Committees

OARSI relies on, and is grateful for, the service of members dedicated to advancing the Society through committee participation. Learn more about each OARSI committee below, then volunteer for a committee.

To view members of each committee, click on the committee name.

 

The goal of this Committee is to develop partnerships and interactions with the Asian OA Community.  The aim is to collaborate with local OA societies to meet the needs of those in the field.

2023-2024 Board of Directors

The goal of the Communications Committee is to improve OARSI visibility through communication vehicles including the website, newsletter and social media. The Committee focuses on improving the website and social media presence and reviewing selected articles for the bi-monthly newsletter.

The Early Career Investigator Committee goal is to increase student and early career investigator interest and participation in OARSI in order to foster new and strengthen existing research efforts, collaborations and mentorship opportunities in both clinical and basic science studies of osteoarthritis. The Committee plans workshops and mentorship sessions at the OARSI World Congress and maintains Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The Engagement Committee curates the OARSI Live Webinar Series and explores all methods of engaging OARSI Members, with a particular focus on virtual activities.

The Ethics and Governance Committee ensures that all OARSI activities meet the highest ethical standards of the Society. The Committee reviews disclosures from the board, board nominees, committee and initiative participants and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors and enforces the OARSI Code of Ethics. The Ethics and Governance Committee will also be responsible for reviewing OARSI’s governance policies (bylaws, committee mandates) and making recommendations to the Board of Directors.

The role of the Finance Committee is to advise the Board of Directors on actions needed to maintain OARSI’s solvency.  The Committee works closely with the OARSI Treasurer and Industry Relations staff member to identify approaches to new sources of funding and sponsorship, assess how to monetize OARSI activities.

The OARSI Board of Directors has established a new Guidelines Committee.

The committee objectives are to:

  • Develop and publish the treatment recommendations.
  • Monitor and update the recommendations regularly and when needed (if new evidence on existing treatments or new treatments/interventions appear).
  • Suggest plan, methods, and processes for the development of new treatment recommendations for Board consideration.
  • Propose funding possibilities and a tentative budget for Board consideration.

The Nominating Committee reviews all applications and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee seeks to maintain gender, geographical and specialty balance.

The Program Committee plans the annual OARSI Congress. The Committee selects the abstract categories, session topics, speakers and review the pre-Congress workshops. The Committee also reviews and scores abstracts.

The Publications Committee oversees the editorial office of OARSI and the relationship with the publisher of the journals.  This Committee evaluates the publisher and negotiates new or renewal publisher and editor contracts, provides advice to the editors and discusses issues related to the journals.

The Research and Training Committee establishes scholarship criteria, reviews applications and selects scholarship winners.  The Committee will review existing OARSI research tools on the website and recommend updates, review OA research gaps and future directions for OA position papers.

The Strategic Alliance Committee will identify societies, foundations, groups and industry partners that have an interest in OA and related research and establish mutually beneficial interactions.  The goal is to raise awareness and educate groups about osteoarthritis.  Interactions may include formal partnerships, joint meetings and workshops. This Committee is also responsible for reviewing requests for initiatives and projects that come to OARSI.