E- ISSN: 2709-5533
Vol 6 / Ene - Jun [2025]
globalrheumpanlar.org
PANLAR 2025 COVERAGE
What We Learn from the Masters of Pan-American Rheumatology
Autor: Global Rheumatology By PANLAR
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46856/grp.27.et202
Cite: PANLAR GR. What We Learn from the Masters of Pan-American Rheumatology. Global Rheumatology. Vol 6/ Ene - Jun [2025]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.46856/grp.27.et202
Received date: May 26th / 2025
Accepted date: May 26th / 2025
Published Date: May 28th / 2025
Each May 31, we celebrate Pan-American Rheumatology Day, a date that honors the history, progress, and the individuals who have shaped, with knowledge and vocation, a discipline devoted to improving the lives of millions of patients across the continent. It is also the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on those who paved the way: the Masters of Pan-American Rheumatology.
Since its establishment in 2006, the recognition of Masters has become one of the most symbolic honors awarded by PANLAR. Beyond academic prestige, it celebrates clinicians, educators, and leaders whose legacies have spanned generations. Being named a Master is not just a title—it is a collective acknowledgment of the alignment between what one teaches and how one lives. It is an invisible medal forged through hours of consultations, lectures given, studies initiated, patients treated, scientific societies founded, and above all, human connections built.
In 2025, PANLAR recognized nine professionals for their exemplary careers in their respective countries, listed here alphabetically:
- Dr. Mario Humberto Cardiel Ríos (Mexico)
- Dr. Armando Calvo Quiroz (Perú)
- Dr. Gustavo Citera (Argentina)
- Dr. Mary K. Crow (United States)
- Dr. Jaime Marañón López (Bolivia)
- Dr. Sergio Paira (Argentina)
- Dr. José Roberto Provenza (Brazil)
- Dr. Iván Stekman Terán (Venezuela)
- Dr. Gloria María Vásquez (Colombia)
As part of our coverage of PANLAR 2025, Global Rheumatology spoke with several of them. We asked them to reflect on their careers, the values that guide them, their beginnings, the challenges they faced, and the messages they would like to leave for new generations.
What we received was more than answers—it was a masterclass in humanity.
Being a Master: Between Gratitude and Commitment
“Receiving this distinction is a great honor. For an organization like PANLAR—beating with the heart of all Latin American rheumatologists—to value your professional path is priceless.” — Dr. Gloria Vásquez (Colombia)
For many of the honorees, the recognition comes with a mix of pride and humility. Dr. Vásquez voices a sentiment shared by several: joy, but also an awareness of representing countless dedicated and deserving colleagues.
“I believe the selection was not just about a 44-year academic review,but also about acknowledging the social and institutional commitment I’ve always upheld.” — Dr. José Roberto Provenza (Brazil)
Dr. Provenza emphasizes that being a Master is not only about technical accomplishments but also about a life connected to the community, to patients, and to the institutional growth of the specialty.
“It is an honor that moves me. PANLAR represents me, and I belong to it” — Dr. Mario Humberto Cardiel (México)
“Being recognized as a Master of Pan-American Rheumatology by PANLAR is an honor that goes beyond the personal. This award validates years of work and, at the same time, serves as an encouragement for the rheumatology training program I lead.” — Dr. Iván Stekman (Venezuela)
Moments That Shape a Vocation
Some recall early, almost formative memories. Like Dr. Vásquez:
“I decided to become a rheumatologist under the guidance of Dr. Carlos Agudelo when I was a fifth-semester medical student. That decision changed the course of my life.”
Others, like Dr. Citera, share anecdotes with mentors that—even amidst clinical errors and humor—left profound lessons:
“Practicing rheumatology in Latin America means practicing the most beautiful specialty in the most beautiful place in the world.” — Dr. Gustavo Citera (Argentina)
And there are those, like Dr. Provenza, whose legacy was built not only in hospitals but also in universities:
“Founding and coordinating the rheumatology service at the Catholic University of Campinas has been my greatest pride. That team became a large professional family.”
Rheumatology in Latin America: Resilience, Progress, and Transformation
The Masters agree that practicing medicine in our region is an act of perseverance. Structural limitations, inequality in access, and fragmented healthcare systems are daily challenges.
“The greatest challenge is to persist and not fade. We live between the pressure of being developing countries and the desire to access first-world scientific advances. It’s a constant push and pull.” — Dr. Gloria Vásquez
But facing these challenges, there is also creativity, resilience, and pride in the profession.
From their experience in fragmented and unequal systems, they highlight how ethical commitment and vocation can transform these limitations into opportunities.
"We work in fragmented systems, with unequal access to therapies, but that does not exempt us from offering rigorous and humane care. Turning limitations into opportunities is our regional legacy," says Dr. Iván Stekman
The Values That Endure Through Change
What values sustain a great Pan-American rheumatologist? The answers were diverse but consistent: ethics, empathy, commitment, honesty, and dedication.
“Discipline, academic rigor, and resilience. You cannot walk with pain without a deep ethical conviction.” — Dr. Vásquez
“Integrity, confidentiality, professional responsibility, and respect for life.” — Dr. Provenza
“Decency, self-control, and humility.” — Dr. Citera
“A passion for teaching and a willingness to share knowledge.” — Dr. Cardiel
These values, more than individual traits, define a Pan-American medical culture built through example.
A Message to New Rheumatologists
In their final messages, the Masters left behind what could be called emotional legacies:
“Believe in yourselves. Be rigorous, compassionate, and honest. Build alliances and never lose faith in what we do.” — Dr. Vásquez
“Listen to your patients without rushing. They are there to tell their stories, to unburden themselves, and to alleviate their fears. Listening is the first therapeutic act.” — Dr. Provenza
“Train, research, publish. Strive for better Pan-American rheumatology every day.” — Dr. Citera
“Never stop learning or teaching. Every patient is also a teacher.” — Dr. Cardiel
"Be custodians of hope. Do not settle for imported protocols: investigate, question, adapt. Remember that the greatest achievement is not in the recognitions, but in those patients who manage to hug, write, or walk again without pain." — Dr. Ivan Stekman
Conclusion: Learning from a Living Legacy
Pan-American Rheumatology Day is not just a date to commemorate achievements. It is a chance to look at those who uphold the medical vocation as an ethical and social commitment. The 2025 Masters remind us that knowledge without humanity does not transform, that technique without empathy does not heal, and that teaching is also an act of hope.
In each of their words, we find not just history, but guidance. And perhaps that is the best definition of a Master:
Someone who keeps teaching even when they are no longer trying to.
Global Rheumatology Editorial Team
