229. Spielbound Board Game Cafe Founder Kaleb Michaud on Research Funding, Healthcare and Tabletop Gaming

Kaleb Michaud is a professor of rheumatology at the University of
Nebraska Medical Center and the director of Spielbound Board Game
Cafe.


Michaud grew up in Kansas, where he developed a passion for music
and astrophysics. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from
the University of Rochester and a PhD from Stanford
University. 


When he was 3 years old, Michaud was diagnosed with rheumatoid
arthritis, an autoimmune disease causing painful swelling and
stiffness in joints and connective tissues. A doctor told
Michaud’s parents that he may not survive past his early
20s. 


Living with the chronic illness inspired Michaud’s career change
in 2001, when he returned to Kansas to work at the National Data
Bank for Rheumatic Diseases. He joined the staff of UNMC in 2007
and is now a professor in the Division of Rheumatology and
Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Research Program


Michaud is also a board game enthusiast with a personal
collection of more than 6,000 games. He serves as the director of
Spielbound, a nonprofit board game cafe he founded in 2014 at
33rd and Harney Streets.


In this episode, Michaud and Michael Griffin are talking about
Michaud's love of board games, how living with chronic pain
inspired his rheumatology research and how he balances his
diverse interests.