Help millions of people live with less pain and fund groundbreaking research to discover a cure for this devastating disease.
UCLA Fellows: Meet Samira Nazzar and Stephen Wong, Jane Wyman Foundation-sponsored Fellows
Because access to care is not always guaranteed, the Arthritis Foundation has been working to help close the gap on the nation’s rheumatologist shortage through our fellowship initiative. Through generous donations from the Jane Wyman Trust, we have been able to fund two pediatric fellowships at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Stephen Chee-Yung Wong, MD Stephen Chee-Yung Wong, MD, a pediatrician, will complete his pediatric rheumatology fellowship in June 2020. He is looking forward to the opportunity to perform impactful research in pediatric rheumatology and continue to develop as a physician scientist. His current research project examines cognitive dysfunction ...more
The 2019 National Juvenile Arthritis Conference Welcomed Almost 1,800 Attendees
Over two long weekends in mid-July and early August, about 1,800 participants made their way to Houston, Texas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take part in the 2019 National Juvenile Arthritis Conference. As in previous years, the Arthritis Foundation offered two JA Conference locations to serve even more kids, families and young adults across the country affected by childhood rheumatic diseases while also welcoming back returning veteran families.This year, more than 40 states were represented, including some families from Mexico and Canada. In both cities, more than half of conference participants were first-time attendees, experiencing everything the four-day conference had to ...more
Developing the Rheumatology Learning Health System – A Patient’s Story
A big part of our Collaborating With Patients for Better Health scientific initiative has been creating the Rheumatology Learning Health System (RLHS) in collaboration with major partners. The goal of RLHS is to improve quality of care by enhancing communication between patients and their doctors through electronic dashboards. These dashboards support meaningful conversations and shared decisions about care and treatment plans. They include patient-reported outcomes (PROs), enabling patients to list questions and concerns in advance of a clinical visit. Patients and doctors can turn on/off different data elements to focus on the most meaningful data. During the pilot phase of this project, ...more
Paying It Forward to Solve Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) isn’t just a disease that affects older adults; it’s the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 30 million Americans. Anyone who injures or overuses their joints, including athletes, military members and people who work physically demanding jobs, may be more susceptible to developing this disease as they age. OA is a chronic condition that can affect any joint, but it occurs most often in knees, hips, lower back and neck, small joints of the fingers and the bases of the thumb and big toe. There is no cure for OA. OA incidence continues to grow in the United ...more
Patients Tell Us About CBD Use
Managing the chronic pain of arthritis every day can be a major balancing act. Those suffering from arthritis are desperate to find ways to decrease pain and improve sleep and their overall ability to function. Today, it’s common for people with arthritis to be asked: “Have you tried CBD for your arthritis pain?” The Arthritis Foundation recently asked this question in a survey, and more than 2,600 arthritis patients answered. People with many different types of arthritis responded — the majority of whom have been living with osteoarthritis (52%) or rheumatoid arthritis (45%) for 10 or more years. The results were clear: ...more
Meet Matthew Clark: One of Our Newest Foundation-Sponsored Fellows!
Because access to care is not always guaranteed, we’ve been working to help close the gap on the nation’s rheumatologist shortage through our fellowship initiative . In June, we announced four new fellowship awards for 2019. One of those grants was offered to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which recently announced a three‑year pediatric fellowship to Dr. Matthew Clark. Dr. Clark hopes to build a niche in treating children with early immune symptoms that occur because of immune deficiency. During his pediatric residency, Dr. Clark served on the graduate medical education committee at Vanderbilt and was awarded the Most Outstanding Teacher Award ...more
Meet Vin Sivan Pillai: One of Our Newest Foundation-Sponsored Fellows!
Because access to care is not always guaranteed, we’ve been working to help close the gap on the nation’s rheumatologist shortage through our fellowship initiative. In June, we announced four new fellowship awards. One of those grants was offered to SUNY Downstate Medical Center, which has been awarded to Dr. Vin Sivan Pillai. Already serving a very diverse community, the SUNY Downstate program is also addressing the needs of young adults transitioning from pediatric to adult care. This innovative program, involving rheumatologists, urban health planners, the city of Brooklyn and the Arthritis Foundation, seeks to understand the needs of young adult ...more
JAC Research Sessions
Kids, teens, young adults and their families from across the country are landing in Minneapolis for the second of two National Juvenile Arthritis (JA) Conferences the Arthritis Foundation is hosting this year. This week’s conference offers a variety of events and informational program tracks focused on education and connecting with others, including two research sessions that will take place on Friday, August 2. Research plenary This 9 AM session will cover important updates in Arthritis Foundation and CARRA JA research activities. We will then shift to a fireside chat between a researcher and parent/patient partner to talk about the many ways patients and families ...more