John R. Ward, MD: Pioneer-Clinical Trials in Rheumatology

Abstract

John Robert Ward was one of the early academic rheumatologists in the United States. He was the founding father of rheumatology in the Intermountain West, the first Chief of the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah. Dr Ward became a national leader in the understanding and treatment of rheumatic disease. His foundational work established gold-standard techniques for the successful investigation of anti-rheumatic drugs. His leadership and scientific contributions clearly qualify him as a "giant in rheumatology."

Keywords: Controlled clinical trials; Methotrexate; Outcome measures; Rheumatology.