Winter 2020 Faulkner Lifestyle

medical profile
Dr. Swetha Boddeda
Rheumatologist, Conway Regional Multispecialty Clinic
Dr. Boddeda, a Rheumatologist,
recently joined the Conway
Regional Multispecialty Clinic,
located inside Conway Regional
Medical Center.
Education: Boddeda received her
internal medicine residency training
at the Indiana University Health Ball
Memorial Hospital in Muncie. She then
went on to complete her Rheumatology
Fellowship at the University of Mississippi
Medical Center, where she received
the SAFMR Fellow merit award. Boddeda
was selected for the Young Investigator
Research Travel Award in 2019.
What inspired you to enter into the
medical field? I have always been
compassionate about people. My childhood
best friend’s father was a doctor.
We lived close by and I kind of grew up
watching him. I was always fascinated
by how people would present so acutely
sick and walk out of the hospital happy
after treatment and how doctors can
make a difference in one’s life.
Why did you choose rheumatology?
During my medical rotation on rheumatology
I discovered that a relative who
passed away from an unknown disease
actually had Lupus, which is treated by
rheumatologists. I enjoy rheumatology
because many times you have to think
outside the box as we specialize in
hard-to-diagnose diseases.
What do Rheumatologists do? What
conditions, besides rheumatoid
arthritis, do you treat? Rheumatologists
diagnose and treat musculoskeletal
disease and systemic autoimmune
conditions commonly referred to as
connective tissue diseases. I treat a wide
variety of autoimmune and inflammatory
diseases like lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome,
Scleroderma (Systemic Sclerosis),
Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, Polymyalgia
Rheumatica, Septic Arthritis.
Sarcoidosis, Gout and Pseudogout gout,
fibromyalgia, and others.
What do you enjoy the most about
being a doctor? I’m a patient listener
and I enjoy when my patients tell me
that they have found a doctor who is
listening to them. That makes me feel
good and motivates me to be a better
physician.
Why do you choose to live and
practice medicine in Conway? When
I finished my medical training I was
looking for a place closer to where my
husband, Neal, lives. He is finishing a
fellowship in hematology-oncology
at LSU in Shreveport, and I felt like
Conway Regional would support me in
establishing my practice here.
How can you best help the community?
I know I can make a difference
here because people were spending so
much time traveling for rheumatology
visits. Currently, we can make same-day
appointments.
What are your hobbies? I’m a full-time
mom with two daughters, Kriti, five, and
Vibha, three months, and I want to spend
as much time as I can with them. I also
love to shop any time, any day.
Any words of advice about autoimmune
diseases? I recommend for my
patients to watch out for any symptoms
like unexplained fevers or unintentional
weight loss, skin rashes that are not
easy to figure out, and swollen joints as
potential symptoms for autoimmune
disease. Timely diagnosis is important.
These diseases are prone to cause
significant organ damage if not caught
in the early stages.
CONNECT
Conway Regional
Multispecialty Clinic
501.358.6145
ConwayRegional.org
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