OARSI Weekly Briefing - July 30, 2021 | Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI)

Welcome to the OARSI Weekly Briefing - the single resource you need to stay up to date with OARSI & World Congress news, membership announcements, and happenings within the OARSI & OA community.

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Board of Directors Call for Nominations

The deadline to submit a nomination application for the OARSI Board of Directors is Tuesday, August 31st. The position is for a 4-year term beginning in May 2022. The Board requires members whose backgrounds, skills, and experience match the OARSI mission and its current and future needs. Service on the OARSI board demands a considerable commitment of time and talent to advance the goals and objectives of the organization. To learn more about the process and submit an application, please click HERE.

Member Spotlight: Stefan Lohmander

Over the course of the next few weeks we will spotlight the past Lifetime Achievement Award winners. This week’s Member Spotlight is 2017 winner, Stefan Lohmander.

How long have you been a member of OARSI and why did you join?

I joined at the first OARS congress in Paris in 1992. I was at that time, in parallel with my clinical work, ‘translating’ myself from experimental cartilage research into more clinically oriented research on OA and biomarkers in connection with joint injury. Joining that new society focused only on OA research seemed like the natural thing to do. I haven’t looked back since.

What do you enjoy most about OARSI?

Curiosity got me into research, and I’m still curious. Aside from satisfying that curiosity, what I find most rewarding in research are the interactions with like-minded, the ‘social’ aspects of science. Coming from a small country I recognized early that I needed to establish these collaborations internationally and there the OARSI Congresses played an important role. Many of my scientific collaborations around the world have evolved into life-long friendships. Our digital toolbox is fantastic, but to me there’s no replacing the person-to-person meeting.

Tell us a little bit about your research?

That could be a long story, I published my first paper more than 50 years ago… But using the fast-forward mode, my research in cartilage and proteoglycan biology evolved into research on molecular biomarkers to monitor OA. My PhD students then helped me broaden my interests to include imaging and patient-reported outcomes. With these tools, we monitored patient cohorts with joint injury for risk factors and OA development, and performed randomized clinical trials and cohort studies on patients with knee injuries to improve the evidence base for best treatment. Over the past few years I have been engaged in an initiative to increase our recognition of early-stage OA. The importance of identifying and treating early-stage disease is now recognized in common chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, and RA. Why should our approach for managing OA be different than for these other diseases?

What does winning the Lifetime Achievement Award mean to you?

I am deeply honored to be elected by my peers to join a group of leaders and pioneers in OA research that include many of my own role models in research. It is also a gentle reminder on a personal level that with this distinction comes the opportunity to spend more time on the career of others than on your own, being a mentor to those younger in their career. A small way of paying back what I have over the years been generously given by others.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

The outdoors, watching birds and wildlife at home and around the world. Listening to all kinds of music. I enjoyed scuba diving and underwater photography for many years, these days my photography is less exotic and technically challenging but nevertheless provides a bit of a creative outlet.

OA Prevention Related to Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity (SEPA) Discussion Group

The Osteoarthritis Prevention Related to Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity (SEPA) Discussion Group focuses on reducing the public health impact of osteoarthritis through osteoarthritis prevention research and knowledge translation activities with a focus on sport, exercise, and physical activity. To achieve these goals, the discussion group seeks to create collaborative opportunities for researchers, research trainees, clinicians, and other stakeholders (e.g., advocacy groups, patients) in the area of injury and osteoarthritis prevention (e.g., multicentre studies, development of recommendations, consensus development) with a focus on sport, exercise, and physical activity.

The Discussion Group promotes opportunities to raise the bar internationally in research in osteoarthritis prevention related to sport, exercise, and physical activity. Member benefits from the group’s webinars and annual meeting at the OARSI World Congress. Finally, the group encourages consensus and systematic review projects as well as a special issue of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage focused on prevention.

The group aims to promote greater attendance and participation of researchers, research trainees, clinicians, and other stakeholders interested in sport, exercise, physical activity, injury prevention, and osteoarthritis prevention at its events. If you are interested in signing up for the discussion group, please complete the sign-up form.

Save the Date: Clinical Trials Symposium

The Wednesday, October 20 at 9:00 EDT
More Information to Follow

OARSI Live Call for Presenters

The OARSI Live webinar series is currently on hiatus and will resume this fall. We are looking to schedule our fall program and are seeking webinar presenters. If you would like to present on an OARSI Live webinar, please contact Vincenzo Nelli with a brief summary of your proposed presentation.

OARSI Connect '21 Recordings

Did you know that all of the recorded sessions from OARSI Connect ‘21 are available to registered attendees through April 2022!? If you missed a session because you attended another session or it occurred at a time that was inconvenient for you, you can view it by logging into the virtual meeting website. Just navigate to the Agenda page and select the session(s) you want to view.

If you missed OARSI Connect ‘21, you can still register and have access to the recordings. It simple, just register HERE.

Important Dates & Upcoming Deadlines

2021 Membership Dues: Be sure to renew your OARSI dues. Renew Now.
August 31, 2021 - Call for Board of Director Nominations Deadline
October 20, 2021 - Clinical Trials Symposium
April 6 - 10, 2022 - OARSI World Congress in Berlin, Germany

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OARSI Weekly Briefing - July 30, 2021