Announcing the Daniel J. Wallace, MD Graduate Student Preceptorship Endowment

The Daniel J. Wallace, MD Graduate Student Preceptorship Endowment addresses the growing demand for rheumatology health professionals by providing robust education and training opportunities.

ATLANTA - Daniel J. Wallace, MD, FACP, MACR established the Daniel J. Wallace, MD Graduate Student Preceptorship Endowment at the Rheumatology Research Foundation (Foundation), effective March 1, 2021. Dr. Wallace created the endowment fund to address the growing demand for rheumatology health professionals by providing robust education and training opportunities.

Realizing the essential need to build interest in the field among the best and brightest graduate students, Dr. Wallace gave a generous endowed gift that will fund approximately four to six preceptorship awards per year in perpetuity and bolster Foundation’s existing preceptorship program. The preceptorship program introduces graduate students to rheumatology-related health care by supporting a full-time clinical or research experience in the broad area of rheumatic disease.

Career decision-making occurs throughout medical training. Exposure to clinical experiences and mentors is particularly influential and may have an impact during medical school, as well as during internal medicine residency training. Research on this topic indicates preceptorships are critical to impact career decision-making and improve recruitment into rheumatology.

“I think it's very important that we fill certain holes; sometimes even just a small summer fellowship is enough to attract somebody who would then spend their next 15 years in the field and make many contributions,” said Dr. Wallace. “I hope that opportunities such as [preceptorships] present a buffer as times change, as the economy changes and as medicine changes, to ensure that there is always a resource for education, research, and teaching of the subspecialty.”

“We are honored to celebrate Dr. Wallace’s generous donation to increase preceptorship opportunities in the field of rheumatology,” said Eryn Marchiolo, MPH, interim executive director of the Foundation. “He is a brilliant scientist, caring clinician, innovative educator, and passionate advocate for the field. His philanthropic passion to support workforce development will help ensure access to care for future patients.”

Dr. Wallace is a board-certified internist and rheumatologist. A Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angles, he is also the Associate Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he serves on the Board of Governors.

Dr. Wallace truly embraces the meaning of philanthropy through his time, talent, and treasures. He first became a supporter of the Foundation in 1992, and served six years on the Foundation’s Board of Directors, four of which he was the president. He is incredibly passionate about improving the care of patients living with lupus and other autoimmune diseases and has devoted his career to this pursuit.

For more information on establishing an endowment fund or funding an award, please contact legacy@rheumatology.org.