ARC's research scientists have recently been acknowledged for their ground breaking research with several awards, both national and international.

Dr. John Esdaile, ARC's Scientific Director, has been awarded the prestigious Roger Demers prize.  This is an international award which recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of rheumatology.

Dr. Antonio Avina, recently appointed BC Lupus Research Scholar and UBC Assistant Professor of Medicine, was funded to establish a systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) registry. SARDs include systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, Sjögren’s disease, poly/dermatomyositis and systemic vasculitis. Most studies evaluate these diseases individually, despite the fact that they share similar manifestations and treatment. This limits research advances for those with them.

 The immediate questions Antonio will answer are:

1. What are the medical costs of SARDs?
2. Do SARDs increase heart attack or stroke risk?
3. Do SARDs increase osteoporosis fracture risk?

Dr. Avina assembled a large team including ARC scientists Diane Lacaille, Jacek Kopec, Carlo Marra, Linda Li, Allen Lehman, Kamran Shojania, John Esdaile; ARC Consumers Lianne Gulka and Joyce Ma; and, McGill University scientists Sasha Bernatsky and Michal Abrahamowicz. The BC Lupus Society (Antonio is the BC Lupus Research Scholar) was the key funding partner.

Dr. Carlo Marra is funded for a novel approach to getting people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are not receiving second-line drugs like methotrexate to use them. From work by Diane Lacaille we know that 90% of people with RA receiving care only from their family physicians do not receive these drugs. Yet, the second-line drugs are essential to reducing disability and premature death.

Pharmacists with the assistance of physiotherapists will identify people in need of second-line drugs and contact the family physician to initiate therapy or arrange for a referral to someone who can. From ARC, Lacaille, Li, Shojania are involved; Cheryl Koehn is the consumer; other scientists include Allyson Jones and Ross Tsuyuki (University of Alberta); John Mail, a family physician, and Loblaws Pharmacies are key partners, as is Suzanne Taylor from the BC government. Four students will be linked to the project.

Mushfiqur Rahman has been awarded a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (supervisor, Jacek Kopec). Mushfiqur has a great project that will look at the impact of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee on physical activity and will answer these questions:

1. If you get OA, does this reduce your level of physical activity?
2. If you get OA does this increase your risk of getting osteoporotic fractures, diabetes, heart disease?
3. Are death rates in people living with OA higher than death rates in similar people without OA?