010.
