Profiles in Rheumatology: Dr. David Wofsy

While Dr. Wofsy may be modest about his own contributions to lupus research, those who have spent time with him beg to differ.

Dr. Dall’Era noted that "Dr. Wofsy is the quintessential physician/scientist who excels in every aspect of his work. He has an extensive knowledge of basic immunology from his years in the lab working with murine models of lupus, and he has become a leading international figure in the design and execution of clinical trials in lupus. His vision and creativity were critical in the development of the [UCSF] division of rheumatology clinical trials center in which several important clinical trials of novel agents for the treatment of autoimmune diseases were conducted. His knowledge of basic science and clinical rheumatology enables him to design clinical trials that serve to address clinical questions of efficacy as well as more basic questions about the mechanism of action of the drug being studied," Dr. Dall’Era said.

"Most important, Dr. Wofsy is a compassionate and caring person who always places other people’s interests in front of his own. He is an extremely generous mentor who has given me every opportunity to be the lead author on manuscripts and to participate in various projects and clinical trials in a leadership position. In his humble manner, he is always quick to give me credit for work and downplay the work and skills that were needed on his part to create the opportunity for me in the first place," according to Dr. Dall’Era.

Dr. Wofsy credits his own fellowship director with having a great influence. "Bill Seaman was my fellowship director. I still aspire to match the qualities that Bill modeled for his fellows – intellectual honesty, modesty, compassion, and selflessness. The two lessons I learned from Bill that have always mattered most to me are: the most important quality a physician can have is to be a good human being; and it is always OK to say ‘I don’t know’ as long as the next sentence is ‘Let’s find out.’ Words to live by."

While president of the American College of Rheumatology from 2003-2004, Dr. Wofsy continued work begun by earlier ACR leaders to increase the supply of rheumatologists to meet an anticipated shortage. In addition, Dr. Wofsy’s presidency placed emphasis on "establishment of principles and strengthening of procedures designed to ensure that the ACR set the standard among professional societies for integrity and freedom from conflict of interest. It is an appropriate source of pride for the organization that its leadership in this area is widely recognized."

Rheumatology is in the midst of a demographic sea change. "A remarkable thing is about to happen in our subspecialty. In the course of a single generation, the profession will go from being overwhelmingly male to being predominantly female," he said. "We all have a responsibility to insure that that change is reflected at all levels of the profession, including especially in the leadership of our academic programs and our professional society. The ACR has been successful in the past at seeing the future and getting ahead of it. This kind of dramatic social transformation is probably the greatest challenge yet. The ACR needs to be proactive in this area by developing a strategy to insure that there are rewarding career paths available to women in rheumatology and that women have a leadership role in preparing for this future. A simple first step would be to set some goals regarding division and ACR leadership and then to monitor success in achieving these goals."

When asked what inspires him these days, Dr. Wofsy cited the applications for UCSF medical school that he reads in his position as associate dean for admissions. "Reading the applications from the next generation of physicians, and meeting the new students each year, is very inspiring. I recommend this role to everyone. It is the best way to remain inspired and optimistic about the future. Having children – I have three – helps, too."

Sally Koch Kubetin is managing editor of Rheumatology News. You may contact her at rhnews@elsevier.com.