Science
We’re driving breakthrough research — from early discovery to real-world application — to unlock new treatments and innovative solutions, offering hope for a healthier, more fulfilling life for people with arthritis and their families.
Inflammatory Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Program
Adding to our long legacy of funding rheumatoid arthritis (RA) research, we convened an expert working group to focus on funding research in treatment-resistant RA.
Juvenile Arthritis
CARRA – Arthritis Foundation Grants Program
The Arthritis Foundation partners annually with Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) to fund physician-led research in juvenile arthritis.
CARRA Registry, Biobank and General Support
We support the CARRA Registry, the largest observational registry for pediatric-onset rheumatic diseases in North America, which collects clinical data and biosamples to advance research.
PR-COIN – Arthritis Foundation Quality Improvement (QI) Education Program
We partnered with the Pediatric Rheumatology Care & Outcomes Improvement Network (PR-COIN) to offer quality improvement education and training for physicians in a fellowship program.
Workforce and Clinical Care
Clinical Rheumatology Fellowship Program
We are expanding fellowship opportunities to increase the rheumatology workforce and help patients get timely access to the doctors they need.
Howley Prizes for Arthritis Research
The Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Arthritis Scientific Research and the Lee C. Howley Jr. Prize for Early Career Investigators in Arthritis Research recognize physician-scientists for their important research contributions and volunteer work with the Foundation.
Community Health Program
We launched this grant program to improve patient outcomes and foster greater diversity in rheumatology by attracting medical students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Patient-Reported Outcomes Program
Although we have supported research in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for many years to improve treatments and quality of life for people with arthritis, we launched a formal grants program in 2025.
Osteoarthritis
FastOA Initiative
This initiative recruits individuals at high risk for osteoarthritis (OA) to participate in research on accelerated osteoarthritis. Initially focused on knee OA, it now includes other joints.
Landmark Clinical Trials
Landmark clinical trials are large, definitive studies designed to test whether an intervention can significantly improve outcomes for people with osteoarthritis.
- The PIKASO Clinical Trial
PIKASO (Preventing Injured Knees from Osteoarthritis Severity Outcomes) is a randomized phase 2 clinical trial testing whether metformin can slow or prevent osteoarthritis progression in people with major knee injuries. - The TOPS Clinical Trial
TOPS (The Osteoarthritis Prevention Study) is a phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate diet, exercise and weight maintenance in preventing knee OA in at-risk women. - The KArAT Clinical Trial
KArAT (Knee Arthroplasty Activity Trial) evaluates whether health coaching and financial incentives can boost patient physical activity levels after total knee replacement.
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