Speaker Profile
Roy Davis Altman

Roy Davis Altman MD

Medicine, Rheumatology
Los Angeles, California, United States of America

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Dr. Roy D. Altman, MD, is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of California in Los Angeles. Previous appointments include Chief of Rheumatology and Immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, where he was also Professor of Medicine, with a secondary appointment as Professor of Orthopedics. Additionally, he served at the Miami Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center as Clinical Director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), and Chief of the Arthritis Section in the Division of Medicine.

Dr. Altman earned a medical degree at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency at the school’s complex, which comprises Jackson Memorial Hospital, the University of Miami Hospitals and Clinics and the Miami VA Medical Center.

Dr. Altman initiated knee arthroscopy in 1969, training several orthopedists before the technique became popular. His research interests have focused on animal models of osteoarthritis (OA), particularly the canine cruciate-deficient model and the Moskowitz lapine hemimeniscectomy model; the role of metalloproteinases in the development of OA; and the potential benefit and mechanism of action of structure-modifying agents for OA. His first significant research contribution was the original clinical trial on etidronate (the first of the bisphosphonates) in Paget’s disease of bone. He has published the only prevalence study of Paget’s disease in the United States. His work in Paget’s disease expanded into osteoporosis, and he set up the osteoporosis clinical trial program at the University of Miami.

Dr. Altman is a contributor to the medical literature and has numerous publications to his credit, including over 200 juried manuscripts and over 60 book chapters. With Dr. Roland Moskowitz, he has edited the fourth edition of the text Osteoarthritis: Diagnosis and Management.

As founder and past President of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International, he started the organization’s official journal, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, and after 16 years completed his term as Editor-in-Chief on July 1, 2008. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage has consistently been the highest ISI rated journal in orthopedics. The Osteoarthritis Research Society had awarded Dr. Altman the Clinical Science Award in 2001 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Osteoarthritis in 2007.

In 1983, Dr. Altman with Dr. Norman Gottlieb (Professor of Medicine, University of Miami) accepted major editorial responsibility for Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism under the guidance of the Editor, Dr. John Talbott. In 1988, Dr. Talbott handed full responsibility to Drs. Altman and Gottlieb. Acting as co-editors for 30 years until 2009, the journal has consistently had an ISI rating of 4, one of the highest in rheumatology. The journal emphasizes extended reviews of basic and clinical aspects of rheumatic conditions. Shortly after completing his tenure as editing Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, the International Cartilage Repair Society enlisted him to start a journal for the society. He started the new journal “Cartilage” in 2009 and was Editor-in-Chief for the initial 3 years. By design, he stepped down to his present position as Associate Editor.

Dr. Altman is a former board member of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and served as their AMA Delegate from 1988 to 2003.
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