Eric L. Matteson, MD, MPH, Honored with 2025 ACR Presidential Gold Medal Award

CHICAGO – The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is proud to announce that Eric L. Matteson, MD, MPH, FACP, MACR, MPANLAR, has been named the recipient of the 2025 ACR Presidential Gold Medal Award, the highest honor awarded by the College. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through clinical care, research, leadership, and service to the rheumatology community.

Dr. Matteson is Emeritus John F. Finn Professor of Medicine and Emeritus Chair of the Division of Rheumatology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, with a joint appointment in the Division of Epidemiology in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences. A native of Nebraska, he earned his B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska, his M.D. from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, and an M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He completed his internal medicine training in the Michigan State University system and pursued fellowships in rheumatology at the University of Michigan and Mayo Clinic.

Beyond his medical contributions, Dr. Matteson has devoted over 30 years of volunteer service to the ACR and Rheumatology Research Foundation. He has held leadership roles as President of the Foundation and served on numerous ACR committees, including the Quality of Care Committee, Ethics Committee, and Communications and Marketing Committee—where he helped launch the Simple Tasks campaign and The Rheumatologist newsletter. He has also served as co-chair of the Annual Meeting Abstract Selection Committee, and co-chair of the Winter Rheumatology Symposium. Currently, he serves as Chair of the ACR Global Engagement Committee, advancing education and patient care around the world.

With a career spanning decades, Dr. Matteson has pioneered advances in understanding, treating, and redefining rheumatic diseases. His research has focused on vasculitis—including groundbreaking studies in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica—rheumatoid arthritis and its extraarticular involvement, sarcoidosis, autoimmune inner ear disease, and interstitial lung disease. He has been at the forefront of clinical and epidemiological research, contributing substantially to evidence-based care.

Dr. Matteson’s longstanding commitment to advancing rheumatology includes studies of biologics in autoimmune diseases that paved the way for innovative approaches that have transformed patient care. Through his interest in the history of medicine, Dr. Matteson has helped to preserve the past record of rheumatic disease discovery for future generations. He has published over 500 scientific articles, more than 60 book chapters, and several seminal books, that have shaped clinical practice and scientific investigation worldwide.

Internationally recognized, Dr. Matteson has been named an honorary member of several prestigious organizations, including the Rheumatology Societies of Chile, Uruguay, New Zealand, the Panamerican League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR), and the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR).

“The Presidential Gold Medal embodies a lifetime of unparalleled contributions to rheumatology, and Dr. Matteson’s career exemplifies this achievement,” said Dr. Carol Langford, President of the American College of Rheumatology. “His leadership, scientific insight, and devotion to patient care have had a transformative global impact on the field.”

The award will be presented at the ACR Convergence 2025 meeting, where Dr. Matteson will be formally recognized for his extraordinary achievements, vision, and enduring commitment to advancing rheumatology worldwide.

Media Contact
Teri Arnold
Director, Public Relations & Communications
tarnold@rheumatology.org
757-272-7002

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About the American College of Rheumatology
Founded in 1934, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is a not-for-profit, professional association committed to advancing the specialty of rheumatology that serves over 10,000 physicians, health professionals, researchers and scientists worldwide. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatology professionals are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

About ACR Convergence
ACR Convergence, the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, is where rheumatology meets to collaborate, celebrate, congregate, and learn. With hundreds of sessions and thousands of abstracts, it offers a superior combination of basic science, clinical science, business education and interactive discussions to improve patient care and advance the specialty. For more information about the meeting, visit the ACR Convergence page, or join the conversation on X by following the official hashtag (#ACR25).