Dr. Butler…A Gift to CHAS

May 2012

by Katie Kolbet

Who loves the Boston Red Sox? Dr. Jeffrey Butler does! And he remembers

vividly that he began volunteering his time at CHAS before 2004, because he

wasn’t able to watch the World Series game that clinched the national

championship – the first championship for the Red Sox since 1918. “I am a

huge Red Sox fan! I remember being at CHAS and listening to the game on the

radio!”

Sadly for Dr. Butler, he wasn’t able to watch the game, but thankfully for CHAS

and our patients, Dr. Butler, an experienced Rheumatologist, volunteered his time that evening and many other evenings at our Maple Street Clinic – and has done so for an amazing 9 years!

When asked how he became a Rheumatologist, Dr. Butler shared that when he finished medical school, he wasn’t ready to get a “real job”, so he opened the New England Journal of Business and was instantly drawn to a fellowship opportunity in rheumatology. “Rheumatology has great hours and it is so interesting; every case is different. For a lot of people, we are their last stop in a long line if doctors who haven’t been able to figure out what’s wrong with them. I get to be an investigator of these mysterious diseases – it can be very challenging”, says Dr. Butler.  When asked why he volunteers, Dr. Butler graciously replies “being a physician is a gift; I feel it is my duty to give back. There are so few resources available for low-income patients to see a Rheumatologist, that’s why I like to help out here.” Dr. Butler has also traveled to Kenya to help people there. “That was very humbling, and their diseases are nothing like what we deal with here.” Dr. Butler hopes to be able to travel overseas again, and is also working closely with Project Access.

It is clear that Dr. Butler has passion for his work and truly enjoys giving back to his community. We look forward to having Dr. Butler as part of our CHAS family for many more years to come!