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About APAB

The best science begins with the people it's meant to serve.

The Arthritis Patient Advisory Board (APAB) is a group of volunteer advocates who live with arthritis and who bring that firsthand knowledge directly into Arthritis Research Canada’s research process.

APAB members are active partners in research decision-making, ensuring that the questions we ask, the studies we design, and the solutions we develop reflect the real priorities of people living with arthritis across Canada.

Their lived experience is what keeps the science grounded, relevant, and human.

Who We Are

The Arthritis Patient Advisory Board is made up of volunteer advocates from across Canada who live with arthritis and related rheumatic diseases. Each member brings a unique combination of personal experience, skill, and perspective to Arthritis Research Canada’s research, helping ensure that the patient voice is present and influential at every stage.

Members share a belief in the power of research to change lives. That belief drives their commitment to the board, contributing their time, knowledge, and lived experience to advance research focused on the prevention, treatment, and self-management of arthritis.

The board is guided by a Chair who provides leadership, builds consensus, and maintains a strong advocacy voice across all of Arthritis Research Canada’s research activities.

See all APAB Members.

What We Do

Arthritis Patient Advisory Board members are active contributors to Arthritis Research Canada’s research programs. They participate in studies, provide strategic direction, attend ongoing training, mentor one another, and collaborate with patient-centred organizations across Canada. Together, they ensure consistent, meaningful representation of Canadians living with arthritis and rheumatic diseases

Interested in being a part of research that changes lives?

If you live with arthritis and want to help shape the research that improves lives across Canada, we want to hear from you.

Become an Arthritis Advocate

What We've Built Together

The Arthritis Patient Advisory Board has been a driving force behind some of Arthritis Research Canada’s most valued patient-facing resources. Here’s a look at some of the key collaborations that this partnership has produced.

Arthritis Research Education Series

The Arthritis Research Education Series is an accessible, digital multimedia resource that brings important research to patients in an interactive format. APAB members help shape its content and ensure it speaks directly to the people it serves.

Learn More

Arthritis Newsletter

The Arthritis Research Canada quarterly newsletter keeps patients and the broader community informed on the latest research, news, and stories. APAB members contribute perspectives and insights that keep the patient voice front and centre.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Research Summaries

Research Summaries translate complex study findings into plain language for general audiences. APAB members designed the template that researchers across Canada now use to communicate their work clearly and accessibly.

Arthritis Lifestyle Management Guide

The Arthritis Lifestyle Management Guide is a practical resource that helps people living with arthritis navigate the everyday challenges of the disease. APAB members created it, drawing directly from the lived experience of its members.

Download the Guide

Arthritis Wellness Conversations

Recorded between 2020 and 2022, this video series brought together Arthritis Patient Advisory Board members and Arthritis Research Canada scientists to discuss the topics that matter most to people living with arthritis and related rheumatic diseases. The Arthritis Patient Advisory Board played a central role in shaping each conversation, ensuring the patient perspective guided every discussion.

Watch the Series on YouTube

The Arthritis Patient Advisory Board is a national resource, and the difference they make for Arthritis Research Canada and for Canada is incredible.

Dr. John Esdaile, Scientific Director Emeritus, Arthritis Research Canada

The primary benefit of the Arthritis Patient Advisory Board is quick and easy access to a patient point of view — genuinely interested collaborators, not afraid to be direct, and able to articulate what carries real impact for people living with arthritis.

Catherine Backman, PhD, OT(C), FCAOT, Emeritus Research Scientist,
Arthritis Research Canada

The APAB Mission

With Arthritis Research Canada, we ensure that patients are partners, participating in and sharing the results of research focused on patient priorities.

The APAB Vision

Our vision is a future where arthritis patients partner in all aspects of research to improve the quality of life.

See the Research APAB Helps Shape

Our research spans prevention, treatment, care, and everyday wellbeing. Browse our research categories and discover the work being done across the full spectrum of arthritis and related rheumatic conditions.

Explore Our Research