Dr. Calabrese on
rheumatology
Leonard Calabrese,
D.O., speaks about
his field for the
Career
Medical Specialties
Series
By Richard Heck
Nov. 24, 2008
Choosing
the right medical
specialty requires
professional agility
and self-awareness,
Leonard H.
Calabrese, D.O. (HON
’07) told
students earlier
this month during a
campus visit.
“Everyone’s career
turns on a dime,”
Calabrese said
during a lecture for
the OU-COM Career
Medical Specialties
Series. He advised
students to “keep an
open mind” while
seeking a specialty
that they really
love, “and it will
all work out in the
end.”
Calabrese
specializes in
rheumatology and
immunology.
Rheumatology, which
focuses on rheumatic
conditions,
frequently overlaps
with immunology, a
broader field that
covers all
conditions related
to the immune
system.
When he first went
to the Cleveland
Clinic, Calabrese
said he had no idea
what rheumatology
was. Upon
exploration,
Calabrese become
enamored with the
field. “I fell in
love with it.
Rheumatology brings
the principals of
immunology to
patient care each
and every day. The
vast majority of
diseases that most
interest us are
immunology-driven,”
he said.
Rheumatology also
touches on a variety
of other medical
fields, such as
orthopedics,
neurology and sports
medicine. “It is the
one specialty where
you can bridge so
many things. I don’t
think you see that
in too many other
fields,” Calabrese
said.
The future of
rheumatology is
promising, Calabrese
said. More than 100
fellowships are
available in
allopathic
institutions, and
three in osteopathic
institutions—“all
very good programs,”
he said. Although
fellowships are
competitive, they
remain favorable to
students in
osteopathic
medicine, according
to Calabrese.
Interest in
rheumatology has
grown over the past
several years,
partly because of
the lifestyle perks,
Calabrese said. The
field is attractive
to women because it
rarely requires
physicians to be on
call, which can ease
the scheduling
strains of
motherhood. Between
50 and 60 percent of
rheumatology
fellowships are
filled by women, he
said.
To conclude,
Calabrese offered
thoughts on how
first- and
second-year students
can “earn (their)
place in the world”
of medicine.
“Medicine is the
most human of all
professions. You are
given these
incredible
privileges and such
incredible trust.
You have to be very
human, too,” said
Calabrese, who noted
that physicians
should never treat a
disease without
considerable study
into that condition.
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