Dr. John P. Barrett
President and Founder
Founded by visionary orthopedic surgeon John Barrett, M.D., ARIA is dedicated to finding the cure for the next generation. “A future without osteoarthritis for our children, grandchildren and beyond is a precious gift we can start giving them now,” says Dr. Barrett.

Dr. Paul Leaverton
Acting Director of Research
Paul E. Leaverton received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Statistics from Iowa State University. He has held faculty positions at the University of Colorado (assistant professor), and the University of Iowa (associate professor and professor). He was also professor and founding chairman of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of South Florida (USF) in 1985. He retired from USF in 2001 and is now professor emeritus. Leaverton was a member of the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. He was also Associate Director for Research at the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, MD, from 1974-1980, and later served as Deputy (then Acting) Director for Epidemiology and Biometry at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Bethesda, MD. He has authored or co-authored four books on epidemiology and biostatistics and has published over 100 research articles. Leaverton is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is past president of the American Epidemiological Society. More

Dr. Robert Anderson
Dr. Anderson received his bachelor's degree in Finance from Southern Illinois University, an MS in Marketing from Southern Illinois University, and a PhD in Marketing and Finance from the University of North Texas. He joined the faculty of the University of South Florida College of Business Administration in 1971. In 1989, Dr. Anderson was appointed Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and research, and in 1996, became Dean of the College of Business Administration. In 2006, Dr. Anderson retired as Dean and was appointed by the President and Provost as Dean Emeritus. At that time, Carol and Frank Morsani endowed the Robert L. Anderson Professorship in Global Business Strategy in his name. Dr. Anderson's areas of academic specialty are Marketing Research, Marketing Management, and Promotion Management. Most of his research has been in the areas of consumer behavior and promotion. Recently, his research and writing has been in the adoption and diffusion of technology of technology in consumer markets. He is a co-author of a textbook entitled Advertising Management: Text and Cases. Dr. Anderson has published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and Journal of Business Research and has presented professional papers at the annual conferences of the American Marketing Association, Decision Sciences, Academy of Advertising, Academy of Marketing Science and Southern Marketing Association. He is recently Chairman of the Board of Trustees of University Community Health, Inc., which is a regional network of five hospitals located in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, and serves as President of Unitrust, a management services organization for health care delivery systems. He serves on the Board of directors of Transamerica Index Mutual Funds. More

Emmeline Sangeorzan
Emmeline received her BS in Mathematics from Arizona State University and is a current Biostatistics student at the University of South Florida (USF). Emmeline has assisted in several projects involving oesteoarthritis as the outcome measure and plays an important role in producing collaborative research for ARIA. More

Board of Directors
Dr. John Barrett, President and Founder
Dr. Barrett is the President and Founder of ARIA and is Director of the Florida Knee and Orthopedic Centers. He is a retired orthopedic surgeon with over 30 years of experience treating osteoarthritis.

Ed Farina, PT, MBA, PhD, Board Chairman
Farina is a longtime member of the board who has served as ARIA’s treasurer. He is the president and owner of Progressive Rehabilitation Agency, Inc., as well as the vice president of Sarasota Therapy Centers. Farina is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the Florida Physical Therapy Association. His research has been published in the peer-reviewed journals Osteoarthritis and Cartilage and the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Mark Rhein, Director
Mark Rhein is a Senior Vice President, Manager Tampa Bay Investment Advisors, Fifth Third Bank. He has served as President, United Way of Collier County as well as Chair of their Audit Committee. Mark and his family are members of First Presbyterian Church of Naples. Mark earned his BA with honors from Kenyon College and his MBA at Cleveland State University.

Nanette Wiser, Director
Nanette Wiser is a journalist and CEO & Creative Director of TVC, Inc. She is in charge of marketing and strategic planning, overseeing all hospital and physician programs as well as creative team leader for the advertising agency. A graduate of Cornell University, her interest in ARIA stems from her father's battle with crippling arthritis.

Frances V. Wilder, PhD
Former Senior Epidemiologist
Dr. Frances Vaughn Wilder, noted epidemiologist, has moved to Washington, DC to work at a national health agency. She has served ARIA very well over the past nine years. Her professionalism is exemplary, with 21 peer-reviewed publications. Under her auspices, ARIA entered into an affiliation with the University of South Florida School of Public Health. Additionally, Dr. Wilder has presented ARIA's work at professional meetings around the country and internationally. ARIA extends best wishes to Dr. Frances Vaughn Wilder.

Osteoarthritis (OA)
Study: Running Shoes Could Cause Joint Strain
Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of cartilage in your joints, which can lead to bone rubbing on bone, causing pain... More

Turmeric for Osteoarthritis - What You Need to Know
It is presumed that because of the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, it may help relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis... More

Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis, sometimes called degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis. . ... More

What Is Facet Joint Osteoarthritis?
Most often, you hear of hip osteoarthritis or knee osteoarthritis... More

Combination Approach Found to Aid Knee Osteoarthritis Middle-aged patients in
Both strength training and self-management are helpful to treat middle-aged patients with early knee osteoarthritis... More

Effectiveness of diclofenac versus acetaminophen
Osteoarthritis is the most frequent chronic joint disease which causes pain and disability of especially hip and knee... More

Correlation of pain relief with physical function in hand osteoarthritis
IntroductionNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended for the relief of pain associated with hand osteoarthritis (OA) ... More

Mets unhappy with Beltran's actions
Some cartilage and bone spurs were removed in hopes of alleviating pain related to osteoarthritis.... More

Osteoarthritis study could hold key to treatment, experts hope
A STUDY on osteoarthritis by Aberdeen scientists could be the key to new treatments for the disease. ... More

Arthritis
Johnson & Johnson Recalls More OTC Drugs Amid Odor Complaints
The move closely follows its recalls of Tylenol Arthritis medicine and criticism from the Food and Drug Administration.... More

Drug News: Impotence, Arthritis and Schizophrenia
The FDA approved Actemra for rheumatoid arthritis patients who need more treatment after trying a drug like J&J's Remicade... More

Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Lowers Flu Shot Effectiveness
New research offers a caution to rheumatoid arthritis patients who take the drug rituximab (Rituxan): The flu vaccine is safe... More

Tocilizumab Approved for Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis
Data from the RheumAtoiD ArthritIs Study in Anti-TNF FailurEs (RADIATE) trial showed that 50% and 30% of patients treated... More

FDA: JNJ Unit Failed To Test Tylenol For Contaminants
In 2008, J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare received more than 70 musty odor complaints for Tylenol Arthritis Caplets.... More

Exploring the Link Between Depression and Inflammation and Pain in Rheumatoid
Iin a cross-sectional analysis of 218 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) recruited from a Japanese academic rheumatology clinic.... More

Eastern Health dealing with arthritis backlog
Eastern Health said in a release Monday that chronic arthritis sufferers who've been referred to a specialist will be sent back to their family doctor... More