Essays

Writing not only for medical journals but for broader audiences — reflecting on medicine, human nature, and the intersections of science and life.

The essays which can be read in full are listed first. Dr. Rosenbaum's most-cited publications are on the Publications page, which also links to where the rest of his scientific writing can be found. Scientific essays have appeared in Science, New England Journal of Medicine (n=4), Annals of Internal Medicine, Arthritis & Rheumatology (n=4, formerly Arthritis & Rheumatism), Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, American Journal of Ophthalmology, and the American Journal of Pathology.

For general readers

The E. Coli Made Me Do It. The New Yorker, online edition, November 8, 2013. Read at The New Yorker →
The Fellow and the Professor Revisited. JAMA Ophthalmology, July 2016;134(7):727. Read at JAMA Network →
Rosenbaum's “Rules” for Public Speaking. The Rheumatologist, 2022. Read at The Rheumatologist →
Fatal Choices. The Rheumatologist, April 1, 2010. Read at The Rheumatologist →
Last Man Running. New England Journal of Medicine, published online August 8, 2026; print edition August 13, 2026. doi:10.1056/NEJMp2518293. Read at NEJM (login required) →
Was Giving My Opinion to a Non-Patient Worth the Risk? Op-Med, Doximity, July 16, 2026. Read at Doximity (login required) →
A Piece of My Mind: Howard. JAMA, 2009;302(9):929–930. Read at JAMA Network (login required) →
A Piece of My Mind: In Defense of Phobias. JAMA, 2008;299:2368. Read at JAMA Network (login required) →
Lessons from litigation over silicone breast implants: a call for activism by scientists. Science, 1997;276:1524–1525. Read at Science (login required) →
Running for His Life. In review.
Reversing Lost Memory. In review.
A Lesson from My Barber. The Rheumatologist, in press.

For physicians and scientists

Editorials, invited commentaries, and hypothesis pieces.

The Terms Retinal Vasculopathy and Retinal Vasculitis Require Clarification. Rosenbaum JT, Rojas-Carabali W, Cifuentes-González C, de Smet MD, Gangaputra S, Gupta V, Agrawal R. Am J Ophthalmol, 2025;277:83–86. PMID: 40383358.
Is Collaborative Care Better Care? Rosenbaum JT, Fett N, Ghetie D, Desmarais J. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2025;77(3):297–299. PMID: 39295234.
The NLRP3 Conundrum. Rosenbaum JT, Gill T, Martin TM. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2023;75(5):661–663. PMID: 36575775.
Correspondence on ‘Factors associated with COVID-19-related death in people with rheumatic diseases: results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician-reported registry’. Rosenbaum JT, Weisman MH, Shafer C, et al. Ann Rheum Dis, 2023;82(6):e138. PMID: 33985940.
Rheumatology and oculoplastic surgery: strange bedfellows or natural brethren? Rosenbaum JT, Mikkilineni S, Khazaei H, Ashraf DC, Ng JD. The Rheumatologist, June 2022.
Marking the 50th anniversary of a seminal paper in rheumatology: did Baruj Benacerraf and Hugh McDevitt get it right? Rosenbaum JT, Gill T, Martin TM, Friedman M, Thompson R. Ann Rheum Dis, 2022. PMID: 35236660.
Seasoning to Perfection: How to Optimize Anti-TNF Therapy. Rosenbaum JT, Friedman M. Ocul Immunol Inflamm, 2022;30(4):767–768. PMID: 34424794.
EnRAPtured: Is Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase a New Clue to the Pathogenesis and ThERAPy of Uveitis? Rosenbaum JT, Gill T, Martin TM. Ophthalmol Sci, 2021;1(3):100056. PMID: 36247819.
Collaboration for the Management of Hydroxychloroquine. Rosenbaum JT, Costenbader KH, Desmarais J, et al. Ophthalmology, 2021;128(7):1115–1116. PMID: 33752915.
Tautologies and the Telltale Tubercle Bacillus. Rosenbaum JT, Van Gelder RN. Ophthalmology, 2021;128(2):288–289. PMID: 33485477.
Bugs, Drugs, and Shrugs. Rosenbaum JT, Karstens L. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2020;72(4):515–517. PMID: 31736274.
Just another crappy commentary: the future of fecal microbiota transplantation. Rosenbaum JT. Expert Rev Clin Immunol, 2019;15(10):987–989. PMID: 31414930.
The Microbiome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Rosenbaum JT, Silverman GJ. N Engl J Med, 2018;378(23):2236–2237. PMID: 29874543.
The microbiome and HLA-B27-associated acute anterior uveitis. Rosenbaum JT, Asquith M. Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2018;14(12):704–723. PMID: 30301938.
Spondyloarthritis, acute anterior uveitis, and fungi: updating the Catterall-King hypothesis. Laurence M, Asquith M, Rosenbaum JT. Front Med (Lausanne), 2018;5:80. PMID: 29675414.
Fecal transplants in spondyloarthritis and uveitis: ready for a clinical trial? Choi RY, Asquith M, Rosenbaum JT. Curr Opin Rheumatol, 2018;30(4):303–309. PMID: 29538010.
Mindfulness and Diagnostic Acumen. Rosenbaum JT. Ophthalmology, 2018;123(8):1630–1. PMID: 27450813.
Celiac Disease and Autoimmunity — The Missing Ingredient. Rosenbaum JT. N Engl J Med, 2017;377(15):1489–1490. PMID: 29020591.
The immune response: learning to leave well enough alone. Rosenbaum JT. N Engl J Med, 2015;373:2378–79.
Nibbling away at the diagnosis of idiopathic uveitis. Rosenbaum JT. JAMA Ophthalmol, 2015;133:146–7. PMID: 25356928.
To Be or not TB? Rosenbaum JT. Br J Ophthalmol, 2014;98(9):999–1000. PMID: 24642664.
The future of uveitis treatment. Lin P, Suhler EB, Rosenbaum JT. Ophthalmology, 2013;121(1):365–76. PMID: 24169255.
Eyeing macular degeneration — a few inflammatory remarks. Rosenbaum JT. N Engl J Med, 2012;367(8):768–70. PMID: 22913688.
Time for a gut check: evidence for the hypothesis that HLA-B27 predisposes to ankylosing spondylitis by altering the microbiome. Rosenbaum JT, Davey MP. Arthritis Rheum, 2011;63:3195–8. PMCID: PMC3204318.
Hypothesis: Sarcoidosis is a STAT1-mediated disease. Rosenbaum JT, Pasadhika S, Crouser ED, et al. Clin Immunol, 2009;132:174–183. PMCID: PMC2733945.
Biologics and Behçet's: disease diversity and trial design. Rosenbaum JT. Ocul Immunol Inflamm, 2007;15(2):61–2. PMID: 17558829.
Wegener's granulomatosis: more than meets the eye. Rosenbaum JT. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 2006;35(5):271. PMID: 16616149.
Blind insight: eyeing anti-tumor necrosis factor treatment in uveitis associated with Behçet's disease. Rosenbaum JT. J Rheumatol, 2004;31:1241–1243. PMID: 15229938.
Immunologists ponder glaucoma: a few inflammatory remarks. Rosenbaum JT, Smith JR. J Glaucoma, 2004;13(6):439–40. PMID: 15534465.
Some anti-proinflammatory musings: proinflammatory is inflammatory. Rosenbaum JT. Arthritis Rheum, 2003;48:1469–1470.
Sugar creates a sticky business: round up the usual suspects. Rosenbaum JT. Am J Pathol, 2002;160(5):1547–50. PMID: 12000704.
An old crone finds a new home: Crohn's disease and pars planitis. Rosenbaum JT, Kurz D. Ocul Immunol Inflamm, 2002;10(3):157–60. PMID: 12789592.
Uveitis and juvenile arthritis. Rosenbaum JT, Smith JR. Br J Ophthalmol, 2002;86(1):1–2. PMID: 11801490.
Uveitis and the Tower of Babel. Rosenbaum JT, Holland GN. Arch Ophthalmol, 1996;114:604–605. PMID: 8619773.
Toward Cytokine Insight in Sight (editorial). Rosenbaum JT. Br J Ophthalmol, 1995;79:970–971.
Drug-induced uveitis: reporting inflammation while avoiding inflammatory reports. Rosenbaum JT. Am J Ophthalmol, 1994;118(6):805–6. PMID: 7977609.
Why HLA-B27? An analysis based on two animal models. Rosenbaum JT. Ann Intern Med, 1981;94:261–263.