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Dear OARSI membership, I will start this letter to bring the sad message of the passing of Frank Beier, PhD at the age of 59 years. Frank was an award-winning OARSI member, educator, mentor at Western University, Canada, a former OARSI Board member, and a regular attendee at most meetings in the field of cartilage biology and OA. Thanks to his close colleague Mohit Kapoor, members of OARSI leadership were able to deliver some personal messages to Frank shortly before his passing which occurred peacefully with his family by his side on July 18, 2025. Personally, I will remember Frank with great joy, and my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues all over the world. Dr. Beier will be greatly missed!
Next OARSI World Congress in Florida Our next meeting on April 23-26, 2026, will be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA. We plan to deliver top science but also a fun and entertaining social program. Preliminary program information will be posted soon. I would already now like to thank Program Chair Cindy Boer, Abstract Chair Jessica Bertrand and all the other members of the Program Committee for their important work! The abstract submission site will open in September with November 19 submission deadline. We look forward to receiving your research abstracts! To also note in your calendars, on April 1-4, 2027, we are scheduled for our World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Board nominations Deadline August 30 OARSI is accepting applications to the Board of Directors for a four-year term beginning in April 2026. The Board requires high caliber 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. Prior service to OARSI, e.g. in OARSI Committee work or other OARSI activities, is an important merit. https://oarsi.org/about-board-directors/nominations-policies-and-procedures Board officer election results The OARSI Board of Directors has elected Professor Mohit Kapoor as incoming President-elect, Professor Magali Cucchiarini as incoming Treasurer, and Professor Ida Haugen as the incoming Secretary for two-year terms, respectively. Congratulations! The transitions will occur after the OARSI World Congress in West Palm Beach in April 2026. Professor Nancy Lane will also then transition to become President of OARSI (2026-2028).
New impact factors for our two high-quality journals In July OAC received the latest impact factor (JCR) of 9.0, and OAC Open received its first impressive impact factor of 2.8! As always, please consider our two high-quality scientific journals to publish your work and also consider citing articles published in our journals! Our two Co-Editors in Chief for OAC, Anne-Marie Malfait and David Hunter, and Editor in Chief for OAC Open, Henning Madry, continue their amazing work with their editorial teams. For our members on the Northern hemisphere, I wish you a continued great Summer and early Fall, and our members on the Southern hemisphere I wish you a terrific remaining Winter and early Spring, all with lots of scientific productivity but also some time to relax! OARSI inspires! Professor Martin Englund, MD, PhD |
