The Alabama Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation recently honored Louis M. Heck, Jr., MD, as the 2004 Alabama Rheumatologist of the Year at an award ceremony held at Vulcan Park. Sponsored by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the honor is presented annually to an outstanding arthritis specialist practicing in Alabama. Dr. Heck is professor of medicine at UAB's Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.

Award nominations poured in from arthritis patients around the state. With fewer than 50 rheumatologists treating more than 1 million Alabamians suffering from arthritis, nomination letters reflected and detailed the time, patience, and skill required to treat more than 100 complicated diseases and conditions that fall under the arthritis "umbrella."

Several letters nominating Dr. Heck referred to his role as director of Children's Hospital's juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) clinic, the first of its kind in the nation, established by the late Howard Holly, MD. Although he trained as an adult rheumatologist, Dr. Heck has been treating children with JRA since 1980. This is particularly significant in a state that has an estimated 6,000 JRA patients but no pediatric rheumatologist.

In an especially poignant nomination, a grateful parent wrote, "From age 3 until her death in 1994 at age 29, our daughter suffered with one of the most debilitating cases of JRA ever diagnosed in Alabama. She was a patient of Dr. Heck's for a major portion of her life, and he was a dear friend and counselor to her during this time. She loved and trusted him beyond measure. The level of care and concern he exhibited toward our family was best exemplified when he and his family attended our daughter's memorial service. It is clear that his medical skills are highly complemented by his heart of love and gracious, caring manner conveyed to his patients."

Tinsley Harrison's Advice

Attending the award presentation were several practicing rheumatologists who were taught by Dr. Heck at the School of Medicine at UAB. Some recalled Dr. Heck's daily reminders of the physician's role in treating the emotional side of patients, especially important for people with arthritis, who often face a lifetime of disability. He says he strives to practice and share with medical students UAB pioneer Dr. Tinsley Harrison's advice:

"Tact, sympathy, and understanding are expected of the physician, for the patient is no mere collection of symptoms, signs, disordered functions, damaged organs, and disturbed emotions. He is human, fearful and hopeful, seeking relief, help and reassurance... The true physician has a Shakespearean breadth of interest in the wise and the foolish, the proud and the humble, the stoic hero and the whining rogue. He cares for people."

Before joining UAB's Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology as professor of medicine, Dr. Heck worked at the National Institutes of Health, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He earned his medical degree at Indiana University in Indianapolis.

In accepting the Rheumatologist-of-the-Year Award, Dr. Heck paid tribute to the support of his family and his UAB colleagues and alluded to his long association with the Arthritis Foundation, which began while he was a medical student in Indiana.

The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is the nation's only nonprofit health organization helping individuals take greater control of arthritis by leading efforts to prevent, control, and cure arthritis and related diseases.