One great satisfaction of an academic career is to come in contact with bright young people who clearly are going on to great things. I met Jason Knight when he was a bright medicine resident with a PhD level research background who figured his future was in hematology-oncology. He was having a wonderful time on his rheumatology rotation under my tutelage, and in a piece of down time I queried into his research focus and plans. It was clear as day (to me) that his focus would fit at least as well into rheumatology as into heme-onc, and by coming into rheumatology he could work in a much less crowded field. Jason eventually switched to rheumatology, excelled as a fellow, was appropriately offered a faculty position, and has seen his career skyrocket. Many in my Division now claim credit for flipping Jason, but I think it was lowly clinical me. We’ve had a wonderful relationship ever since, and I’ve proudly watched his career rise. He may not need much help from me here on in, but I felt compelled to plug him to a couple of my friends. Frankly, the main motivation was to get him out to LaJolla where he can go around and sample all the wonderful IPAs he so loves. So it really was all about beer. St. Louis is good for that too.
To my friend Deb Parks at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (where I trained at the first half) of Washington University in St. Louis, I wrote:
.Hey Deb
Do you have any input to your Division’s invitations of outside speakers, visiting professors and the like? If so, I’d like to bring to your attention my young friend, once colleague, and – I’m proud to say – bit of a protégé Jason Knight.
Michigan is blessed with 2 rising superstars working on lupus. Michelle Kahlenberg is a force of nature who makes the young Bevra look like a wimp, so she’s the better known of the 2. Jason Knight MD, PhD recently tenured is a hopeless Hoosier who was not surprised when his boys got to their first bowl game in years and blew it to the Vols on New Years’ Day. He’s resigned for a long wait to see his roundballers reach Bobby Knight glory days or even Mrs. Harbaugh (Tom Crean) mediocrity. Which might help explain his love of IPAs, which has been allowing me to send tease texts of my choices at my last 2 LaJolla spots, which I plan to continue. We’ve been close ever since I was his attending and helped coax him out of his planned heme-onc fellowship into rheumatology. He buys some of my basketball tickets and when we had 4 season football tickets Kathy and I would be sure to get him and his boy to at least one game a year. The past few years his son had to fight with his sister for that ticket.
His main thing Is APS, particularly neutrophil nets and their role. He made the cover of Nature a year or so ago. He’s very tall and very thin and has the shyness that can go with that sort of habitus, which probably goes a long way in explaining why he isn’t as well-known as Michelle. But it doesn’t hinder him at the podium. He applies his dry self-deprecating wit liberally. He peppers his talks with abundant references to history and popular events. He even goes about proving that the birth of the US was due to APS. His APS clinic is expanding, with a new faculty member from Texas added just last year to help him out. I’m sure he’d like to make the rounds in StL, and not just Barnes.
Kathy and I would be more than willing to come down too, but Jason is all grown up now and needs neither chaperone nor guide.
I’d appreciate anything you could do for him. You and your Division won’t be disappointed. Please just don’t hire him away.
B
To my much older friend Ken (we go back to ’84) who is a world renowned lupus expert, I sent the following. I had also told him at dinner the previous night that Jason was more entertaining than Graham Hughes (who had visited UCSD in the first days of my sabbatical and had lunch with us all) and half his age. Something for putting a young face in front of those millennials and genZers.
Great outing last night. Thanks for the victuals, alcohol and company. Too bad AA and LJ aren’t next door instead of 2300 miles apart.
I write this time mainly to urge you to pull someone else from AA to your place. To visit not to stay, please.
I know you’re getting to know Michelle Kahlenberg pretty well and she’s a gem. But there’s another rising lupus superstar in my old place you may not know as well, but would enjoy it if you did. Jason Knight MD, PhD recently tenured is a hopeless Hoosier who was not surprised when his boys got to their first bowl game in years and blew it to the Vols on New Years’ Day. He’s resigned for a long wait to see his roundballers reach Bobby Knight glory days or even Mrs. Harbaugh (Tom Crean) mediocrity. Which might help explain his love of IPAs, which has been allowing me to send tease texts of my choices at my last 2 LJ spots, and will surely continue. We’ve been close ever since I was his attending and helped coax him out of his planned heme-onc fellowship into rheumatology. He buys some of my basketball tickets and when we had 4 season football tickets Kathy and I would be sure to get him and his boy to at least one game a year.
His main thing Is APS, particularly neutrophil nets and their role. He made the cover of Nature a year or so ago. He’s very tall and very thin and has the shyness that can go with that sort of habitus, which probably goes a long way in explaining why he isn’t as well-known as force-of-nature Michelle. But it doesn’t hinder him at the podium. He applies his dry self-deprecating wit liberally. He peppers his talks with abundant references to history and popular events. He even goes about proving that the birth of the US was due to APS. His APS clinic is expanding, with a new faculty member from Texas added just last year to help him out. I’m sure he’d like to make the rounds in LJ, and not just Jacob.
Kathy and I would be more than willing to come out too, but Jason is all grown up now and needs neither chaperone nor guide.
I’d appreciate anything you could do for him. You and your Division won’t be disappointed.
B
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