Dennis Boulware, MD
Rheumatologist, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Division of Rheumatology, Honolulu, HI
The decision to pursue a career in rheumatology was made in my third year of medical school. Initially attracted to surgery, a rotation in rheumatology as part of my third year medicine clerkship convinced me that rheumatology would provide me greater personal and professional satisfaction than a career in surgery. At the time, the practice of rheumatology was a wonderful blend of the basic clinical skill of physical examination and the rapidly expanding science of immunology. Through immunology, the mysterious shrouds were lifted off many strange diseases and a greater understanding of these diseases unfolded before my eyes. The patient-doctor relationship I witnessed between my role model and his patients were solid, long-term ones with a level of mutual respect seen in very few other clinical specialties. Finally, the ability to make such a tremendous positive impact in the lives of so many people devastated by their disabling, deforming diseases was probably the most appealing aspect of the specialty.
More than 25 years have passed since my introduction to rheumatology, and it has remained a career choice that I've never regretted. The intellectual stimulation created by scientific advances has remained exciting and continues at a breathtaking pace. Today's therapeutic options, based on our new scientific understanding, have taken my ability to help people with arthritis to a level only imagined when I was a third-year medical student.
Today, I feel fortunate to work at a medical school as an academic rheumatologist and as a medical school administrator. Although I have administrative responsibilities as a senior associate dean for medical education, my first professional identity is as a clinical rheumatologist, as it is the professional accomplishment of which I am most proud. My daily professional activities include a blend of administrative duties, teaching responsibilities and clinical patient care responsibilities. Each activity is a chance for me to satisfy the primary reason I sought entry into medical school, as each is a chance to help someone and make a difference in the world. Whether improving our school's curriculum to provide the world with better doctors, using rheumatology as a platform to "turn on light bulbs" in our students' or residents' heads, or seeing my own patients in my clinic, each activity provides me the professional satisfaction I desired in medicine - to make a difference in the world.
