Welcome
The early 1980s were an exciting
time to be in medicine. As a young practicing orthopedic
surgeon, the advances being made to treat late stage
osteoarthritis energized me. The total knee and
total hip replacements were being used with great
success. Many people who had previously been crippled
by osteoarthritis were able to enjoy active lifestyles
thanks to these advanced procedures.
But there were other areas of medicine to be excited
about, too. The Framingham Study data was being
released and the effect on public health in America
was staggering. Those forwardthinking physicians
who started the Framingham Heart Study in 1948 were
now able to scientifically prove what many practicing
cardiologists intuitively knew. That is, that life
style can and does affect heart disease. In fact,
they armed us with the knowledge that we could modify
our lifestyles and delay or even prevent the onset
of heart disease. Previously, it was thought that
heart disease was just a consequence of getting
older. Something we would just have to live with.
Now, we know that's just not so. And it got me thinking.
If we can prevent or delay the onset of heart disease,
why can't we do the same for osteoarthritis? The
question dogged me day and night. And the answer
was clear. We can undertake the same sort of community
based study to uncover the risk factors for osteoarthritis.
We don't have to settle for getting osteoarthritis
just because we're advancing in age. And so, The
Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study was born.
Sixteen years later we have over 3,600 participants
in this epidemiological study. We've published findings
in prestigious peer reviewed medical journals like
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Rheumatology and Annals
of Epidemiology, just to name a few. We house the
world's largest library of serial X-rays of the
hands, knees, feet and neck. We are close to completing
this landmark study. But so much work remains to
be done.
I hope you'll join me, The Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study volunteers, and our family of over 25,000 advocates across the country in support of this important medical research. Our web site will help you learn more about our work and how you can help.
Wishing
you and your family the best health ,
John P. Barrett, Jr. MD
President and Founder
The
The Arthritis Research Institute of America
is a national non-profit, public charity with tax-exempt
status. The institute was founded on the premise
that important areas of arthritis research needed
to be addressed, that the urgency of those needs
was increasing, and that the institute could provide
effective, innovative, and cost-effective ways to
meet those needs. The institute's mission is to
identify the causes, seek preventive measures, and
find a cure for osteoarthritis. The nature of the
research is primarily community-based studies, as
well as clinical studies.
The
Arthritis Research Institute of America depends
solely for its support on the generosity of private
individuals, corporations, and foundations. The
institute does not receive any government funding.
The institute welcomes the generosity of those interested
in supporting its work. Outright gifts, pledges,
commemorative gifts, and planned gifts (all tax
deductible) are ways to invest in our institute's
mission.
Affiliations
Our ARIA researchers are proudly affiliated
with the following organizations.
|
|
