Maclaine
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Youth Honoree

Maclaine was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis before her second birthday. At 18 months Maclaine refusd to walk. Maclaine’s first appointment at Vanderbilt  was very intense. This was the beginning of a long and ongoing journey.

In the following months Maclaine had joint injections, MRIs, physical and occupational therapy and continued anti-inflammatories. None of these seemed to help. The next step was injections. These were given on a weekly basis along with an oral tablet. Again this did nothing for her so at 2.5 years old she started Enbrel. It changed everything.

At age 5, she was diagnosed with uveitis right before starting Kindergarten. This caused another change of medication. Now at 9 years old, Maclaine is looking at another medication change due to skin eruptions thought to be caused by her current medication.

Maclaine lives a normal life. She dances, does gymnastics, swims, plays basketball, and softball. Her arthritis has never limited her.

Katherine Clark Runyan PA-C
Rheumatologist
Women in Rheumatology Honoree

Katherine Clark Runyan PA-C earned her undergraduate degree from University of Tennessee and her Masters in Public Health in Physician Assistant Studies from South College in Knoxville TN. Katherine has been practicing Rheumatology since 2015 and is currently employed at Rheumatology Associates of East Tennessee in Knoxville. She is active in the rheumatology community and is the Tennessee co-chapter leader for AWIR, The Association of Women In Rheumatology. She is a member of RhAPP, TAPA and AAPA. She is a preceptor for local PA schools to provide a rotation for students interested in Rheumatology. She has been a guest rheumatology lecturer for South College PA school and for TAPA. She is a consultant speaker for Abbvie, Amgen Rare Disease and Pfizer pharmaceuticals. She and her husband have 2 children and 3 doodles.

Benjamin Kopp, MD
University Orthopaedic Surgeons
Orthopaedic Honoree

Dr. Benjamin Kopp is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in joint replacement and revision. He joined University Orthopaedic Surgeons after completing advanced fellowship training in adult reconstruction surgery in 2023.

As a surgeon, he is dedicated to working with patients to develop safe and effective plans so they can return to the activities that are being limited by their condition. Dr. Kopp’s expertise includes standard and complex hip and knee replacement and revision, including the latest in minimally invasive techniques like anterior hip replacement, robotic-assisted joint replacement, and partial knee replacement.

Dr. Kopp’s interest in orthopaedics began as an undergraduate studying implant design in biomedical engineering. He became more interested in the practical application of these principles, and he is driven to apply engineering principles to surgery to help restore patients' function and mobility. When Dr. Kopp is not seeing patients, he spends his free time running, mountain biking, doing yoga, and playing golf. He also enjoys live music.

Macy
Adult Honoree

Macy first started experiencing arthritis symptoms when she was 7 years old. It wasn’t until she met Dr. Park at UT Rheumatology at 18, that she finally got the answers and treatment that she had been praying for. Macy has worked with UT Rheumatology’s team for years and she loves all the work the Arthritis Foundation does. “The support and community that I have built since I was a child has stuck with me until now and I want to give that same experience to kids who are going through the same thing I went through.” Macy had the opportunity of volunteering with Camp Acheaway last summer and she says it was such an awesome experience! Join her team today!