Theodore Pincus is Professor of Medicine, having trained at Harvard, Stanford, NIH, and Cornell, and served on faculties at Cornell, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt, and NYU. Early laboratory research included a radioimmunoassay for DNA antibodies to recognize systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), recognition of genetic control of experimental retrovirus infection, and recognition of severe functional declines and premature death in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He documented that patient questionnaire physical function scores and low socioeconomic status were far more significant than laboratory tests or imaging data in the prognosis of clinical outcomes of RA including work disability and mortality, and early methotrexate and 3 mg prednisone improved RA outcomes considerably. He developed a patient MDHAQ (multidimensional health assessment questionnaire), and MDHAQ-based indices, including RAPID3 (routine assessment of patient index data) used to assess clinical status in patients with all rheumatic diseases. Recent research at Rush has included documentation that disease burden in osteoarthritis is as severe as in RA, development of FAST3 (fibromyalgia assessment screening tool), MDHAQ-Dep to screen for depression, and MEDI60 to for early recognition of disease flares and medication adverse events. Current activities include further development of an electronic MDHAQ to recognize disease flares and adverse events to high-risk medications, and improved understanding of associations between low socioeconomic status and poor health.
