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OARSI president addresses future of OA, presents awards
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LIVERPOOL, England — With nearly half of OARSI members younger than 40 years, the future of the organization is bright, according to president Jeffrey Katz, MD, MSc.
In his presidential address, Katz, who is director of the Orthopedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research in the department of orthopedic surgery and division of rheumatology, immunology and allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, first acknowledged the efforts of program chair Carla Scanzello, MD, PhD, and abstract chair Tuhina Neogi, MD, PhD.
According to Katz, there are more than 1,200 attendees at the meeting this year.
A new generation
In addition to highlighting the step forward made with the White Paper, Katz said an update to the 2014 guidelines is forthcoming this year, which will include recommendations for the treatment of knee OA. Additionally, an OA phenotype initiative is in development, as are projects focusing on early OA, data harmonization across cohorts and outcome domains.
Encouraged by the fact that 42% of OARSI members are younger than 40 years, Katz referred to young investigators as the community’s “most precious resource,” whom he said will reset the paradigms over the next generation.
The organization is also expanding geographically, with satellite meetings in China and India, and hope for meetings in South America and North Africa, according to Katz.
“OA has proven to be a formidable foe,” he said, acknowledging the multiplicity of mechanisms, phenotypes and impacts of the disease. “There are many realms, including biological, behavioral, biomechanical, psychological and policy. No single investigator or research group will conquer OA.”
Achievement awards
This year’s OARSI Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mary B. Goldring, PhD, senior scientist at the Hospital for Special Surgery, professor of cell and developmental biology at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Weill Cornell Graduate Program of Medical Sciences. “Mary has been a tireless supporter of OARSI activities,” Katz said as he presented the award. “She is also a very generous and influential educator.”
James Martin, MD , associate professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation, biomedical engineering, and pharmaceutical science experimental therapeutics at Carver College of Medicine at University of Iowa, received the Basic Science Research Award. Ali Guermazi, MD, PhD, professor of radiology and medicine at Boston University School of Medicine was presented with the Clinical Science Award. – by Rob Volansky
Reference:
Katz J. Presidential address and awards. Presented at: OARSI 2018 World Congress on Osteoarthritis; April 26-29; Liverpool, England.