OARSI Weekly Briefing - July 9, 2021

Board of Directors Call for Nominations

OARSI is now accepting applications for the Board of Directors 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.

The Nominating Committee will review all applications and make a recommendation to the Board. The nominating committee seeks to maintain gender, geographical, and specialty balance. All OARSI members, except those employed by industry, or who own a for-profit company related to the OA field, are eligible to serve on the Board of Directors. 

If you are interested in applying for a board position, please complete the short application form. Once we receive it, you will be sent a user name and password in order to complete an online disclosure. The deadline for receipt is August 31, 2021.

To learn more about the process and submit an application, please click HERE. 

Member Spotlight: Ida Haugen

Over the course of the next few weeks we will spotlight the 2021 OARSI Award Winners. This week’s Member Spotlight is Clinical Rising Star Award winner, Ida Haugen. Once again, congratulations Ida on a very deserving award!

How long have you been a member of OARSI and why did you join?
I attended my first OARSI conference in Rome in 2008, before I started my PhD a year lager. I have been a member and attended all OARSI conferences ever since. After the first meeting, I immediately realized that the OARSI society would be an invaluable resource for me to learn from the experts and create international collaborations and make good friends.  

What do you enjoy most about OARSI?
Definitely to meet and learn from colleague and friends! I miss our face-to-face meetings where we can interact and meet new people. Many of my international collaboration have originated from a chat at an OARSI meeting. Further, OARSI has given me a lot of opportunities, of which I am very thankful for the scholarship that I received as a PhD student. This grant has been invaluable for my career development. Last but not least, I can definitely say that OARSI changed my life, as I actually met my husband at an OARSI meeting in 2011, and now we have three wonderful kids together! 

Tell us a little bit about your research? 
My research is focused on clinical aspects on hand osteoarthritis. I am leading a small research group at Diakonhjemmet Hospital (Oslo, Norway), and my team is running both observational studies and clinical trials. We are especially interested in the understanding of pain mechanisms and disease management in addition to validation of outcome measures including patient-reported outcomes and imaging biomarkers. Internationally, I am also involved in analyses focusing on the epidemiology of hand osteoarthritis using data from large studies such as Osteoarthritis Initiative, Framingham and the MOST study. Together with a fantastic team of international colleagues, I am also co-chairing the development of new classification criteria for hand osteoarthritis, which will be a major improvement for clinical hand osteoarthritis research.

What does winning the Clinical Rising Star Award mean to you? 
It is such an honor to receive the OARSI Clinical Rising Star Award! This is a huge recognition of the research that I have had the pleasure of doing in collaboration with fantastic colleagues in my own research group as well as international experts. At this stage of my career, this award is a confirmation that I am on the right road and that the research is relevant to a greater community. 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love to exercise, and is eagerly training on my bike or running in the woods in the summer or cross-country skiing in the winter.  The training gives me energy and clears my mind in a way that no other activity can do. In addition, I can satisfy my competitive instincts by chasing segments on the Strava app. I share the passion for exercise with my husband, and we often bring our kids on a trip on the bike or in the stroller. 

2020 Impact Factors 

2020 Impact Factors were recently released. The Impact Factor for Osteoarthritis and Cartilage (OAC) has increased from 4.793 to 6.576. This places the journal second in the Orthopedics category (of 82) and sixth in Rheumatology. Congratulations to everyone who has worked on the journal for this huge accomplishment. 

Hey OA! Podcast - Call for Volunteers

OARSI's Hey OA! Podcast covers topics ranging from groundbreaking new research to clinical care and policy, knowledge translation, career paths, and more. During each episode, OARSI Young Investigator, Kerry Costello, interviews a new guest to discuss OA-related topics. To check out the latest podcast click HERE. You can also listen to the podcast using your favorite podcast app. 

Hey OA! is currently expanding. We have a number of exciting episodes planned for the upcoming months and we are looking for at least two volunteers to help with the following ongoing aspects of producing the podcast:

1. Episode planning/preparation: identifying and contacting potential guests, preparing interview questions, scheduling interviews
2. Episode editing: episodes typically involve minimal editing beyond adding intro/outro, theme music, and removing the occasional sneeze/cough. Editing can be done using free, open-source software. Opportunities to contribute to episode format exist for those with more experience.

Both positions involve a regular commitment (approximately 1 episode per month). Prior experience in these roles is not necessary (training will be provided) but is a plus. All are encouraged to apply, including young investigators.

 To apply for these positions, please fill out this online form.

For any questions, email Kerry Costello.

Have ideas for an episode but don’t have time to volunteer? Submit your topic idea or guest nomination anytime using this form.

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.

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.
• August 31, 2021 - Call for Board of Director Nominations Deadline
• April 6 - 10, 2022 - OARSI World Congress in Berlin, Germany

2021 Industry Partners

Interested in joining our growing list of OARSI Partners, Supporters, and Sponsors?  Learn More Here. 

FOLLOW OARSI
    
<<UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK_HTML>>
© 2021 Osteoarthritis Research Society International.
All Rights Reserved. 1120 Rt. 73, Suite 200 | Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054