Mario Felix, MD, clinical fellow (rheumatology), was appointed to the American College of Rheumatology’s Fellows-in-Training Committee in November 2022.
What is the mission of the Fellows-in-Training Committee? What is your role?
We aim to be a supportive force for all rheumatology fellows in the United States. We plan fellows’ educational sessions for two large, national meetings of the American College of Rheumatology: the ACR Convergence and the Education Exchange. We also create volunteer opportunities, educational resources, and scholarships. As for my role, I voice a fellows’ perspective when all of the ACR committees meet.
How did you get involved with the ACR’s Fellows-in-Training Committee?
There was an application process they sent out in September of last year. I did not know about it until Fotios Koumpouras, MD, my program director, encouraged me to apply. I was accepted along with nine other fellows-in-training from national programs.
Why did you choose to go into rheumatology?
By the time a patient comes to a rheumatologist, they have usually seen many doctors and been hospitalized multiple times. Often, we are the last people to see them and provide a diagnosis. I like that this takes a great deal of detective work, such as taking a detailed history and performing thorough screenings.
I also enjoy interacting with the patients. During my residency, I worked with a patient who had been struggling with psoriatic arthritis for years. When I first saw him as his primary care provider, he had only ever been treated for his pain, but the rheumatology service was consulted and made the correct diagnosis. Eventually, he reached a much better state, where he wasn't in as much pain and was happier overall. I think that was the turning point, where I said, "Okay, I want to go into rheumatology."
What are your other professional interests?
I am interested in research that reduces health disparities in the field of rheumatology. Lupus, for example, is one of those diseases with profound disparities across different racial and ethnic groups. My goal is to create a machine learning model that combines different types of clinical data, like a patient's laboratory results, medication history, and demographic information. I hope that the model will be able to predict health outcomes for patients.
The Section of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology is dedicated to providing care for patients with rheumatic, allergic and immunologic disorders; educating future generations of thought leaders in the field; and conducting research into fundamental questions of autoimmunity and immunology. To learn more about their work, visit Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology.