Help millions of people live with less pain and fund groundbreaking research to discover a cure for this devastating disease.
Meet Olivia Kwan: One of Our Newest Foundation Sponsored Fellows!
Right now, access to care is not always guaranteed for arthritis patients, and the problem is even worse for children living with juvenile arthritis. A child with arthritis currently travels an average of 57 miles to be seen by a pediatric rheumatologist. The Arthritis Foundation has been working to help close the gap on the nation’s rheumatologist shortage through our fellowship initiative. In 2018 we announced five fellowship awards; one of those grants was offered to the Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, which recently announced their fellowship has been awarded to Dr. Olivia Kwan. Dr. Kwan earned her ...more
Survive & Thrive: Together in Isolation
It’s game on for Rob Gronkowski and Matt Iseman on the Live Yes! With Arthritis Podcast. This was not your typical discussion about chronic pain and arthritis. There was laughing. There were singing and dancing. There was even juggling. It was just what we needed to cut through the isolation of the new coronavirus world. Former pro football player Rob Gronkowski – known by fans as “Gronk” – teamed up with Matt Iseman, host of American Ninja Warrior and a longtime friend of the Arthritis Foundation who has rheumatoid arthritis, to share their stories and some laughs on the Live Yes! ...more
Gerica's Tips for the "New" Normal
By now, those of you reading this are likely experiencing a shelter-in-place order, school cancellations, or other social distancing situations in your own communities due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Here in California, our state is under a statewide shelter-in-place directive and I am on week 2 of 4 with my children’s schools transitioning to “distance learning”. Some districts in our area have already announced this will continue for the remainder of the school year. If you are anything like me, this sudden and massive change has rocked your family unit and you are trying to navigate the unfamiliar. Two weeks ...more
Meet Dr. Laura Cannon: 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. As one of the five new 2020 fellowship grant awardees, Duke University announced their fellowship has been awarded to Dr. Laura Cannon. Dr. Cannon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in English from Duke University. She completed her medical degree at the University of North Carolina Medical School at Chapel Hill, where she also completed her pediatric residency training. She then returned to Duke University for pediatric rheumatology fellowship training. Dr. Cannon explained ...more
2020 Virtual Advocacy Leadership Retreat: Key Takeaways From 20 Years of Advocacy
Advocacy Champions joined Advocacy staff online for the first Virtual Advocacy Leadership Retreat on March 10, 2020. Volunteers developed the entire program before COVID-19 made an in-person event unsafe. They designed keynotes, breakout sessions and “how to” advocacy posters in order to teach one another about advocacy leadership. Keeping programming true to the volunteer leaders’ plans while switching to a staff-run webcast was a unique challenge. Many organizations cancelled their conferences, but volunteers had worked too hard for the Arthritis Foundation to call it quits. As Staci Penner put it, “Even Coronavirus can’t stop advocacy for arthritis!” With the input and ...more2020 Virtual Advocacy Leadership Retreat : The Power of Presence
I was full of nerves and excitement a year ago when my son and I traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend an Advocacy Summit. My son decided to become an Arthritis Foundation Junior Ambassador, and to support him I signed up as an Ambassador. I had no idea what to expect, but I was hoping to help my son find his voice. The funny thing was, I found mine. This year the Arthritis Foundation awarded me the distinction of Platinum Ambassador and I was invited to Washington, D.C for an Advocacy Leadership Retreat. The nerves and excitement returned, but I was ...more
It’s Easy to Walk With Ease
My name is Steven Schultz, and I’m the state director for advocacy and access at the Arthritis Foundation. Last fall, I had the great pleasure of joining Rep. Ami Bera, who represents the Sacramento area in Congress, for a Walk With Ease session. Walk With Ease teaches participants how to safely make physical activity part of their everyday life. Studies by the Thurston Arthritis Research Center and the Institute on Aging at the University of North Carolina show that Walk With Ease is proven to reduce the pain and discomfort of arthritis; increase balance, strength and walking pace; build confidence in ...more
Teen Fighting JA Says Knowledge Is Power
When Britney Gifford started complaining about aches and inflammation in her arms, legs and knees at the age of 5, her pediatrician assured her parents it was just growing pains — after all, she was one of the tallest kids in her class. As she grew older and showed zero interest in athletics, her parents assumed it was because she just had different hobbies and interests. By the time Britney was 10, she frequently told her parents about consistent pain in her ankles, knees and wrists. Again, they just believed she was growing and would give her ibuprofen. At 13, after ...more