Arthritis Foundation News Blog reports Mary K. Crow, MD, physician-in-chief and chief of rheumatology at HSS, has served on the Arthritis Foundation’s New York City board of directors since 2010. Most recently named as the Medical Honoree of New York’s 2019 Walk to Cure Arthritis, Dr. Crow spoke to the foundation about what inspired her to enter the field of rheumatology, research and treatment advances in her tenure, and her proudest career milestone.

“I chose rheumatology as a specialty because of the seriousness of many of these diseases, which often affect young women, and me wanting to understand the complexities of the immune system,” said Dr. Crow. “It was a tremendous honor to receive the Presidential Gold Medal from the American College of Rheumatology in 2018. That award recognizes contributions to rheumatology. I’ve been fortunate to participate in advancing the field, not only through my own research, but also through active participation in organizations like the Arthritis Foundation,” she cited. “Through research, particularly studies of patients, our understanding of the biologic mechanisms that lead to rheumatic diseases has advanced considerably. We now have biologic therapies that do a good job of treating most patients, targeting relevant biologic mechanisms. We have more work to do before these diseases can be cured or even prevented, but we have come a long way,” explained Dr. Crow.

Linda A. Russell, MD, rheumatologist at HSS, commented on Dr. Crow’s achievement of being named the Medical Honoree, stating, “I was proud to see her receive the award of Medical Honoree of the 2019 Walk to Cure Arthritis. She has devoted her career to the advancement of research to help understand and treat patients with autoimmune diseases and arthritis.”

Read the full article at Blog.Arthritis.org.