Dear OARSI membership,
Time is flying as usual, and 2026 is getting near. A few topics I would like to highlight:
The Upcoming OARSI World Congress in West Palm Beach
The November 19 deadline for abstract submission is approaching!
https://congress.oarsi.org/abstract-submission
Please make sure you take the opportunity to showcase and get feedback on your science, meet friends and colleagues from all over the world, and enjoy the lovely venue by joining us in Florida April 23-26, 2026. In particular in today’s turbulent world, it is critical that the world-wide scientific OA community stay strong, focused, and united!
The preliminary scientific program can be found online at the Congress site. I would like to sincerely thank Program Chair Cindy Boer, Abstract Chair Jessica Bertrand and all the other members of the Program Committee for their terrific and hard work creating a diverse and truly exciting program!
The site will open for registrations in December. Please make sure to plan your travel and register.
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The Congress Dinner Event
When registering for the Congress, please also make sure to register for the optional and fun Congress Dinner event. I promise another much more exciting and challenging Presidential Music Quiz this year with lots of prizes! This time I will be monitoring the use of cell phones to gain unfair advantage extra carefully NB! NEW At the dinner event I will also award nice prizes for best costumes in the theme of music stars (i.e., pop stars, rock idols etc). So (optional), please make sure to be creative and bring your best outfits to wear for this dinner event! Science should be fun!
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OARSI Live Webinar
On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 3:00-4:00 pm ET Prof. dr. Peter van der Kraan (biologist) will present his recent paper “Osteoarthritis as an evolutionary legacy: Biological ageing and chondrocyte hypertrophy”. The paper reframes osteoarthritis as a biological aging process rooted in our evolutionary history, rather than merely mechanical wear and tear. It explores how chondrocyte hypertrophy, which is essential for bone formation in youth, becomes misregulated later in life, contributing to joint degeneration. Please register here.
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Award Nominations Deadline December 18
OARSI is handing out a number of prestigious awards. More info can be found here.
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Our Two Society Journals
As always, please consider our two high-quality scientific journals to publish your science and please consider citing articles published in our two society journals! The two Co-Editors in Chief for OAC (impact factor 9.0), Anne-Marie Malfait and David Hunter, and Editor in Chief for OAC Open (impact factor 2.8), Henning Madry, continue their amazing work with their editorial teams.
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I wish you all lots of scientific productivity for the remainder of 2025, and I look forward to see you all in April, Florida, at our World Congress!
OARSI inspires!
Professor Martin Englund, MD, PhD
OARSI President