Marcy Bolster | Chair of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Committee on Education; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, USA
Citation: AMJ Rheumatol. 2025; https://doi.org/10.33590/rheumatolamj/OAPX6300
As Chair of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)’s Committee on Education, what are the committee’s most pressing strategic priorities?
Our priorities are to provide cutting-edge research findings, enrich clinical practice, and educate our educators as we bring scientists, clinicians, educators, advanced practice providers, allied health professionals, trainees, and students together to learn and to connect.
You’ve previously said the ACR’s Committee on Education lies at the intersection of many other committees and initiatives. How do you plan to enhance connectivity among members beyond the ACR Convergence?
This is such an important question! The connectivity between attendees at Convergence is energizing. It is one of our goals to continue the education connections throughout the year. We have scheduled webinars to bring curated and impactful sessions from Convergence to be held shortly after Convergence through the first quarter of 2026. There are a limited number of these sessions to offer, and we anticipate that the curated sessions will be of high interest to those who were not able to attend Convergence, as well as to attendees who may have missed these sessions. The webinars will include live question and answer with the sessions’ speakers.
Given your prior leadership on training, workforce, and milestones, what key educational gaps in rheumatology continue to surprise you?
I must admit that I am not surprised by educational gaps. Rheumatology is a rapidly evolving field. We continue to learn through scientific discoveries being made across many disciplines, including oncology, nephrology, pulmonology, and others. The science is exploding to help improve our knowledge in disease pathogenesis, disease monitoring, and management options. I do not see that there are educational gaps, but rather that this is an exciting time to be in rheumatology.
What do you consider the most important leadership qualities for rheumatologists who aspire to move beyond clinical roles into institutional or professional society leadership, such as with the ACR?
A willingness to step forward and participate. Be a good listener. Create engagement so others want to and benefit from participation. Empower others to participate, to take responsibility, to grow, and to lead. Foster excellence in those around you.
Looking ahead to the next ACR Convergence and beyond, what would you like the broader rheumatology community to remember about the value of lifelong education and engagement with the ACR?
ACR Convergence is where rheumatology meets! It offers highly impactful scientific content, a superb environment for meeting people who share your interests, the opportunity to network with others, and connectivity with colleagues from the US and from around the world. Convergence is a high-energy environment where people gather to learn, to connect, and to share their common interest in rheumatology.
