Arthritis At Home (+ On the Go): Recent Episodes
Arthritis Consumer Experts
Arthritis At Home (+ On the Go) makes it possible for people living with arthritis to watch or listen to interviews with Canadian experts in clinical rheumatology, arthritis scientists, physio and occupational therapists, psychologists and health economists, as well as patient experts and advocates. We hope you find Arthritis At Home informative and fun as you live your best life with arthritis.
In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Lihi Eder, a Clinician-scientist at Women’s College Hospital Research Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. She discusses the interaction between perimenopause and psoriatic arthritis, and how overlapping symptoms can appear as early as 5-7 years ahead of menopause.
Dr. Eder points to the need for patients, clinicians, and researchers to educate themselves on common symptoms and possible treatment options in order to make informed decisions.
Additional learning resources
- Cardio-Rheumatology Clinic at Women’s College Hospital
- Perimenopause linked to increased psoriatic arthritis activity
- Harvard Health – Perimenopause: Rocky road to menopause
In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Timothy Kwok, rheumatologist and clinician investigator based at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto. He explains what gout is and how crystals play a role in its development.
As part of his job, Dr. Kwok sees patients with all types of rheumatic and autoimmune diseases and dedicates half of his time on research, mainly focusing on gout. In addition, he highlights the care gaps that exist in gout and some key take away messages from his study. The study looks at what happened to patients before and after visiting the emergency department for gout. The sooner a patient can access treatment, the better the outcome. There needs to be a rapid access clinic to help diagnose gout faster.
Additional learning resources
- Gout and other crystal arthropathies in Canada
- Healthy changes for managing gout
- Arthritis Research Canada: Better Control of Your Gout – What you can do now
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Gout page
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Michelle Batthish, Associate Professor in Pediatrics at McMaster University, and Dr. Karen Beattie, Research Manager in Pediatrics in McMaster University, on mental health, alcohol, drugs, and reproductive health in arthritis care in youth.
Youth with arthritis have a higher prevalence of mental health, such as depression and anxiety. Michelle stresses that mental health screening can be built into regular doctor visits to help identify those who may be impacted so health care providers can intervene sooner. In addition, she provides tips on how youths can talk to their doctor about the use of alcohol, drugs, and managing reproductive health with their arthritis.
Karen highlights a study she’s working on about how the stress of a family or caregiver can indirectly or directly affect a child’s disease outcomes. Her study found that higher levels or parental stress are associated with higher disease activity in child. The duo concludes with an explanation of how tools found on the Road to Adult Arthritis Care website can help kids living with arthritis move from pediatric to adult arthritis care.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ Survey on Arthritis and Mental Health
- Road to Adult Arthritis Care
- Preparing for the transition from pediatric to adult care and beyond
- JointHealth™ Education – Arthritis and Mental Health
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Luke Chen, hematologist and Professor of Medicine at Dalhousie University. Dr. Chendefines what lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) is and how it’s related to rheumatology and hematology. Lymphadenopathy is often a sign of inflammatory or infectious process happening in the body. A biopsy may not always reveal the underlying issues, but certain blood tests may help diagnose or rule out certain conditions.
About Dr. Luke Chen
Dr. Luke Chen is a hematologist and Professor of Medicine Dalhousie University. He is also an Affiliate Professor at the University of British Columbia. His clinical and research interests are in rare inflammatory disease including IgG4-related disease, Still’s disease, and cytokine storm syndromes.
Additional learning resources
- Lymphadenopathy of IgG4-related disease: An underdiagnosed and overdiagnosed entity
- Swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)
- Lymph Node Assessment Primary Care Pathway (Alberta Health Services)
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Marie Westby, clinician-scientist at the Centre for Aging SMART. She defines what high quality rehabilitation means and why is it so important for people recovering from total hip and knee replacement surgery.
High quality care in a healthcare setting means that the care is accessible, appropriate to meet an individual’s needs, efficient, effective, safe, and respectful of an individual’s culture and needs. Dr. Westby shares how she incorporated these qualities into the toolkits in her study.
About Dr. Marie Westby
Dr. Marie Westby is a physical therapy clinical resource educator at the Mary Pack Arthritis Program and a clinical associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia.
Additional learning resources
- EQUIP-QUICK Total Joint Replacement Toolkit (English only)
- JointHealth™ insight – The Road to Joint Replacement Surgery
- 3 Fab Facts for Happy Joints for people living with osteoarthritis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis 2026 interview with Ms. Trish Barbato, President and CEO of Arthritis Society Canada. Trish summarizes the key points in Arthritis Action Now: The Plan to End Arthritis in Canada. Arthritis Action Now is Canada’s first actionable, coordinated strategy to transform prevention, care, and research for arthritis. It was co-created by 21 ecosystem champions organizations representing patients, clinicians, researchers, health system leaders, and advocates.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Action Now: The Plan to End Arthritis in Canada
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ Arthritis Medications Report Card
- Arthritis Call to Action
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis 2026 interview with Dr. Denis Poddubnyy, Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Poddubnyy discusses his experience first working in Germany and then moving to Canada in July 2024. He talks about the similarities and differences in the health and education systems between the two countries. He stresses the importance of patient support and patient advisors in the healthcare system.
In addition, he defines what is meant by tough-to-treat inflammatory arthritis and what patients should be aware of in terms of different treatment options, such as treat to target and precision medicine. Denis concludes with tips for people living with arthritis on how to manage their arthritis – things that they can do at home to minimize pain or inflammation.
Additional learning resources
- The treatment landscape in axial spondyloarthritis – do we need new therapies?
- Arthritis Consumer Experts National Survey on Artificial Intelligence and Arthritis Care Report
June is National Indigenous History Month. Arthritis Consumer Experts would like to highlight that arthritis affects Indigenous Peoples’ more significantly and more severely than in non-Indigenous populations.
To understand and practice Indigenous health, there must be respect for Indigenous Peoples, their world views, ways of knowing, and cultural practices. The concept of health for Indigenous Peoples is relational. In other words, the state of being in good health requires alignment of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and environmental health.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are highlighting a study with Drs. Whitney Hung and Steven Katz from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. They highlight the long wait times and high rate of patient no-shows or cancellations in the NWT and describe what are the biggest barriers preventing patients from accessing timely rheumatology care, and what can be done to improve access. They also comment on their study that suggests Indigenous and female patients may be disproportionately affected by access barriers and recommend what steps can be taken to ensure more equitable care for these populations.
Additional learning resources
- ACE Advocacy: Addressing Health Inequities
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities
- CBC: N.W.T. no longer offering rheumatology services, patients must travel to Edmonton
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are excited to share the #CRArthritis 2026 interview with Dr. Marinka Twilt, a Professor in the Cumming School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Twilt highlights key points from her workshop at this year’s meeting titled “Demystifying ‘That Mysterious Joint (TMJ)’: A Succinct, Hands-on Approach to TMJ Assessment”. She defines what is meant by temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and highlights how a TMJ assessment tool available online can help people living with arthritis. This is especially important in young people as the TMJ is still developing up until age 25.
Additional learning resources
- The TMJ Association Limited
- Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Pathway
- Mayo Clinic: TMJ Disorders
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, host Cheryl Koehn speaks with Laura Wingate, Chief Education, Support, and Advocacy Officer of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of the USA, about the Patients and patents campaign.
The interview will explore what the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation does for patients, why the Patients and patents campaign is important for patients in the USA, and discuss ways patients can help share the information. Laura also talks about a recent webinar titled “Access to Care: Pharmaceutical Patents” that was recently published on the Foundation’s website.
Additional learning resources
- Patients and patents : A grassroots education campaign on pharmaceutical patents
- About Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
- Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s “Access to Care: Pharmaceutical Patents” webinar
May is Lupus Awareness Month in Canada, an important opportunity to raise awareness about the realities of living with lupus and the need for more comprehensive, patient-centred care. As part of ACE’s special Lupus Awareness Month programming, Arthritis at Home is featuring programming that elevate patient experiences and highlight important gaps in lupus care.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis with Dr. Zahi Touma, a rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist at the University of Toronto and University Health Network. Dr. Touma highlights best practices for cardiomyopathy monitoring in antimalarials use in systemic lupus erythematosus.
In the workshop he participated in with other specialists, he explained the importance of antimalarials such as Plaquenil in being the first line treatment for lupus. The workshop looked at ways to screen for adverse effects from Plaquenil, look for patterns, monitor retinol toxicity, and cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood, which can lead to heart failure.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ National Survey on Lupus Report: Part One
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ National Survey on Lupus Report: Part Two
- Antimalarial-Induced Cardiomyopathy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
May is Lupus Awareness Month in Canada, an important opportunity to raise awareness about the realities of living with lupus and the need for more comprehensive, patient-centred care. As part of ACE’s special Lupus Awareness Month programming, Arthritis at Home is featuring programming that elevate patient experiences and highlight important gaps in lupus care.
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) speaks with Ms. Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator and PhD candidate at Arthritis Research Canada, about the important findings from Part 2 of ACE’s National Survey on Lupus in Canada. The conversation explores how lupus affects areas of life that are often overlooked in healthcare conversations, including mental health, pregnancy and family planning, relationships, intimacy, confidence, and emotional wellbeing.
During the interview, Ellen discusses why these issues can be difficult for patients and health care providers to talk about openly, and why more comprehensive, patient-centred lupus care is urgently needed in Canada. The episode also highlights the importance of creating safe spaces where people living with lupus feel comfortable discussing the full impact of the disease on their lives.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ National Survey on Lupus Report: Part One
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ National Survey on Lupus Report: Part Two
In this episode of Arthritis At Home featuring lupus highlights from #CRArthritis, we are sharing our interview with Dr. Andrea Fava, Faculty Member at the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center. Dr. Fava speaks about his RheumNow presentation on how a liquid biopsy for lupus nephritis can benefit patients.
Dr. Fava defines what lupus nephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus are. He follows with a definition of what and how a liquid biopsy is done – a procedure that uses urine samples instead of taking a small sample of tissue or cell by using a needle or scalpel to remove the tissue or cell. In traditional biopsy of the kidney, low protein in the urine may not necessarily mean no inflammation. A liquid biopsy can benefit patients because it is less invasive and can predict who is responding to medication by observing trends more frequently and faster. It also reduces the risk of irreversible kidney damage, which in most cases, happens in the first 6 months.
Additional learning resources
- Johns Hopkins Lupus Center
- The Rheumatologist: A liquid biopsy for lupus nephritis?
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ National Survey on Lupus Report: Part One
May is Lupus Awareness Month in Canada! Join us this May on Arthritis At Home as we share lupus highlights from #CRArthritis 2026.
Lupus is a complex autoimmune disease that affects nearly every part of life, including health, work, family and emotional wellbeing.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, a rheumatologist and James McGill Professor and senior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Dr. Bernatsky defines what systemic lupus erythematosus is. We learn about the different types of fine particulate matter components in air pollution and how ozone can cause problems too.
She concludes by talking about the connection between environment, genetics, and exposure to air pollution and development of SLE. There are ways to protect yourself from air pollution such as looking at the air quality index and limiting your time outdoor at times of poor air quality, regular use of N95 masks, using air filters and closing windows when you are indoor during times when air quality is bad.
Additional learning resources
- Health Canada: Air quality and health
- BC Lung Foundation
- Volatile organic compounds
- Fine particulate matter air pollution and anti-nuclear antibodies
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are excited to raise awareness for World AS Day (happening on May 2) by sharing the #CRArthritis 2026 interview with Dr. Walter Maksymowych, a Professor in the Department of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. World AS Day is an annual day dedicated to people living with axial spondyloarthritis.
Dr. Walter Maksymowych defines what biomarkers are and why it is so important in the diagnosis of spondyloarthritis. Biomarkers can also be an indicator of something that is happening inside the body. Dr. Maksymowych concludes by highlighting some key points from his workshop on translational science.
About Dr. Walter Maksymowych
Dr. Walter Maksymowych is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He is a co-founder and principal investigator at the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC), a group established to develop biomarkers and imaging technologies for this form of spinal arthritis.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ Education – Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Axial Spondyloarthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are excited to share the #CRArthritis 2026 interview with Dr. Jean-Paul Makhzoum, clinician-scientist specializing in vasculitis at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.
Dr. Makhzoum shares highlights from a presentation titled “Lighting up the arteries: How imaging and therapies are reshaping large vessel vasculitis”. He defines what large-vessel vasculitis, including giant cell arteritis (GCA), is and the common and severe symptoms such as vision loss, observed in large-vessel vasculitis. He stresses that it is important to get GCA diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. A model that has been effective in Montréal for people living with GCA is the GCA rapid access clinic.
About Dr. Jean-Paul Makhzoum
Dr. Makhzoum is an associate professor at the University of Montreal and the Director of the Vasculitis Research Program and GCA rapid access clinic at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.
Additional learning resources
- Learn more about large-vessel vasculitis
- Vasculitis Foundation Canada
- SONIC-GCA Study
- Vasculitis Clinic, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Nadia Luca, an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa who practices as a pediatric rheumatologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Dr. Luca discusses about the development of the national clinical guidelines for transition in rheumatology in Canada.
In addition, she offers valuable advice to helping children and youth living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and their families understand the challenges of transitioning from pediatric to adult care and why standardized guidelines are so important.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page
- Road to Adult Arthritis Care
- Cassie and Friends Society
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Arthritis Consumer Experts’ President, Cheryl Koehn, and VP of Communications and Public Affairs, Kelly Lendvoy, discuss ACE’s 12th year of hosting #CRArthritis, bringing the latest research from the annual meeting directly to people with arthritis on their computer, phone or iPad.
ACE’s digital platform, Arthritis Broadcast Network (ABN), will air interviews with Canada’s leading rheumatologists, researchers, patient advocates, and arthritis health professionals on the ABN YouTube, Facebook, and X pages, using the hashtag #CRArthritis.
Are you a health care provider, patient, or researcher participating at the annual meeting?
If you are participating in this year’s CRA & AHPA Annual Scientific Meeting, we would love to interview you! Please email feedback@jointhealth.org to book your interview.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Broadcast Network
- Canadian Rheumatology Association
- Arthritis Health Professions Association
March is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month!
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are raising awareness about juvenile arthritis by sharing tips on transitioning from juvenile to adult arthritis care. Hear from Matthew Sholdice, Makayla Fox and Anusha Patel, young peoples living with arthritis and the McMaster team behind Road to Adult Arthritis Care, a website with resources for youth, caregivers, and health care providers.
The tools below are available in English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Somali, and Spanish and available for download on the website:
- Youth Transition Road Map: Transition to Adult Care
- Helping You Reach Your Transition Goals
- Parent and Caregiver Reference Guide: Transition to Adult Care
Additional learning resources
- Road to Adult Arthritis Care website
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, host Cheryl Koehn speaks with Deidre Mackechnie, Executive Officer of the Australian Patient Advocacy Alliance, about her organization’s partnering with the Patients and patents campaign.
The interview will explore what the Australian Patient Advocacy Alliance does for patients, why the Patients and patents campaign is important for patients in Australia, and discuss ways patients can help share the information.
Additional learning resources
- Patients and patents: A grassroots education campaign on pharmaceutical patents
- About the Australian Patient Advocacy Alliance
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we speak with Dr. Stephanie Keeling about the results of the National Survey on Lupus conducted by Arthritis Consumer Experts and Lupus Canada. Dr. Keeling will review the Survey highlights, including the difficulty people with lupus face getting diagnosed and the challenges they face remaining physically active and happy in all aspects of their lives.
Dr. Keeling is a clinical rheumatologist and Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. She is a former board member and current member of the guidelines committee of the Canadian Rheumatology Association and a member and treasurer of the Canadian Network of Improved Outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (CaNIOS).
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight - National Survey on Lupus Report
- Living with Lupus – Arthritis Consumer Experts
- JointHealth™ Education: Arthritis and Mental Health
- Canadian Network of Improved Outcomes in SLE (CANIOS) registry
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Julie Herrington, an Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner with ACPAC (Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Arthritis Care) training working with the pediatric and young adult rheumatology teams at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.
In her discussion with Cheryl, she shares highlights from her two posters. The first poster looked at an advanced physiotherapist practitioner’s level of safety performing juvenile idiopathic arthritis care. They compared quality and standards of care, safety, and performance indicators between patients receiving advanced physiotherapist practitioner care with those in the PR-COIN Registry. PR-COIN is a collaborative community where patients, parents, clinicians, and researchers work together to improve the health and care of children and youth with rheumatic conditions.
The second poster highlights parents and teens’ feedback about their satisfaction with the advanced physiotherapist practitioner model of care in pediatric rheumatology. The study found that satisfaction level is high. The parents and teens felt that appointments were thorough and valuable.
Additional learning resources
- Pediatric Rheumatology (PR-COIN) Care & Outcomes Improvement Network
- Advanced Training in Extended Practice Roles in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease
- McMaster Children’s Hospital
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page
- Canadian Alliance of Pediatric Rheumatology Investigators
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, we explore an issue that affects every person who relies on medication to manage their disease: why are some medications so expensive, and what role do pharmaceutical patents play in access to affordable treatment?
Host Kelly Lendvoy speaks with Cheryl Koehn, President, Arthritis Consumer Experts, about the launch of the new Patients and patents website as part of a global, patient-led initiative designed to help patients better understand how patent rules can influence the cost and availability of the medications they depend on. Together, they discuss how patents are meant to protect innovation but sometimes are used in ways that delay access to affordable options like biosimilars, and what patients and organizations can do to get involved in the campaign.
Additional learning resources
- Patients and patents: A grassroots education campaign on pharmaceutical patents
- The “Patients and patents” campaign infographic
What does mental health really look like when you are living with arthritis?
In a new episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy talks to Cheryl Koehn, President, Arthritis Consumer Experts about the emotional challenges of living with arthritis and the launch of JointHealth™ Education – Arthritis and Mental Health, covering important topics for people living with arthritis:
- What patients told us about the emotional toll of arthritis in ACE’s National Survey on Arthritis and Mental Health
- Why mental health is still not routinely discussed in appointments
- The two-way relationship between pain and mood
- How small, realistic steps can strengthen resilience
- Why asking for support is a sign of strength, not weakness
The new JointHealth™ Education online course was developed to help people living with arthritis better understand the connection between arthritis and mental health and to provide practical strategies to strengthen emotional well-being.
Additional learning resources
- Click here to take the course
- Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey Report on Arthritis and Mental Health
- Mental Health Commission of Canada
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are featuring the #CRArthritis with Dr. Inés Colmegna, clinician-scientist in the Division of Rheumatology at McGill University. Dr. Colmegna talks about a poster she presented at the Canadian Rheumatology Association’s Annual Scientific Meeting. She explains why blind studies are important in studying the therapeutic effects of scleroderma and shares some key takeaway messages from her poster.
Additional learning resources
- Scleroderma Canada
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Scleroderma page
- Single, Double & Triple Blind Study – Definitions and Examples
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are featuring the #CRArthritis with Dr. Alexandra Saltman, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Medicine in the University of Toronto, and clinician teacher in the Division of Rheumatology and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network. Dr. Saltman shares her unique perspective about integrating palliative care in rheumatologic care and how incorporating palliative care principles early on in the care plan could improve the quality and quantity of life for someone living with rheumatic diseases.
Additional learning resources
- Palliative Care in Rheumatic Diseases: When Does the End Begin and Why Does it Matter? (Webinar)
- CRAJ Summer 2019 Palliative Care for the Rheumatologist
- Palliative Care for the Rheumatologist: An Educational and Patient Care Intervention
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ Self-advocacy Tips
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator at Arthritis Consumer Experts, has a discussion with Dr. Carrie Ye, an Associate Professor from the University of Alberta, about rheum-oncology and artificial intelligence in rheumatology.
Carrie shared how her interests developed at the intersection of patient care, epidemiology, and complex systemic disease, particularly in the context of cancer immunotherapies and their rheumatic and bone-related toxicities. The conversation explored rheum-oncology as an emerging discipline, highlighting the importance of collaboration between rheumatologists and oncologists, as well as her leadership with Canadian Research Group of Rheumatology in Immuno-Oncology (CanRIO) in building national capacity and shared learning in this space. The episode concludes with a thoughtful discussion on the biggest opportunities for artificial intelligence in rheumatology, such as earlier detection and more personalized care, alongside key challenges including accuracy, bias, and environmental impact.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts National Survey on Artificial Intelligence and Arthritis Care Report
- Learn more about Carrie’s project
- Doctors of BC: Using AI Scribe Technologies
In this special episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP, Communications & Public Affairs, speaks with Drs. Michelle Batthish and Karen Beattie, and Matthew Sholdice – the McMaster University team that has launched a new online resource called the Road to Adult Arthritis Care. The website was co-created with youth, parents, and caregivers, to help young people living with arthritis confidently prepare for adult arthritis care.
The McMaster team speak about the key tools found on the website:
- Youth Transition Road Map
For teens aged 15–18 and young adults aged 18–25, this visual guide walks through what to expect, how to prepare, and how to take the lead in your care, from managing medications and appointments to planning for school, work, and relationships. - Helping You Reach Your Transition Goals
This tip- and hack-filled guide is packed with personal advice from youth who’ve already made the move to adult care. It offers ways to build confidence, learn new skills, and get organized. - Parent & Caregiver Reference Guide
Created with input from diverse families across Canada, this guide helps parents and caregivers know when and how to support — and when to step back — while staying connected as their young person becomes a more independent healthcare advocate.
Additional learning resources
- The Road to Adult Arthritis Care website
- Youth Transition Road Map
- Helping You Reach Your Transition Goals guide
- Parent and Caregiver Reference Guide
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are featuring the #CRArthritis with Dr. Tom Appleton, Division Head of Rheumatology at St. Joseph’s Health Care London and Western University London. In his discussion with Cheryl Koehn, founder of Arthritis Consumer Experts, Tom talks about risk factors for osteoarthritis and some of the misconceptions about arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Additional learning resources
- 3 fab facts for happy joints for people living with osteoarthritis
- Osteoarthritis Action Alliance
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Osteoarthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are featuring the #CRArthritis with Dr. Marie Westby, a clinician-scientist at the Centre for Aging SMART, a physical therapy clinical resource educator at the Mary Pack Arthritis Programs and a clinical professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Westby speaks with Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s Founder and President, about the importance of assessing quality of post total joint replacement (TJR) rehabilitation and highlights some of the care gaps and patient perspectives from her study.
Additional learning resources
- OA Action Alliance webinar on EQUIP-ing OA patients and health care providers through patient engagement in research
- Arthritis at Home Ep.39: A patient looks back – one year after knee replacement surgery
- Arthritis at Home Ep.40: Best Practices: Post total joint replacement rehabilitation in Canada
In this special episode of Arthritis At Home (+ On the Go) podcast, we feature Ms. Alison Hoens, a physiotherapist, Clinical Professor and Knowledge Broker working with the University of British Columbia, Arthritis Research Canada, and the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia. She is also a person living with rheumatoid arthritis, the mother of a daughter living with rheumatoid arthritis, and the sister for a brother with severe knee osteoarthritis (OA) who is awaiting surgery to replace his hips and both knees.
In the interview, Alison covers the following:
- What is osteoarthritis, who gets knee OA and why
- How can people overcome their fear of exercise
- What are the best exercises for people living with knee OA
Additional learning resources
- 3 fab facts for happy joints for people living with osteoarthritis
- JointHealth™ insight – Osteoarthritis in Canada: Prevention, treatment and management
- Talk to your doctor about joint pain tool kit
- JointHealth™ insight – The Road to Joint Replacement Surgery
In a special holiday episode of Arthritis at Home, Cheryl Koehn, President of Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) and Kelly Lendvoy, VP of Communication and Public Affairs, reflect on ACE 2025 milestones, what they mean for people with arthritis and where the organization is headed in 2026.
In the interview, Cheryl speaks candidly about why listening carefully to lived experience continues to guide ACE’s work, how trust is built through evidence-based education and transparent advocacy, and why national patient surveys are essential to accelerating change in arthritis care. She also highlights key 2025 milestones, including the growth of ACE’s community and policy engagement with governments, and outlines how ACE plans to scale its impact in 2026 through expanded education, advocacy, and equity-focused initiatives.
From everyone at ACE, warm holiday wishes—and a hopeful start to the new year.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts National Survey on Artificial Intelligence and Arthritis Care Report
- Arthritis Broadcast Network’s #CRArthritis 2025
- Patients and Patents
- JointHealth™ Education – Arthritis and Exercise
- Arthritis Call to Action website
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Lauren King, an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at University of Toronto, and a rheumatologist and clinician scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital. Her clinical research program combines epidemiology and implementation science, with the goal of identifying gaps in care and developing evidence-informed solutions to improve care and outcomes for people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease, with a particular focus on osteoarthritis.
In the interview, Dr. King and Ellen discuss about her podium presentation on the association between symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and blood glucose control in persons with Type 2 diabetes. They also highlight key findings from her poster on the topic of interdisciplinary team-based model of rheumatology care.
Additional learning resources
- Diabetes Canada
- Interdisciplinary Health Professionals
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Osteoarthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Roberta Berard, an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at Western University and the division director of Paediatric Rheumatology at the Children’s Hospital in London, Ontario, Canada. She has extensive experience in clinical care of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and uveitis as well as research expertise in longitudinal data analysis and cohort studies. In the interview, Dr. Berard discusses about her work looking at the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and spondyloarthropathies.
Additional learning resources
- Crohn’s and Colitis Canada
- Canadian Digestive Health Foundation: The Role of Intestinal Ultrasound in Diagnosing and Monitoring IBD
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Spondyloarthritis page
- The IBD Centre of BC
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRAthritis interview with Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, a rheumatologist, James McGill Professor and senior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.
Dr. Bernatsky shares the key findings from her research abstract poster on the link between Air Pollution and the development of Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases. She provides an overview of what people living with arthritis should be aware of when it comes to air pollution exposure. In addition, Dr. Bernatsky answers questions about her research on Hydroxychloroquine Retinal Monitoring in Canada. She looks at why regular retinal screening is also important for people taking hydroxychloroquine and what are the risks if it is not done.
Additional learning resources
- Canadian Air Quality Index
- Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases and multiple industrial air pollutant emissions: A large general population Canadian cohort analysis
- CanPath – The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRAthritis interview with Dr. Deborah Marshall, Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary.Dr. Marshall is a health economist and health services researcher leading a programme of applied research using patient preferences, patient engagement and simulation modelling methods.
Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, speaks with Dr. Marshall about some of the findings from the Ucan Can-Du and Cure International prospective study that tracks the impacts of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) on employment, usual activities and out-of-pocket costs.
Additional learning resources
- UCAN CAN-DU: Canada-Netherlands Personalized Medicine Network in Children Arthritis and Rheumatic Disease
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About JIA page
- UCAN CURE – Precision Decisions for Childhood Arthritis
- Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Tommy Gerschman, a pediatric rheumatologist based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, on artificial intelligence (AI) scribing and sports medicine in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
In his discussion with ACE’s Programs Coordinator, Ellen Wang, Dr. Gerschman defines what sports medicine is and why it is so important to incorporate into a juvenile idiopathic arthritis treatment plan. When sharing his insights about AI scribing, Dr. Gerschman explains what AI scribing can do for rheumatologists and other health care professionals.
To learn more about artificial intelligence in healthcare, please also watch our interview with Dr. Ahluwalia and Dr. Mamdani. Dr. Gerschman concludes by reminding us to ensure that AI is making a meaningful difference and not just about using an innovative tool and that evaluation of the AI tools are being conducted on a regular basis.
Additional learning resources
- Doctors of BC: Using AI Scribe Technologies
- Sports Medicine: Volume 55, Issue 1
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ National Survey on Artificial Intelligence and Arthritis Care Report
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About JIA page
- Arthritis At Home 272 – Making artificial intelligence in medicine a reality
- Arthritis At Home 289 – Artificial intelligence scribing in rheumatology clinics
In this special episode of Arthritis At Home, host Kelly Lendvoy speaks with Cheryl Koehn, President and Founder of Arthritis Consumer Experts, about the release of the 2025 ACE Arthritis Medications Report Card and key changes in this year’s rankings – including new listings and major shifts among provinces.
The Report Card is one of the Canadian arthritis community’s most trusted advocacy tools, ranking each provincial, territorial, and federal drug plan on how well they provide reimbursement coverage for arthritis medications – including biologics, biosimilars, and targeted synthetic molecule therapies.
Cheryl explains how the Report Card originated and evolved into one of the arthritis community’s most valuable information and advocacy resources and helps people with arthritis understand what treatments are covered where they live, for which diseases and under what criteria. For someone newly diagnosed or changing treatments, this can be incredibly confusing and stressful. The Report Card is designed to make a very complex reimbursement coverage system understandable for people living with arthritis.
Kelly and Cheryl also look at how ACE leverages the Report Card in meetings with public drug plan managers and elected officials about what governments can do to ensure medication access is patient-centred, evidence-based, and fair across every province and territory.
Click here to see how your provincial, territorial or federal drug plan ranks in terms of providing reimbursement for medications approved for inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and vasculitis as well as osteoporosis.
Additional learning resources
- ACE Arthritis Medications Report Card
- ACE Advocacy
- ACE Advocacy Toolkit
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRAthritis interview with Ms. Lamia Khan, a PhD Candidate in the Rheumatology Division of the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. A recent study she was involved in found that severe systemic sclerosis patients develop DNA breaks in skin cells, leading to mutations. In her discussion with Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, Lamia defines what metabolic stress remodelling is and share insights into the roles of fibrosis causing molecules called Foxo1 in promoting cancer-like changes in systemic sclerosis. She concludes with some tips on self-advocacy for people living with scleroderma.
Additional learning resources
- Role of metabolic stress for enhancing muscle adaptations: Practical applications
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Scleroderma page
- Scleroderma Canada
In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Karen Beattie, Research Manager in Pediatric Rheumatology at McMaster University and the Lead for Patient and Family Engagement in Research for the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. Her research interests are in autoimmunity, clinical science, patient and citizen engagement, and patient-centred care in rheumatology and rheumatoid arthritis.
In the interview, she discusses with Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, about her unique roles and the importance of patient engagement in health research. Dr. Beattie also shares the outcomes of an exciting project lead by Dr. Michelle Batthish and colleagues that addressed transitioning from pediatric to adult rheumatology care.
Additional learning resources
- My Transition App
- Cassie and Friends Society
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with rheumatology resident Ms. Whitney Hung and Dr. Steven Katz, Director and Professor in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Alberta. The duo provides a summary of their poster presentation: Uncovering Rheumatologic Disease in the Northwest Territories: First Comprehensive Baseline Study and Comparative Insights.
Ms. Hung and Dr. Katz highlight the long wait times and high rate of patient no-shows or cancellations in the NWT and describe what are the biggest barriers preventing patients from accessing timely rheumatology care, and what can be done to improve access. They also comment on their study that suggests Indigenous and female patients may be disproportionately affected by access barriers and recommend what steps can be taken to ensure more equitable care for these populations.
Additional learning resources
- ACE Advocacy: Addressing Health Inequities
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities
- CBC: N.W.T. no longer offering rheumatology services, patients must travel to Edmonton
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way health care is delivered across the country. From helping diagnose disease earlier to predicting arthritis flare-ups and supporting treatment choices, AI has the potential to transform how patients experience care. But what do Canadians living with arthritis think about this technology?
In this new Arthritis at Home episode, Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP of Communications and Public Affairs, speaks with Ellen Wang, project manager at Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE), about the key takeaways from the AI and Arthritis National Survey findings.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- Patient voices on AI: How people with arthritis feel about AI in their care journey.
- Trust and oversight: Why patients want doctors to remain central to decision-making, even when AI is used.
- Concerns and opportunities: What patients see as the risks (privacy, fairness, loss of human connection) and potential benefits (shorter wait times, earlier diagnosis, better treatment matches).
- Equity matters: Perspectives from Indigenous, Black, racialized, rural, and lower-income respondents, highlighting the importance of inclusive AI design.
Additional learning resources
- Read the complete Survey findings in the newest issue of JointHealth™ insight
- Learn more about AI Scribing in rheumatology clinics
Lupus is a complex autoimmune disease that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other organs. It often takes years to diagnose and can dramatically affect quality of life.
In this special episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy from Arthritis Consumer Experts speaks with Leanne Mielczarek, CEO of Lupus Canada, about the official launch of the National Lupus Survey and the importance of collecting and amplifying the voices of people living with lupus across Canada. Kelly and Leanne discuss:
- Why this is the first patient-led national survey of its kind focused entirely on lived lupus experience
- What we hope to learn from people living with lupus across Canada
- How the results will shape advocacy and education
Take the Survey now
If you live with lupus, we want to hear from you! Your participation will help change how lupus is understood, treated, and supported in Canada.
Click here to take the Survey!
Artificial intelligence scribing is a new innovation in healthcare with the potential to improve clinical practice efficiency and enhance the doctor-patient connection.
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Vandana Ahluwalia, a rheumatologist based in Brampton, Ontario. Dr. Ahluwalia discusses her session titled AI Scribing: Are you ready for it? Is it ready for you? She describes the factors that need to be considered using this technology include consent and privacy. She also shares the work that is being done on the Canadian Rheumatology Association’s Project Athena to help support rheumatologists using new technologies.
Additional learning resources
- Canadian Rheumatology Association Journal – Project Athena Update: AI Scribes
- Canadian Medical Association Journal Podcast: Artificial intelligence in medicine
- Doctors of BC: Using AI Scribe Technologies
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Mohamed Osman, an Associate Professor, Clinician Scientist and Consultant Rheumatologist and Immunologist in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. Dr. Osman discusses about the therapeutic cases he encountered and what he has learned from them. As well, he shares his thoughts about CAR-T therapy and tips for patient advocacy for better arthritis care.
Additional learning resource
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ Self-advocacy Tips
- Advancing autoimmune rheumatic disease treatment: CAR-T Therapies – Evidence, Safety, and future directions
- Division of Medicine at the University of Alberta
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Timothy Kowk, rheumatologist and clinician investigator at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto. Dr. Kwok defines what fee-for-service means in healthcare and how policies can impact care. He shares how inequities in fee-for-service renumeration affects rheumatologists and patient-centred care. Some key findings include differences between western and eastern provinces, differences in rural care across Canada, and how fee codes differ in virtual care and when care spans across different provinces or territories.
Additional learning resource
- Improving access to care for rheumatology services in Canada
- ACE Advocacy: Contact your elected officials
- Canadian Institute of Health Information: An overview of physician payments and cost per service
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Daphne To, PhD Candidate at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the University of Toronto and Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions & Virtual Care, and Ms. Gabrielle (Gabby) Sraka, a Public Health Science student at McMaster University.
The duo reports on how their respective studies reveal the benefits of a team-based care model for both patients and health care providers, including earlier diagnosis and better disease management.
Additional learning resource
- Mary Pack Arthritis Program Health Care Team
- Models of Care for Inflammatory Arthritis Patients Infographic
- American College of Rheumatology: Roles of the Interdisciplinary Rheumatology Team
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Janet Pope, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Western Ontario and Division Head in Rheumatology at St. Joseph’s Health Centre. Dr. Pope is a leading international researcher in scleroderma, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, focusing in areas such as outcome measurements, clinical trials, and disease manifestations.
In this interview, Dr. Pope discusses with ACE’s Kelly Lendvoy about her presentation at the annual scientific meeting titled “Research Doesn’t End with the Funding, Knowledge Dissemination is a Must!” She highlights the critical role of knowledge translation and exchange in ensuring that research findings reach and benefit patients, health care providers, and policy makers. She goes on to define knowledge translation exchange and describe how we can bridge the gap between research and understanding its relevance and real-world application, particularly as it relates to arthritis patients and patient groups.
Additional learning resource
- Catching on the Catch (Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort) Rheumatoid Arthritis Research : Translating 15 years of knowledge translation for clinicians (Page 19)
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Literacy Part One
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Literacy Part Two
- Knowledge Translation Canada
- Canadian Knowledge Transfer and Exchange Community of Practice
- Canadian Institute of Health Research:Knowledge Translation
Affordability of medications is a big issue for many people living with a chronic disease, like inflammatory arthritis. One of the drivers of high costs for medications is the misuse of patents by original-brand manufacturers to extend their patent and delay the competition from affordable generic and biosimilar medications.
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, ACE’s Cheryl Koehn previews the launch of an international grassroots education campaign on pharmaceutical patents, titled “Patients and patents.” Cheryl describes how the awareness raising campaign is focussed on helping patients, health care providers, and the public understand how pharmaceutical patents work. When used responsibly, patents encourage innovation and ensure patients receive new and improved treatments. But when misused to extend patent protection, they can extend monopolies on original-brand medications and delay access to more affordable treatment options and strain health system budgets.
Additional learning resources
- About the Campaign fact sheet
- Questions and Answers
- Infographic
- Glossary of Key Terms
- Social Media Kit
Self-management plans that are made to fit the needs of individuals have the potential to improve quality of life, confidence to self-manage, and other aspects of health. In today’s episode, Kelly Lendvoy speaks to Ellen Wang, Arthritis Research Canada trainee and ACE’s Programs Coordinator, about a study looking at research studies on the benefits of tailored self-management plans for arthritis and other chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Additional learning resource
- Infographic: Tailored Self-Management for Chronic Musculoskeletal Conditions : What Does Research Reveal?
- Poster : Effect of Tailored Self-Management Interventions on Health Outcomes in Individuals with Chronic Musculoskeletal Condition
- Arthritis Society Canada: Self-management
- American College of Rheumatology : Self-Management for Patients Living with Rheumatic Conditions
- Take the ACE National Survey on Artificial Intelligence and Arthritis Care to share your thoughts about AI
Today is International Self-Care Day!
In honour of self-care, this #ArthritisAtHome features the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Catherine Backman, Professor Emerita from the University of British Columbia (UBC). In her discussion with Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s Founder and President, Dr. Backman shares how occupational therapy, research, and finding the right splints and assisted devices can help people living with arthritis. Splints and assisted devices are an important part of self-care because they help reduce joint strain, minimize pain, enhance independence in daily tasks, and help maintains quality of life.
Arthritis Consumer Expert’s JointHealth™ Education program contains courses specific to self-care in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. The self-care lesson will help you understand what you can and cannot control about your disease and the different elements of a self-care plan. Additionally, the lesson provides tips for self-care treatments at home.
Additional learning resource
- Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
- Telehealth and a joint-friendly workspace for people with arthritis
- Assisted Devices Resources
- Splint overview
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Hani El-Gabalawy, Professor at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Dr. El-Gabalawy has dedicated his research career to understanding the mechanisms intitiating and sustaining rheumatoid arthritis.
In his discussion with Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s Founder and President, Dr. El-Gabalawy shares updates in rheumatology, including care in Indigenous communities, diet, rheumatoid arthritis, comorbidities in arthritis, disease modifying medications for osteoarthritis, and artificial intelligence in care.
Additional learning resource
- Take the ACE National Survey on Artificial Intelligence and Arthritis Care to share your thoughts about AI
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Has Changed Dramatically Over the Past 3 Decades, but Has the Disease Itself Changed?
- Impact of Psychiatric Comorbidity on Health Care Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Study
- RheumNow Podcast : Weak Data with Dr. Charity Dean
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Liam O’Neil, Assistant Professor at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. His research focuses on understanding the biological events that occur prior to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Dr. O’Neil discusses his study that looks at curcumin, omega-3, and vitamin D as a combination for preventing rheumatoid arthritis and explains why these three supplements were chosen. Dr. O’Neil’s study also showed improvements in joint pain, fatigue, and morning stiffness, even among health participants and he explains what this means for people who have early signs of RA or risk factors such as anti-citrullinated protein antibody positivity.
Additional learning resource
- Arthritis At Home – Food for thought : Healthy eating strategies for people living with arthritis with Kim Arrey
- The Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis on First Nations and How We Work with Communities to Prevent It
- Safety and Tolerability of a Combination of Curcumin, Omega-3 and Vitamin-D: Results from the PASCOD Study, an RA Prevention Protocol
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Lindsey Puddicombe, a medical student at Dalhousie University, about her “Clinical pearls and mysterious cases” presentation at this year’s Canadian Rheumatology Association’s (CRA) Annual Scientific Meeting. Lindsey speaks to Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, about how diagnosing arthritis can be hard as there are many other diseases that share the same symptoms, such as myositis and amyloidosis. Lindsey also shares her work experience with the summer studentship at the CRA in 2025 and how her mentors have shaped her career path.
Additional learning resource
- The CRAF Summer Studentship Programs
- JointHealth™ insight – Mental health and arthritis : A complex relationship
- Canadian Arthritis Trainee Association
- The Myositis Association : About Myositis
- Johns Hopkins Medicine : Amyloidosis
Lupus is a chronic disease that can happen in any part of the body, including the heart, brain, kidneys, skin and affects over 1 out of 1000 people in Canada. People with lupus can experience a butterfly rash on their face, kidney problems and even brain involvement such as seizures. These differences make diagnosing lupus challenging and, living with it, different for everyone.
Joining Kelly Lendvoy in today’s #ArthritisAtHome to talk about lupus are Leanne Mielczarek, Chief Executive Officer, and Heather Coates, National Fund Development and Engagement Officer, from Lupus Canada. The trio discuss more about lupus and about the Lupus International Congress that was recently held in Toronto.
Additional learning resources
- Lupus Canada
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Lupus page
- Lupus 2025 Abstracts
- Arthritis At Home 271 – Lupus and pregnancy in women in Alberta
Artificial intelligence (AI) is today being used in arthritis care to help doctors make diagnoses, suggest treatment options, predict symptom changes, or answer health questions through virtual assistants or chatbots (like ChatGPT).
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Cheryl Koehn and Kelly Lendvoy talk about the launch of ACE’s National Survey on Artificial Intelligence and Arthritis Care. They discuss the focus of the survey, looking at different types of AI being used to create content or give information – for example, answering your questions about arthritis in plain language or to look at health information to forecast what might happen next – like warning people about a possible flare or suggesting which medication might work best.
We encourage you to take the Survey and help ACE learn how familiar people with arthritis are with AI, how comfortable they feel using it, and what kinds of tools or information might help them.
Additional learning resources
- Take the survey now
- Print and post up this poster to share with your coworkers and patients
-
CRArthritis: Artificial intelligence scribing in rheumatology clinics
- AI.Dx Lab – McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health
- Learn more about ACE National Surveys
June is Pride Month – a time dedicated to celebrating 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities and their resilience, advocating for equal rights and a world free from fear, violence or discrimination. According to data from the 2019 to 2021 Canadian Community Health Survey, 1 in 10 youth aged 15 to 24 years reported being 2SLGBTQQIA+. Amongst this population, 3 in 10 considered their mental health to be fair or poor. For youths who also live with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, they may also experience physical disability and mental stress related to missing out on school activities and disease management – impacting their overall health.
In this #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Karine Toupin-April, Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences in the University of Ottawa. She discusses about a talk she presented at this year's Annual Scientific meeting called “How are determinants of health inequities related to decision-making in juvenile idiopathic arthritis care? A narrative synthesis.” Her research explores how factors like gender, culture, and socioeconomic status affect decision-making in JIA care and why is it important to consider these determinants when making treatment decisions. In her review of the research literature, her team found few studies directly linking health inequities to decision-making in JIA care. Dr. Toupin-April shares the potential consequences of not addressing these inequities in treatment planning.
Are you satisfied with how you are receiving arthritis care? What changes would you like to see in your care journey? Please email us at feedback@jointhealth.org and let us know.
Additional learning resource
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities
- Facts, stats and impact : 2SLGBTQI+ communities
- The Choice Research Lab
- Tools and resources to facilitate the use of shared decision making (SDM)
National Health and Fitness Day – an annual coast-to-coast celebration of wellness – is held on the first Saturday of June. To inspire you to be active on June 7, today’s Arthritis At Home will feature the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Manuel Ester (Manny).
Manny is a post-doctoral associate working with Dr. Claire Barber at the University of Calgary’s McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. Manny shares highlights from a workshop he co-presented at the 2025 Canadiana Rheumatology Association’s Annual Scientific Meeting with Dr. Barber called “Moving More with Inflammatory Arthritis: The Benefits of Physical Activity and Strategies for Supporting Physical Activity Behaviour Change”.
The key objective of the workshop was to provide arthritis health care professionals with evidence-based strategies to encourage and support people living with arthritis to become more physically active and ultimately improving their health and quality of life. Manny also shares with us some of the most effective behaviour change strategies that help people with inflammatory arthritis “move more” and sustain an active lifestyle over the long term, including motivation techniques, goal setting, and using technology to get started on exercise programs.
Additional learning resource
- ACE Survey on Arthritis and Exercise
- JointHealth™ Education: Arthritis and Exercise
- Arthritis patient exercise program
- 2018 EULAR recommendations for physical activity in people with inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis
- Exercise Guide for arthritis health providers
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Kerri Novak, an Assistant Professor with the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Group in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Novak and Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, discuss the utility of non-invasive ultrasound for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), IBD and its connection with spondyloarthritis, the evolution of IBD diagnosis and outcome measures, and how this technique can be implemented across the country.
Additional learning resource
- Crohn’s and Colitis Canada
- Canadian Digestive Health Foundation: The Role of Intestinal Ultrasound in Diagnosing and Monitoring IBD
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Spondyloarthritis page
- The IBD Centre of BC
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Arielle Mendel, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology at McGill University. Dr. Mendel’s research focuses on patient safety in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. She aims to improve medication safety for people living with arthritis by studying the root causes of adverse drug effects.
In this interview, she shares highlights from her podium and poster presentations looking at the safety and effectiveness of biosimilar and originator rituximab for induction or maintenance in ANCA-associated vasculitis and antinuclear antibody testing in lupus. She concludes by introducing us to the concept of safe deprescribing of medications for older adults.
Additional learning resource
- Vasculitis Foundation Canada
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Lupus page
- MedSafer: Safe Deprescribing for Older Adults
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Muhammad Mamdani, Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto. Dr. Mamdani presented a keynote presentation at this year’s CRA annual scientific meeting called Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medicine: Moving from Hype to Reality.
Dr. Mamdani provides some real-world examples where AI is already improving patient care and describes some of the biggest challenges or risks when using AI in medicine, and how we can ensure that AI-based decisions are safe and reliable for patients.
Additional learning resource
- Application of AI for Healthcare and Medicine (Muhammad Mamdani)
- Canadian Medical Association Journal Podcast: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
- Unity Health Toronto: How is AI transforming health care? Unity Health’s VP of Data Science and Advanced Analytics weights in
In honour of #WorldLupusDay, this episode of #ArthritisAtHome will highlight the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Stephanie Keeling, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta and a member of the lupus working group – consisting of lupus specialists from across Canada along with two national patient organizations, Arthritis Consumer Experts and Lupus Canada.
Dr. Keeling discusses about lupus and pregnancy in women in Alberta. In her study, they looked at what happens to women in pregnancy and what health care providers are doing with medications.
Additional learning resource
- Lupus Canada
- JointHealthTM insight – Living with Lupus
- Arthritis At Home 259 – The latest on lupus treatment and care in Canada with Dr. Stephanie Keeling
Saturday, May 3 is World AS Day – an annual day dedicated to people living with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
AxSpA is a chronic rheumatic disease that can cause severe pain and stiffness in the lower back, hips and buttocks and if left untreated can cause permanent damage to your spine. The pain often gets worse with rest and often appears before the age of 40.
In honour of #WorldASDay2025, this episode of #ArthritisAtHome will highlight the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Water Maksymowych, a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the Unversity of Alberta. He is co-founder and principal investigator the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC).
Dr. Maksymowych discusses his presentation during the Controversies in Rheumatology session at this year’s meeting. The presentation focuses on the complexities of first-line targeted therapies for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). He outlines how advanced therapies work differently in managing axSpA and what factors rheumatologists consider when deciding which of these medications should be used first for a patient with axSpA. He concludes by recommending how patients can work with their health care providers to ensure they receive the most effective treatment for their axSpA.
Additional learning resource
- About World AS Day
- Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Axial Spondyloarthritis page
- Canadian Spondyloarthritis Association
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Mr. Shawn Brady, Vice President Rehabilitation & Education Program and Innovation at Arthritis Society Canada.
Wait times are significantly increasing in accessing specialty care, like rheumatology, in particular in remote or underserved communities. Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, speaks to Shawn about the Rheumatology Rapid Assessment Clinic Model (Rheum RAC) and how it works to reduce wait times for referral and diagnosis. Shawn also discusses how this model effectively improves access to arthritis care for remote and equity-deserving communities.
Additional learning resource
- About Rheum RAC
- About Arthritis Society Canada
- Implementing Interprofessional Rapid Assessment Clinic Models for Rheumatology to Support Equitable and Timely Access to Care
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Alaa Shehab, a Fellow at SickKids The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, about her “Clinical pearls and mysterious cases” presentation at this year’s meeting. Before working at SickKids, she was a staff and educator at Kuwait for the pediatric residency program. Dr. Shehab explains a mysterious case of autoinflammation she encountered in her practice and shares where the future is with gene therapy.
Additional learning resource
- JointHealth™ Education: Arthritis and Exercise
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Mental Health
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Self-Advocacy
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, we are sharing the #CRArthriits interview with Dr. Victoria Werth. Dr. Werth presented at CRA RheumReview: Canadian Clinical Updates– afull-day virtual event that runs concurrently with the Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting and is designed to update rheumatologists on hot topics in arthritis research. She speaks with ACE’s Kelly Lendvoy about her session at RheumReview titled “Approach to Cutaneous Lupus for the Rheumatologist” and will review clinical findings of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) and approaches to treatment.
In their conversation, Dr. Werth describes the importance of early diagnosis and testing for co-morbidities in patients with CLE. She also elaborates on the treatment options most commonly used for CLE and how patients should prepare for their treatment conversations with their health care providers.
Additional learning resource
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Lupus page
- Lupus Canada
- The CLASI (Cutaneous LE Disease Area and Severity Index): an outcome instrument for cutaneous lupus erythematosus
- Inspired by Patient Need, Dermatologist Specializes in Cutaneous Lupus
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Jackie Whittaker. Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, interviews Dr. Whittaker about her Arthritis Health Professions Association Pre-Course session titled StopOsteoARthritis (SOAR), a virtually delivered knee health program for persons living with increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA) due to activity related knee injury. They discuss why knee injuries occur, how they can lead to early onset OA and how to prevent them.
Dr. Whittaker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia, Senior Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada and Clinical Specialist in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy as recognized by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.
Additional learning resource
- Arthritis Research Canada: Preventing Osteoarthritis (OA) After a Sport or Activity Related Injury
- 3 fab facts for happy joints
- FIFA 11+ Warm-up Program
- Play Safe: Physical Literacy and Injury Prevention Guide for Leaders
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy interviews Ms. Deb Fowler from Ottawa, Ontario. Ms. Fowler has been living 17 years with dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory autoimmune disease. She shares her experience living with dermatomyositis, from diagnosis, its affect on daily life to treatment and the barriers to accessing certain therapies like physiotherapy and pain management. Ms. Fowler also provides viewers and listeners with advice to help them advocate for better care and feel less alone in their patient journey.
Additional learning resource
- The Myositis Association: About Myositis
- JointHealthTM education: Arthritis and Exercise
In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis 2025 interview with Mr. Nathan Barreth, a Public Health Science Student of Medicine at the University of Calgary. He joins ACE’s Kelly Lendvoy to review his participation in a workshop focussed on systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) and some of the unmet needs in SARD patients, the impact of SARDs on our healthcare system, and the potential value of biomarkers that can help close the gaps related to managing these patients.
Additional learning resource
- Nathan Barreth’s Podcast “Journey to Medicine”
- The Myositis Association: About Myositis
- The role of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like-lectin-1 (siglec-1) in immunology and infectious disease
March is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month in Canada. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a type of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis that can be seen in children under the age of 16 years. JIA affects up to three in 1000 children and is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood.
In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis 2025 interview with Dr. Lori Tucker and Ms. Brittany Barnes. They join Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s Founder and President, in a conversation about caring for children with rheumatic diseases in Northern British Columbia. They share how their research partnership formed, how kids with arthritis and their families were an integral part of their research, what some of the challenges are for kids living with arthritis in Northern British Columbia, and some key messages from their workshop.
Additional learning resources
- About the Canadian Rheumatology Association
- About Cassie and Friends
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing episode 1 of #CRArthritis 2025!
Arthritis Consumer Experts’ President, Cheryl Koehn, and VP of Communications and Public Affairs, Kelly Lendvoy, discuss the impact of #CRArthritis for people living with arthritis. They also talk about the history of the #CRArthritis event and how it has become a tool for knowledge translation and inspiring collaborative partnership in care, education, and research.
How you can get involved in #CRArthritis
Our public audience is encouraged to actively participate through likes, shares, reposts, and most importantly, posting comments and questions during the interviews. You can also show your support by following our social media:
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In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing Part 3 of the Yoga with Ellen series. Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, takes the audience through a 20-minute flow that is focused on releasing the legs, hips and glutes. You will learn how to lengthen some of the largest muscle in the body and become aware of differences on the left and right sides of the body. The entire practice is done lying on your back so grab a yoga mat, a towel, and a strap. Variations are provided for each posture so there is something for everyone.
Important things to note before participating in this yoga session:
- Remember to always protect your joints before, during, and after physical activity or exercise.
- If you have any concerns or questions about whether you should participate in this or any Arthritis At Home episode, please consult your health care team first.
You will require the following for this yoga session:
- a yoga mat or blanket
- a towel
- a strap
We have created a Spotify playlist for this yoga session; you can find it here.
In honour of Wear Red Canada to raise awareness about women’s heart health, we are sharing this #ArthritisAtHome with Dr. Keith Colaco on some of the common risk factors for cardiovascular disease and arthritis and the tools that can be used to predict risk. He also highlights the role of advocacy by researchers, health care providers and patients.
Dr. Keith Colaco is an Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of Toronto. Besides teaching several courses, Keith is also involved in cardio-rheumatology research which is at the intersection of heart health and joint health.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight: Heart’s content
- Cardio-Rheumatology Network
- Cardio-Rheum Clinic at Women’s College Hospital, Toronto
In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing Part 2 of the Yoga with Ellen series. Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator, takes the audience through a 20-minute yoga sequence that is focused on the trunk area including the core, side body and low back. Engage the core, lift out of the pelvis, and build some heat as you flow through seated movements. Then Ellen combines her practical knowledge and experience to guide the audience mindfully to the yoga mat. Learn to access postures that are commonly uncomfortable for individuals living with arthritis. All you need is a chair, pillow/cushion and yoga blocks if available.
Important things to note before participating in this yoga session:
- Remember to always protect your joints before, during, and after physical activity or exercise.
- If you have any concerns or questions about whether you should participate in this or any Arthritis At Home episode, please consult your healthcare team first.
You will require the following for this yoga session:
- a sturdy chair
- a pillow or cushion
- yoga blocks (if available)
We have created a Spotify playlist for this yoga session; you can find it here.
To help kickstart your exercise goals for the year, we are sharing Part 1 of the #ArthritisAtHome Yoga with Ellen series.
In this episode, ACE’s Programs Coordinator Ellen Wang, takes the audience through a 20-minute yoga practice that is focused on carefully articulating the head, neck, chest and upper back. Learn to ground deeply, set an intention for your practice and breath into unexplored areas in the body. Ellen combines her knowledge of human anatomy and yogic philosophy to take the audience through a mindful and accessible practice for all levels. All you need is a chair and strap/band/scarf or towel. Get ready to tune into your body and mind.
Important things to note before participating in this yoga session:
- Remember to always protect your joints before, during, and after physical activity or exercise.
- If you have any concerns or questions about whether you should participate in this or any Arthritis At Home episode, please consult your healthcare team first.
You will require the following for this yoga session:
- a sturdy chair
- a strap, band, scarf or towel
Click here to watch the episode.
In a new episode of Arthritis at Home, Cheryl Koehn speaks with Dr. Stephanie Keeling, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta and a member of the lupus working group – consisting of lupus specialists from across Canada along with two national patient organizations, Arthritis Consumer Experts and Lupus Canada.
Together, they discuss the two common types of lupus – systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis – and changes over the past year in lupus treatment and care in Canada. Dr. Keeling also describes the work of the Lupus Working Group and its advocacy efforts to address inequities in lupus care across Canada. Dr. Keeling ends the episode with a look ahead at Canadian Rheumatology Association’s efforts to create clinical guidelines for the treatment of lupus in Canada.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight: Medication reimbursement coverage in Canada
- 2024 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Guideline for the Screening, Treatment, and Management of Lupus Nephritis
- A Thousand Faces of Inequity, CRAJ Spring 2024
- Inside ACR Convergence 2024 : Day 3 Highlights
In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Hani El-Gabalawy, Professor of Medicine and Immunology at the University of Manitoba. He discusses about rheumatoid arthritis prediction and prevention, and the impact of rheumatoid arthritis on Indigenous Peoples.
About Dr. Hani El-Gabalawy
Dr. Hani El-Gabalawy is a physician and researcher, and an endowed Rheumatology Research Chair at the University of Manitoba. He is widely recognized for his contributions in the field of rheumatology and immunology, with a specific focus on rheumatoid arthritis and Indigenous Health.
Additional learning resources
- Emerging Approaches to the Detection and Prevention of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Predisposed Indigenous North American Population
- Disparities in rheumatoid arthritis outcomes for North American Indigenous Populations
- Arthritis Call to Action: Indigenous Health
In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Morag Crocker, occupational therapist and occupational therapy practice coordinator at the Mary Pack Arthritis Program. She shares how travelling occupational therapy works and explains what the tertiary arthritis program is at the Mary Pack Arthritis Centre. Furthermore, she provides a definition of what complex osteoarthritis (OA) is and share some tips on how to manage complex OA.
Additional learning resources
- About Vancouver Coastal Health’s Mary Pack Arthritis Program
- Travelling Occupational Therapy Clinics
- OsteoArthritis Service Integration System (OASIS)
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Osteoarthritis Page
In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Michelle Bridge, President of Arthritis Health Professions Association. She explains what the Arthritis Health Professions Association does and what it offers for its members and the arthritis community. She further highlights the role that allied health care professionals play in arthritis care.
Additional learning resources
- About Arthritis Health Professions Association
- Arthritis At Home: Telehealth and joint-friendly workspace for people with arthritis
- Measuring Advanced/Extended Practice Roles in Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Care in Canada
To our Arthritis at Home audience and to people living with arthritis across Canada, ACE wishes you a safe and healthy holiday as we celebrate this Winter Solstice in the spirit of peace, rest, and reflection. Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) finds itself reflecting over a quarter century of meaningful service to people with arthritis as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this December.
In this special holiday episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy and Cheryl Koehn looks back at ACE’s leadership in patient engagement and promoting consumer participation models and strategies that are now embedded in arthritis research and policy-making processes. They also discuss ACE’s role in advocating for the rights of people with arthritis to benefit equally from the many therapies now available to them and from non-medication aspects of their care – mental health struggles, job disruption, sleep disturbances, relationship challenges – areas where support is still sorely needed.
Additional learning resources
- ACE National Survey on Private Health Insurance Plans
- JointHealth™ Education: Arthritis and Exercise
- JointHealth™ insight – Arthritis A-Z: Your Questions Answered
- Arthritis Community Learning Circle: Arthritis Call to Action website
In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Alison Clifford, an Associate Professor in the Department of Rheumatology at the University of Alberta. She discusses about the 18F-Flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and giant cell arteritis, the most common form of vasculitis in North America. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that can help reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of your tissues and organs.
About Dr. Alison Clifford
Dr. Clifford is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta. She is also an associate member of CanVasc, the Canadian network for vasculitis investigators. Her interest is in vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessel walls. Vasculitis results in reduced blood flow to the body’s organs, potentially leading to serious tissue damage.
Additional learning resources
- About PET/CT in giant cell arteritis
- Vasculitis Foundation Canada
- About giant cell arteritis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Michael Kuluva, an American fashion designer living in Los Angeles, California. He has a conversation with Anita Chan, ACE’s Director of Programs and Administration, about his rheumatoid arthritis journey. He also shares lifestyle tips for patients living with arthritis and discusses how he became a patient advocate.
Additional learning resources
- Reporting of Determinants of Health Inequities in Rheumatoid Arthritis Randomized Controlled Trials in Canada: A Scoping Review
- About Michael Kuluva
- Follow Michael on social media: X (@MichaelKuluva), Instagram (@MichaelKuluva)
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Mary De Vera, Megan Thomas, and Anna Samson. The trio discusses highlights from their workshop on working towards improving representation in rheumatology research. They also report on determinants of health inequities and some of the barriers researchers and arthritis health care providers may face in underrepresented populations.
About Dr. Mary De Vera, Megan Thomas, and Anna Samson
Dr. De Vera is a pharmacoepidemiologist and assistant professor in medication adherence in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC. Megan Thomas is a PhD student at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, specializing in epidemiology and health outcomes. Anna Samson is a person living with ankylosing spondylitis and fibromyalgia. She is studying English at McMaster University and is an advocate for disability and mental health.
Additional learning resources
- Reporting of Determinants of Health Inequities in Rheumatoid Arthritis Randomized Controlled Trials in Canada: A Scoping Review
- Reporting of determinants of health inequities and participant characteristics in randomized controlled trials of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in Canada: A scoping review
- Reporting of determinants of health inequities and participant characteristics in randomized controlled trials of systemic lupus erythematosus in Canada: A scoping review
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy speaks to Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s President, about highlights from this year’s American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting - ACR Convergence 2024. The annual meeting is a gathering of arthritis health care providers, researchers and patient advocates who come together to share the newest discoveries and treatments for osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis.
To learn more, ACE shared highlights from the four days of ACR Convergence, which can be viewed here:
- Day One
- Day Two
- Day Three
- Day Four
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ Education: Arthritis and Exercise
- Arthritis At Home 211 – Patient experiences and quality of care during rehabilitation after total joint replacement surgery
- Arthritis At Home 92 – Total knee replacement: Cheryl Koehn shares tips on how to prepare for surgery
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Meghan Pancucci, Dr. Michelle Batthish, and Dr. Karen Beattie. The trio talks about their workshop at the meeting, which is designed for researchers and family advocates who have an interest in engaging patients and families in rheumatology research. They talk about what family engagement in research means and its benefits for patients, health care providers, and researchers, and how families may be engaged with researchers in projects at different stages of the research life cycle.
Additional learning resources
- Matching researchers’ needs and patients’ contributions: practical tips for meaningful patient engagement from the field of rheumatology
- Patient Engagement in Research Scale
- ACE Advocacy: Participate in research
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Tom Appleton, Assistant Professor at Western University. He outlines the opposition points he plans to use at this year’s Great Debate to argue against the efficacy of electronic medical records. Dr. Appleton also shares his work on osteoarthritis research and views on shared decision making in arthritis care.
Additional learning resources
- Canada Health Infoway: Integrating digital health into the health care experience
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Osteoarthritis page
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis Self-Advocacy
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, Founder and President of Arthritis Consumer Experts, and Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, rheumatologist and James McGill Professor at the McGill University Health Centre, have a discussion about lupus symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and care. They also look at barriers to reimbursement access to lupus medications and health disparities and inequities in lupus care treatment and what arthritis community leaders in Canada are doing to address these challenges.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Lupus page
- JointHealth™ insight: Living with lupus
- Lupus Canada: Your resource for everything lupus
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Steven Katz and Dr. Jill Hall. The duo joins Kelly Lendvoy to share some key arguments on why electronic medical records save time for health care providers and how it can improve quality of care.
About Drs. Steven Katz and Jill Hall
Dr. Katz is an award-winning clinician, medical educator, researcher, and medical community leader. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta and the Director of the Division of Rheumatology and Section Head for Rheumatology for Alberta Health Services. Dr. Hall is a clinical associate professor in the faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Alberta.
Additional learning resources
- Canadian Medical Protective Association: Electronic records handbook
- Canada Health Infoway: Integrating digital health into the health care experience
- ACE National Survey on virtual care services for people living with arthritis: Examining virtual health inequities
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Daniel Vis. He speaks to Kelly Lendvoy, VP Communications and Public Affairs at Arthritis Consumer Experts, about sarcoidosis management. Sarcoidosis is a disease characterized by the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells in any part of the body — most commonly the lungs and lymph nodes. But it can also affect the eyes, skin, heart and other organs.
Dr. Vis is a clinical lecturer of medicine at the University of Calgary. He also sees patients at South Health Campus Pulmonary Diagnostics division. There he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of many ailments and diseases affecting the lungs and respiratory system as a whole.
Additional learning resources
- Learn more about Dr. Vis’ research at the University of Calgary
- American Lung Association: Treating and Managing Sarcoidosis
- Sarcoidosis and sarcoid arthritis
In today’s special episode, Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP, Communications and Public Affairs speaks to Joanne DiNardo and Kelly Gorman, Senior Directors, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Arthritis Society Canada about the advocacy efforts of a group of leading arthritis organizations, including ACE, patient groups, health professionals and volunteers with lived arthritis experience, who are meeting with government officials on Parliament Hill on October 8.
The day includes a series of in-person meetings with government and political officials that will focus on:
- Strategies to reduce wait times for joint replacements
- Increasing investing in arthritis research
- Improving health data
- Enabling more timely and equitable access to treatments
- Supporting the Arthritis Action Plan
Additional learning resources
- State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card
- Arthritis Action Plan
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ ACE Advocacy page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Emilie Pianarosa, a second-year medical student at the University of Calgary. She speaks to Kelly Lendvoy, VP Communications and Public Affairs at Arthritis Consumer Experts, about her workshop on reducing avoidable care use and improving care experience, focusing on emergency department use by persons with inflammatory arthritis (IA). Her study concludes with key recommendations to reduce avoidable emergency department visits by individuals with IA.
Additional learning resources
- Identifying Inflammatory Arthritis Ambulatory Care Service Model Enhancements Needed to Reduce Avoidable Emergency Department Use
- Learn more about inflammatory arthritis by reading JointHealthTM insight – Arthritis A-Z: Your questions answered
Private health insurance is vital for millions of Canadians, providing crucial coverage for medications, physical therapy, and more. In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy and Ellen Wang discuss the results of Arthritis Consumer Experts National Survey on Private Health Insurance and the challenges people with arthritis face with complicated medication reimbursement coverage, unaffordable premiums, delayed medication approvals, and even declined coverage of essential treatments.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight – September 2024 – ACE looks at how private health insurance impacts Canadians with arthritis
- JointHealth™ insight – October 2015 – Investing in employee health and wellness
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Cheryl Koehn and Kelly Lendvoy look at Arthritis Consumer Experts’ (ACE) election advocacy efforts for the upcoming provincial elections in British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan. ACE mobilizes its Election Advocacy platform for every federal, provincial, and territorial election to give voice to the arthritis community.
Elections offer a unique opportunity for voters to advocate for policies that can significantly impact arthritis prevention, research, treatment, and care. Find out how ACE’s process works: from distributing comprehensive questionnaires to all political parties and candidates to gathering their responses on the top issues faced by Canadians living with arthritis. These responses are then posted on the ACE website, allowing voters to compare party platforms and make informed decisions at the ballot box.
Additional learning resources
- ACE’s British Columbia election page: See the questionnaire and responses here
- ACE’s New Brunswick election page: See the questionnaire and responses here
- ACE’s Saskatchewan election page: See the questionnaire and responses here
- ACE Election Advocacy: #Vote4Arthritis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Vandana Ahluwalia, Head of the Rheumatology Division of the William Osler Health Centre in Brampton, Ontario. She speaks to Kelly Lendvoy, VP Communications and Public Affairs at Arthritis Consumer Experts, on how including Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC) trained professionals can help to address gaps in patient care. ACPAC is an academic and clinical training program developed to prepare experienced physical therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors and nurses in the assessment and management of arthritis.
Additional learning resources
- Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care Program
- An Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC) Maintains a Positive Patient Experience While Increasing Capacity in Rheumatology Community Care
- JointHealth™ insight: Today’s arthritis experience in Canada
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator for Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Dr. Deniz Bayraktar, physiotherapist and Associate Professor from Türkiye and Affiliate Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada (ARC). Ellen and Dr. Bayraktar have an insightful conversation about juvenile idiopathic arthritis including the seven sub-types and the regional differences in prevalence. Dr. Bayraktar shares some of the benefits and challenges associated with conducting international multisite research and the different research climates across the world.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page
- Cassie and Friends Society
- Arthritis At Home 232: The emerging adult with rheumatic disease
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator for Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Keith Colaco, Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of Toronto. Besides teaching several courses, Keith is also involved in cardio-rheumatology research which is at the intersection of heart health and joint health. Keith and Ellen share an insightful conversation about some of the common risk factors for cardiovascular disease and arthritis and the tools that can be used to predict risk. They also touch on the role of advocacy by researchers, health care providers and patients.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight: Heart’s content
- Cardio-Rheumatology Network
- Cardio-Rheum Clinic at Women's College Hospital, Toronto
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator for Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Ms. Natalie McCormick, a junior faculty member in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital working under the supervision of Arthritis Research Canada Research Scientist Dr. Hyon Choi. Ellen and Natalie share an insightful conversation about the study of gout and related conditions using large data sets. Together, they discuss metabolomics and the potential for a single medication to address multiple conditions.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Gout page
- Unclosing Premature Mortality Gap Among Patients With Gout in the US General Population, Independent of Serum Urate and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk Factors
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator at Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks with Dr. Lihi Eder, Director of the Psoriatic Arthritis program at Women’s College Hospital and co-Director, Cardio-Rheumatology Program at the University of Toronto. Dr. Eder discusses her recent presentation at the EULAR 2024 conference. Her team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand how axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpa) affects men and women differently in terms of how common it is and what symptoms they experience as well as how men and women with AxSpa respond differently to biologic treatments. Dr. Eder shares how the findings from the review can be used to inform clinical practice and follow up care, particularly for female patients, to support health outcomes.
Additional learning resources
- EULAR® 2024 Insights – Sex-Related Differences in Trial Outcomes in AxSpa Randomized Clinical Trials: A Systemic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Axial Spondyloarthritis page
- Arthritis At Home: An arthritis-friendly mini yoga class with Lindsay Knazen, yoga therapist and person living with ankylosing spondylitis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, Founder and President at Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Dr. J. Antonio Aviña-Zubieta, UBC Division Head of Rheumatology, BC Lupus Society Research Scholar, and Senior Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada. They discuss the INTACT study, an ongoing study working to determine the risk of eye damage in people with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis who are taking hydroxychloroquine.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please ask your rheumatologist to refer you for an annual retina screening test as part of the INTACT study during your upcoming visit. To learn more about the study, please email the team at intact.study@arthritisresearch.ca
Additional learning resources
- Current Research: Risk of Retinal Toxicity in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis on Long-term Hydroxychloroquine Therapy
- Learn more about hydroxychloroquine therapy in SLE and RA
- Learn more about lupus at Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Lupus page
- Learn more about rheumatoid arthritis at Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Rheumatoid Arthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s Founder and President, and Kelly Lendvoy, ACE VP Communications, share the highlights from the Summer 2024 special issue of JointHealth™ insight - Arthritis A-Z: Your Questions Answered.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight – Arthritis A-Z: Your Questions Answered
- Biosimilars•Exchange – Canada’s trusted source for timely news and information on biosimilar biologics
- JointHealth™ education – Arthritis and Exercise
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator for Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Mr. Kasra Moolooghy, a MSc Candidate under the supervision of Dr. Diane Lacaille at Arthritis Research Canada. Recently, Kasra was awarded the Mitacs Fellowship for his research looking at the side effects of biological agents that are used in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis. Ellen and Kasra share an insightful conversation about adverse events and some of the statistical techniques that are used to understand the data. Together, they discuss the importance of understanding the nuance between different biologics to better tailor treatment to patient needs.
About Mr. Kasra Moolooghy
Mr. Kasra Moolooghy is an international medical graduate from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Experimental Medicine at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. With the supervision of Dr. Diane Lacaille, using administrative health data, Kasra's research aims to compare the risk of adverse events, such as severe infections, heart attacks, strokes, and venous thromboembolism, across different classes of biologic agents used for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ Education: Advanced Therapies for Inflammatory Arthritis
- Arthritis Research Canada
- An Introduction to Health Care Administrative Data
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Alan Zhou, Rheumatology Resident at the University of Toronto, and Ms. Amorell Saunders N’Daw, journalist and equity, diversity, and inclusion advocate. The duo speaks to Kelly Lendvoy about how rheumatologists can ensure patients’ cultural backgrounds and beliefs are respected and integrated into their clinical practice and strategies to overcome language barriers and ensure clear communication with patients from diverse backgrounds.
Additional learning resources
- Equity in Health Systems Lab
- Arthritis Consumer Experts National Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities
- Canadian Medical Protective Association: Cultural Safety
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Natasha Trehan, Drs Michelle Batthish and Stephanie Garner. Natasha is a person living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Dr. Batthish is a pediatric rheumatologist from McMaster Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Garner is an adult rheumatologist from the University of Calgary. Together, the trio speaks to Kelly Lendvoy on what is the definition of an emerging adult with rheumatic disease and highlights the challenges that may arise in the transition from pediatric rheumatology care to adult rheumatology care.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page
- My Transition App: An app to help prepare patients between the age of 12 and 18 to take charge of their health care
- Youth and Young Adults with Rheumatic Disease
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Janet Pope, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and also Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Western Ontario. She speaks to Cheryl Koehn about testing for the right things in people living with arthritis. She shares how the guidelines outlined in Choosing Wisely Canada can help, along with open communication between rheumatologist and patient, can contribute to shared decision making and improved health outcomes. She concludes by providing some arthritis research updates.
Additional learning resources
- Choosing Wisely Canada – Rheumatology
- JointHealth™ Education Rheumatoid Arthritis: Setting treatment goals and building a treatment plan
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Natasha Trehan, person living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and Founder of Take a Pain Check Foundation. She speaks to Cheryl Koehn about how her lived experiences and passion towards youth and young adults with rheumatic diseases have shaped her workshop on working towards health equity.
Additional learning resources
- Take a Pain Check Foundation
- Cassie and Friends Society
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ Special Series on Health Inequities in Arthritis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Karine Toupin April, Associate Professor at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences in the University of Ottawa. She speaks to Kelly Lendvoy about how the practice of shared decision making can be implemented effectively in arthritis care, taking into account the diverse needs of specific patient populations, and how they can contribute to reducing health disparities. In addition, she offers examples of how guidelines can be made relevant and accessible to Indigenous communities, immigrants, and other minority groups to ensure equitable care outcomes.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ Special Series on Health Inequities in Arthritis
- OMERACT Outcome Measures in Rheumatology®
In this Arthritis At Home, Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP of Communications & Public Affairs, speaks to ACE’s programs coordinator, Ellen Wang, about ACE’s poster she is presenting for Arthritis Consumer Experts at EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology 2024. Ellen will be presenting findings on the ACE National Survey on Arthritis Health Literacy in Canada – that provide a starting point from which we can begin to understand differences in health literacy across those living with arthritis, specifically for BIPOC men.
Additional learning resources
- EULAR POS1436-PARE – Health Literacy in Arthritis Care in Canada: The Perspective of BIPOC Men
- Arthritis Consumer Experts National Survey on Arthritis and Health Literacy: Part 2
- About EULAR Annual Congress
Approximately 60% of Canadians have private health insurance plans. However, not all Canadians have equal access to private health insurance plans and some face serious challenges getting their private health insurance plan to pay for arthritis medications and other essential elements of their arthritis care.
In this Arthritis at Home, Ellen Wang, ACE programs coordinator, speaks to ACE’s VP of Communications & Public Affairs, Kelly Lendvoy, about the latest ACE National Survey on Private Health Insurance Plans, specifically designed for people living with arthritis in Canada and currently covered by a private health insurance plan.
Additional learning resources
- Take the survey now!
- Print and post up this poster to share with your coworkers and patients
- Learn more about ACE National Surveys
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, president of Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE), speaks to arthritis blogger and person with rheumatoid arthritis, Ms. Carrie Barnes. Their conversation focusses on Carrie’s blog journey as she celebrates the one-year anniversary of her “Joint Journeys” blog hosted by ACE. Carrie shares the important connections she has made in the past year and what types of experience she draws from to create her blog posts.
About Carrie Barnes
Carrie Barnes is an active, adventure-seeking mother of two who lives in Ontario. She and her husband have been on many long-distance hikes and enjoy spending time outdoors with friends and family. She works as a nurse at a local hospital and is an active member in her surrounding community.
Additional learning resources
- “Joint Journeys, life with arthritis by Carrie” blog
- Learn more about rheumatoid arthritis
In this Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, president of Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to physiotherapy-health literacy PhD student, Ms. Ellen Wang. Their conversation focusses on the importance of exercise for people living with arthritis and what types of exercise are most beneficial. The discuss about ACE’s newly launched course JointHealth™ Education: Arthritis and Exercise and how the course can help those who want to include exercise in their treatment and self-care plan. Furthermore, they provide a virtual tour of the online course.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ Education: Arthritis and Exercise
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Exercise
- Arthritis At Home Yoga with Ellen series
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s Founder and President, speaks to Kelly Lendvoy, about the highlights from the May 2024 issue of JointHealth™ insight that focuses on the challenges people with arthritis face when trying to get their arthritis medications paid for by their public or private drug plan.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight – Medication reimbursement coverage in Canada: A current snapshot
- Patient Support Program List
- ACE Advocacy – Contact Your Elected Officials
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Derin Karacabeyli, rheumatology resident at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Karacabeyli is studying the effects of treating metabolic comorbidities like obesity and type 2 diabetes on patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. In this interview, he shares the work he is conducting to look at the potential risks and benefits for inflammatory arthritis patients taking a new class of medications used in type 2 diabetes therapy.
Additional learning resources
- More information about GLP-1 Agonists
- More information about SGLT-2 inhibitors
- The Key Comorbidities in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Narrative Review
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, president of Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to arthritis blogger and person with rheumatoid arthritis, Ms. Carrie Barnes. Their conversation focusses on the importance of medication treatment decision-making from the person with rheumatoid arthritis’ (RA) viewpoint. They cover the challenges people newly diagnosed with RA face when making decisions about starting and staying on medication treatment. They share strategies for taking a positive approach towards medication-taking and offer insights on the benefits of good communication with their health care team and their family and social networks.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight – From discovery to the patient: The long and winding road towards drug development, review and public reimbursement in Canada
- ACE National Survey report on arthritis medications reimbursement for people with arthritis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert, Professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta, on the role of the rheumatologists in the diagnosis of long-COVID as well as the management of this syndrome. Long-COVID patients, like people living with arthritis, develop widespread pain, pain in a particular joint, and fatigue.
Additional learning resources
- University of Alberta: Research by Dr. Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert show that sickest long COVID patients face symptoms identical to chronic fatigue syndrome
- Long COVID: Defining the role of rheumatology in care and research
- Alberta Rheumatology: Vasculitis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Lihi Eder, Co-Director of the Cardio-Rheumatology Program at Women’s College Hospital, and Research Director, Division of Rheumatology at University of Toronto. Dr. Eder discusses how psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are connected. She shares with the audience the PRESTO tool, a new prediction tool for psoriatic arthritis in psoriasis patients, and how scientists and rheumatologists are identifying high-risk individuals and exploring opportunities for early interception.
Additional learning resources
- PRESTO: New Prediction Tool for Psoriatic Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Psoriatic Arthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Ms. Kara Irwin, research trainee at Arthritis Research Canada working under the supervision of Dr. Cheryl Barnabe. Kara looks at how higher rates and frequencies of emergency visits and hospitalizations for patients with inflammatory arthritis and gout have negative impacts for both patient health outcomes and healthcare costs.
Additional learning resources
- Kara Irwin: Bridging Arthritis Care to All Communities
- Impacts of racism on First Nations patients’ emergency care: results of a thematic analysis of healthcare provider interviews in Alberta, Canada
- Dr. Cheryl Barnabe on racism against Indigenous Peoples in Alberta ERs
In this Arthritis At Home, Dr. Maziar Badii, a rheumatologist in Artus Health Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, shares details about a procedure called geniculate artery embolization (or “GAE”) for knee osteoarthritis. Learn who the ideal candidate for this procedure is, how the procedure works, and what the research says about the efficacy and safety of the procedure.
Additional learning resources
- UCLA Health: Genicular artery embolization (GAE)
- Geniculate Artery Embolization: Role in Knee Hemarthrosis and Osteoarthritis
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Osteoarthritis page
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, rheumatologist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
She discusses the crucial role antimalarials such as hydroxychloroquine play in the management of inflammatory arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis, offering a favourable balance between efficacy and safety. The benefits of these medications include slowing down disease progression, reducing joint pain and protecting against organ damage, especially in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Additional learning resources
- Smoking status, antimalarial use heavily influence cancer risk in SLE
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Lupus Page
- Lupus Canada
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Jasmin Ma, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. She defines what strength training is and explains the benefits of it for people living with rheumatoid arthritis. She shares what is important to consider before coming up with an exercise plan, some barriers to physical activity, and how the I START tool can help health care providers tailor exercise prescription for people living with rheumatoid arthritis.
Additional learning resources
- I START Toolkit for patient
- I START Exercise Videos
- Arthritis At Home Exercise Snacks with Dr. Jasmin Ma
- Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey Report on Arthritis and Exercise
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Jillian Horton, award-winning medical educator, writer, and keynote speaker at this year’s CRA & AHPA Scientific Meeting. She shares highlights from her lecture on critical frameworks for tackling our burnout crisis. She also shares what she’s witnessed as a doctor and the necessity for compassion for both healthcare workers as well as those on the receiving end of healthcare.
Additional learning resources
- The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment™
- We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing
- Canadian Medical Association: Physician Wellness: New 2021 National Physician Health Survey findings – burnout, short-staffing and an overburdened system take their toll
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, Founder and President, speaks to ACE’s VP Communications & Public Affairs, Kelly Lendvoy, about the highlights from the February 2024 issue of the JointHealth™ insight newsletter, including:
- the newly published State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card
- feature article on arthritis models of care gaps and solutions across northern communities in Canada
- a look at biosimilars cost savings reinvestment in the healthcare system
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight – Today’s arthritis experience in Canada: The view from the street
- The State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn and Dr. Marie Westby discuss about the EQUIP-TJR study they are working on. The study is studying patient experiences and the quality of care during their rehabilitation (rehab) after total joint replacement (TJR).
Dr. Westby’s team is now creating an online toolkit of resources called the EQUIP-TJR toolkit. It includes a variety of print and electronic resources created with patient input. Before testing the toolkit in clinical settings, they would like to know your views on the quality indicators related to rehab after discharge from the hospital. They are also interested in your overall rehab experience and satisfaction.
Your responses will help the research team to refine the questionnaire and capture a ‘snap shot’ of current rehab practices across Canada.
If you would like to complete the 20-25 minute survey, go to: http://tiny.cc/PatientQISurvey.
The survey closes Feb. 28, 2024. Two $50 Indigo gift cards will be offered as prize draws!
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Timothy Kwok, resident rheumatologist at the University of Toronto, about gout.
Gout is a form of arthritis which is caused by a build-up of a crystal called uric acid in the body. Normally, uric acid is processed by the kidneys and eliminated from the body through urine. In the case of gout, the kidneys do not eliminate uric acid well enough, or in some people with gout, too much uric acid is produced.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Gout page
- Gout and other crystal arthropathies in Canada
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Maggie Larché, Professor, Divisions of Rheumatology and Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, and Director, Canadian Scleroderma Research Group. She discusses about scleroderma, its symptoms and connection with Raynaud’s phenomenon.
Additional learning resources
- Scleroderma Canada
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ about scleroderma page
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ about Raynaud’s phenomenon page
- Canadian Scleroderma Research Group
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Drs. Lisa Lix and Lily Lim, about artificial intelligence (AI) in practice and the pattern mining of healthcare data for complex chronic conditions. Dr. Lix is professor and associate head of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba and currently serves on the board of directors of the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute. Dr. Lim is a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba.
Additional learning resources
- The Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
- Building equitable AI for public health
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Mollie Carruthers, academic rheumatologist practicing at Artus Health Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, about IgG4-related disease.
IgG4-related disease describes a group of fibroinflammatory diseases that affect a variety of tissues resulting in tumor-like effect and/or organ dysfunction.
Additional learning resources
- IgG4-related disease: An introduction
- How to diagnose IgG4-related disease
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Michelle Batthish, Associate Professor, Pediatric Rheumatology, at McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. Dr. Batthish discusses about transitioning from pediatric to adult arthritis care and shares transitioning tips for patients and their family members.
Additional learning resources
- MyTransition App
- Canadian Rheumatology Association Paper: Bridging the Gaps – Optimizing the Transition from Pediatric to Adult Rheumatology Care
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, rheumatologist, a James McGill professor, and a senior scientist in the Centre for Health Outcomes Research and Division of Clinical Epidemiology at the Research Institute of the MUHC. Dr. Bernatsky discusses about air pollution and its relationship with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases like arthritis.
Additional learning resources
- Fine particulate air pollution and systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease in two Canadian provinces
- Study Finds Association Between RA Biomarker and Certain Air Pollutants
Winter Solstice is a special time in Indigenous cultures, symbolizing the turning of seasons and a period for recharging our spirits, connecting with our communities, and fostering change both within and around us. In this special holiday episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy and Cheryl Koehn discuss how this meaning of Winter Solstice inspired ACE’s holiday message this year as they reflect on ACE’s education and advocacy programming highlights in 2023 and look ahead to ACE’s plans for 2024.
To our Arthritis at Home audience and to people living with arthritis across Canada, ACE wishes you a safe and healthy holiday as we celebrate this Winter Solstice in the spirit of peace, rest, reflection, and rejuvenation.
Additional learning resources
- ACE National Surveys
- Arthritis and Health Literacy Part 1
- Arthritis and Health Literacy Part 2
- Arthritis and Mental Health
- Arthritis and Exercise
- Arthritis Community Learning Circle: Arthritis Call to Action website
- ACE Advocacy
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ms. Ellen Wang, ACE’s programs coordinator, speaks with Dr. Codie Primeau, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Arthritis Research Canada and the University of British Columbia. Throughout their discussion, Codie describes how he and his team plan to use Citizen Science as an approach to engaging with individuals who are sexually and gender diverse and work collaboratively to co-develop research questions that are meaningful for 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities.
Additional learning resources
- Engage with the burden of pain online platform here
- Dr. Primeau and team are also doing another study in parallel with long COVID. Learn more and engage with the platform here
- Dr. Primeau’s presentation about the whole project at the September KT Connects
- A report from the Standing Committee on Health in Canada presented to the House of Commons addressing the health of 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities in Canada
This episode of Arthritis At Home focusses on the Part Two analysis of the ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Literacy. Join Kelly Lendvoy and Ms. Ellen Wang as they take a deeper look at the Survey responses of Black, Indigenous and people of Colour respondents and compare them to the responses of white respondents and the differences in how the two populations understand and use health information.
Additional learning resources
- Part 2 of ACE National Survey Report on Arthritis and Health Literacy
- Part 2 of ACE National Survey Infographic on Arthritis and Health Literacy
- Part 1 of ACE National Survey Report on Arthritis and Health Literacy
- Part 1 of ACE National Survey Infographic on Arthritis and Health Literacy
Health literacy means being able to find, understand and use basic health information and services to take care of one’s daily health needs. In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ms. Ellen Wang, ACE’s programs coordinator, physiotherapy-health literacy PhD student, discusses the findings from ACE’s National Survey on Arthritis and Health Literacy. The interview highlights the results from women and men, and those from three different age groups – respondents over 54 years old, those between 34 to 53 years old, and those under 33 years old.
Additional learning resources
- Part 1 of ACE National Survey Report on Arthritis and Health Literacy
- Part 1 of ACE National Survey Infographic on Arthritis and Health Literacy
- Health Literacy in Canada: A Healthy Understanding
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn speaks to Dr. Jane Purvis, an Ontario rheumatologist and the Chair of Government Affairs Committee of the Ontario Rheumatology Association, about the biosimilars transition policy being implemented in Ontario. Dr. Purvis reminds our Ontario inflammatory arthritis patient audience that if they are affected by this policy, they have until December 29, 2023 to make the transition. During this transition period, Dr. Purvis also encourages patients not to wait until the last minute and make an appointment now to discuss what transition means for them, what their treatment options are and how to make a transition plan with their rheumatologist through in-person or virtual visits.
Additional learning resources
- Ontario Ministry of Health – Biosimilars: Information for Patients
- Biosimilars•Exchange: Canada’s trusted source for timely news and information on biosimilar biologics
- JointHealthTM education: Biosimilars Education Video Series
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox and Cheryl Koehn discuss the Arthritis Call to Action website, which has been launched by the Arthritis Community Learning Circle. As an important entry point into Truth and Reconciliation for the arthritis community in Canada, the website covers key topics such as Colonization, Indigenous Health, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action on Health (#18 to 24), and the Arthritis Community Learning Circle. Website visitors will also find current information on successful programs that incorporate traditional healing, and the latest arthritis research involving, and led by, Indigenous Researchers and Indigenous Participants in Canada.
Dr. Fox is from the Blood Tribe, within the Blackfoot Confederacy, and practices her Siksikaitsitapi ways. Dr. Fox has a bachelor’s degree in psychology; a master’s degree in sociology; and a doctoral degree in education.
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Call to Action website
- More about the Arthritis Community Learning Circle
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Kelly Lendvoy, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE), speaks to Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, ACE and PhD student at the University of British Columbia, about their experience leading the 9th annual #CRArthritis event at the 2023 Canadian Rheumatology Association and Arthritis Health Professions Associations Annual Scientific Meeting. Together, they highlight a handful of the exciting presentations in advocacy and disease research from researchers, clinicians and patient group leaders.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight: Spring 2023 – The latest advances in Canadian arthritis research
-
CRArthritis Interviews – Parts 1-4
- Arthritis Broadcast Network
- MyTransition App
Made up of rheumatoid arthritis patient organizations and leaders from 18 countries, the Global RA Network (GRAN) was formed to build international relationships and identify and work on common goals and initiatives to improve the lives of people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) around the world. Arthritis Consumer Experts co-founded the Network in 2017 and serves as its Secretariat.
This episode of Arthritis at Home features Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP Communications and Public Affairs and Isabelle Troïtzky, Programs Manager of the GRAN discussing the Network’s recent one-day annual Workshop held during the annual scientific meeting of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology.
Additional learning resources
- Globa RA Network
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities
- Inequities in Arthritis Care in Canada: An intersectional analysis of BIPOC women
In this episode, Kelly Lendvoy, VP Communications & Public Affairs speaks to ACE’s Founder and President, Cheryl Koehn, about the long and winding road towards drug development, review and public reimbursement in Canada. They discuss the highlights from a recently published JointHealth™ insight: the phases of drug development, the drug review process, price negotiations, and how it affects the lives of people living with inflammatory arthritis.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight – From discovery to the patient: The long and winding road towards drug development, review and public reimbursement in Canada
- Infographic: Canada drug review process at a glance
- ACE Arthritis Medications Report Card
In this episode, Kelly Lendvoy, VP Communications & Public Affairs speaks with Ellen Wang, ACE Programs Coordinator and Research Trainee at Arthritis Research Canada, about the presentation of an ACE research presentation (Abstract) at the annual scientific meeting of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR).
The Abstract - Inequities in Arthritis Care in Canada: An intersectional analysis of BIPOC women – presents detailed findings from the ACE National Survey on Health Inequities on barriers to access, discrimination and healthcare provider interaction among BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Person of Colour) women living with arthritis in Canada.
Additional learning resources
- PowerPoint Presentation and Summary
- Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities
Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) is thrilled to launch its new blog Joint Journeys, life with arthritis by Carrie. Insightful, inspirational, heart-warming and fun, Carrie’s pieces are beyond living with arthritis – they are about life’s everyday moments, the ups and downs of a life worth living. A brief pause to look at life with a fresh lens, a breath of fresh air in our day and that reminds us we are not our arthritis; we are human beings living life, with arthritis. Carrie’s pieces will touch on travel, gardening, raising a family, exercise, and adventuring, among other life moments.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s President, speaks with Carrie Barnes about her new blog, Joint Journeys, life with arthritis. They will talk about the origin of the blog concept and riff on why they think it fills a void in the current arthritis blogging scene.
Additional learning resources
- Joint Journeys, life with arthritis by Carrie
- About Carrie Barnes
The scientific meeting of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology, EULAR, is one of the most important annual meetings for arthritis researchers, clinicians and patient organizations. Ellen Wang shares her experience attending her first ever EULAR meeting with more than 14,000 onsite and virtual attendees. She describes the dynamics of sharing the same space with thousands of other rheumatology researchers, trainees, patients, and delegates from around the world and presenting her first ever oral research presentation.
Additional learning resources
- The Abstract - Inequities in Arthritis Care in Canada: An intersectional analysis of BIPOC women
- Arthritis Consumer Experts: Spotlight on Sjögren's syndrome
- Health literacy measurement: embracing diversity in a strengths-based approach to promote health and equity, and avoid epistemic injustice
Health literacy tool kits
- Health literacy toolkit for low- and middle-income countries: A series of information sheets to empower communities and strengthen health systems
- Ophelia: Optimizing Health Literacy and Access
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Ellen Wang, ACE’s Programs Coordinator speaks with Megan Thomas, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Megan is under the supervision of Dr. Mary De Vera and Dr. Mark Harrison. She completed both her MSc in Community Health Sciences and her Bachelor of Health Sciences honours degree at the University of Calgary. Megan’s work is focused on patient preferences, health equity, and patient-oriented research. More specifically her thesis aims to addresses equity considerations that impact access to research and care for patients with inflammatory arthritis. She plans do this through interviews with heath care providers and patients, as well as using a survey much like the one that ACE conducted!
Additional learning resources
- More about PROGRESS-Plus
- About Megan Thomas
Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Arthritis website resource has helped thousands of people living with arthritis become more knowledgeable about the diagnosis, treatment and care of their disease. Many of those users have provided ACE with comments and feedback, which have been implemented into the new edition of About Arthritis.
Kelly Lendvoy, VP Communications & Public Affairs, and Ellen Wang, ACE Programs Coordinator, discuss the relaunch of About Arthritis, who ACE has consulted to review it, and the most up-to-date scientific information people will have access to organized under new headings in the website resource.
Additional learning resources
- ACE’s About Arthritis website resource
- About Arthritis resource news release
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE), speaks to Cheryl Koehn, Founder and President, ACE, about her experience on leading the co-development of an Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled Foundations of Originator and Biosimilar Biologics for Patients and Caregivers. They will discuss what the course is about, how people can sign up and what they will learn from the course.
Additional learning resources
- Register for the free course for patients and caregivers
- Register for the paid professional certificate course
- About Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Drs. Cari Whyne and Johnathan Lex. They have a conversation about how they are combining a database on outcomes and population data to create prediction models. These prediction models have the ability to improve the allocation or time and resources to improve the equity of joint replacement surgery. The research team thanks the Arthritis Society for the grant and patients for their contributions.
Additional learning resources
- Ignite Innovation Grants Summaries
- Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Holland Bone and Joint Program
- myHip&Knee app
- GLA:D™ Canada
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Mr. Kohle Merry, PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, member of Arthritis Patient Advisory Board of Arthritis Research Canada, and a person living with osteoarthritis (OA) discusses the profound impact of OA on patients, the healthcare system, the economy, and the launch of ACE’s National Survey on Living with Osteoarthritis.
The Survey deadline is April 14, 2023. Click here to take the Survey.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing a #CRArthritis interview from the Arthritis Broadcast Network. Cheryl Koehn, Founder and President of Arthritis Consumer Experts, discusses with Dr. Fiona Rawle, Associate Dean, Pedagogical Development and Scholarship, University of Toronto, about the infodemic and pseudoscience. Dr. Rawle shares key takeaways from her presentation at an annual scientific meeting, including a tool she uses to recognize pseudoscience and tips on communicating science to patients while ensuring it is accessible and equitable.
Additional learning resources
- Follow Dr. Rawle on Twitter and check out some of the threads on #pseudoscience: @FiRawle
- Understanding science
- JointHealth™ insight – Are we in an infodemic?
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we speak to Dr. Sahil Koppikar, MD FRCPC, a rheumatologist at Women's College Hospital and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and Ms. Chandra Farrer, Quality Specialist at Women’s College Hospital and a C-QuIPS facilitator at the University of Toronto.
As Chair and Vice-Chair of the Northern Ontario Committee of the Ontario Rheumatology Association (ORA), Dr. Koppikar and Ms. Farrer discuss the progress the ORA is making with the Ontario government to develop and implement solutions to improve models of care in Northern Ontario by providing arthritis care that is patient-centred, equitable and accessible.
Additional learning resources
- Ontario Rheumatology Association’s Northern Ontario Committee
- Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care Program
- Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey Report on Arthritis and Health Inequities
In October 2022, Canada’s Premiers announced the recipients of the Council of the Federation (COF) Award for Innovation in Mental Health and Addictions Care. Presented in each province and territory for innovative initiatives that positively impact mental health and addictions care, the award recognizes individuals and organizations excelling in the field. In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we talk to Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox, Director of the award-winning Kainai Wellness Centre, about the importance of the award, what support and services the Centre offers and how it works, and the connections between intergenerational trauma, pain, mental health and addiction and the arthritis connection.
Additional learning resources
- Canada’s Premiers Announce Recipients of the Award for Innovation in Mental Health and Addictions Care News Release
- Blood Tribe Department of Health: Kainai Wellness Centre
- Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action 18-24 and the Arthritis Community
- The Papal Apology: Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox's Personal Reflection
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis and affects women twice as often as men, striking people in the prime of their lives. February 2, 2023 is the annual Rheumatoid Awareness Day that helps raise awareness of the disease and improve the lives of approximately 380,000 Canadians living with the disease. To mark this special day, Arthritis at Home speaks with Cheryl Koehn, ACE President and a person living with RA, to learn more about the importance of early diagnosis and self-care and the advances in treatment options, medication and non-medication, over the past 25 years.
Additional resources
- JointHealth™ Education: Rheumatoid Arthritis
- ACE Survey Report on Arthritis and Mental Health
- Global RA Network – RA Today: Canada Dashboard
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, we speak to Cheryl Koehn, President, Arthritis Consumer Experts and Dr. Diane Lacaille, Scientific Director, Arthritis Research Canada to learn more about the re-launch of the Arthritis Broadcast Network (ABN) and new features.
Ms. Koehn and Dr. Lacaille also speak about the value of arthritis education for patients to become equal and active partners with their health care providers and have more satisfying experiences and better conversations on:
- preparing for medical visits
- setting treatment goals and choosing treatment options
- self-managing their overall treatment and care plan
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Broadcast Network
- Arthritis Consumer Experts
- Arthritis Research Canada
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator for Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Cheryl Crow, an occupational therapist who’s lived with rheumatoid arthritis for 19 years. The two share an open and honest dialogue about the emotional and mental challenges that individuals living with inflammatory arthritis face. Cheryl makes some suggestions of gadgets that one can use to help to protect their joints and how to overcome the stigma that comes with using assistive devices.
Cheryl started Arthritis Life to educate, empower and inspire people living with inflammatory arthritis. She created the Rheum to THRIVE course and support program to help people with rheumatic disease live full, vibrant and meaningful lives.
Most days, you can find Cheryl creating life hack videos, sharing patient stories on the Arthritis Life Podcast, or spreading the word about ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Additional learning resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey Report on Arthritis and Mental Health
- Mental Health and arthritis: a complex relationship
- Arthritis Life
- Rheum to THRIVE
- Arthritis Life Podcast
The last #ArthritisAtHome episode of 2022 features ACE President, Cheryl Koehn, and VP of Communications and Public Affairs, Kelly Lendvoy. They provide a year in review of Arthritis Consumer Experts’ activities in 2022. They also share key initiatives for the new year, including:
- new programming on osteoarthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthritis, mental health, and exercise
- advancing work in truth and reconciliation in the arthritis community
- 2023 ACE National Survey topics on health literacy, osteoarthritis, and representation in arthritis care
Additional learning resources:
- ACE National Surveys
- JointHealth™ Education
- Arthritis At Home
On today’s episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP Communications and Public Affairs and Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, takes a deeper look ACE’s latest JointHealth™ insight newsletter on osteoarthritis in Canada. Learn more about the cost of osteoarthritis to the healthcare system, the connection between sport injury and osteoarthritis, treating and managing osteoarthritis, and equity considerations for osteoarthritis care.
Additional learning resources:
- JointHealth™ insight – Osteoarthritis in Canada: Prevention, treatment and management
- 3 fab facts for happy joints
- Talk to Your Doctor About Joint Pain Handout
ACE Survey Report on Arthritis and Health Inequities
Health inequities and disparities in Canada exist, are persistent, and in some cases, are growing. ACE recently conducted a national survey to identify inequities relating to access to health care services between white and Black, Indigenous, and person of colour (BIPOC) respondents.
On this episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP Communications and Public Affairs and Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, discuss the findings from the ACE Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities.
ACE extends its sincere thanks to the people who took time to participate in this important community-led research and to our community partners who helped promote the Survey.
Additional learning resources:
- JointHealth™ insight – ACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities
- ACE Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities Infographic
- ACE National Survey on virtual care services for people living with arthritis: Examining virtual health inequities
- ACE Survey on Arthritis and Mental Health
Research has shown that smoking increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but less is known about what happens to people who have established RA. But new research (October 2022) from an early arthritis registry in Sweden shows that current smoking makes RA disease activity worse and negatively impacts health-related quality of life. In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn of Arthritis Consumer Experts talks with Dr. Kamran Shojania about the specific harms of smoking in people living with RA and shares his thoughts on how to discuss quitting with his patients.
Additional learning resources:
- Quitting smoking: Provincial and territorial services
- Toll-free number you can reach a “quit-coach”: 1-866-366-3667
- First Nations Health Authority on Respecting Tobacco
After two years of virtual meetings, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) will hold its annual meeting in Philadelphia and provide five days of opportunities for scientists, rheumatologists, arthritis health professionals, industry, educators, patient advocates and trainees to learn about cutting-edge science and engage with colleagues from around the world.
In today’s episode of Arthritis At Home, learn more about ACE’s participation at the ACR conference when we speak to ACE team members, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, and Cheryl Koehn, President, about the exciting work they are presenting at the meeting.
To follow our #ACR22 coverage, please subscribe to receive our JointHealth™ express newsletter and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator for Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Phyllis Gregg, a person living with osteoarthritis, about how she prepared for knee surgery. Their conversation covers how Phyllis worked with her surgeon and the role of physical activity and nutrition pre and post operation. Common challenges and thoughtful tips are also discussed.
Additional learning resources
- JointHealth™ insight: The Road to Joint Replacement Surgery
- GLA:D® Canada: Exercise
- OsteoArthritis Service Integration System: Nutrition, Supplements and Arthritis
- UnLockFood: Easing the pain of osteoarthritis
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn, President of Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Phyllis Gregg, a person living with osteoarthritis, about her obesity journey and the physical challenges it has imposed on her body and life.
Additional learning resources
- Osteoarthritis – The most common and costly arthritis in Canada
- Talk to your doctor about joint pain
- Ideal body weight calculator
- Osteoarthritis Action Alliance
- Osteoarthritis in Canada
- Connect with Phyllis Gregg on Twitter
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, and Cheryl Koehn, President at Arthritis Consumer Experts share a sneak peek of results from the Survey on Arthritis and Health Inequities. They discuss the importance and necessity of this work, how each and every one of us can be a reliable ally and some of the most striking findings from the Survey.
Subscribe to our JointHealth™ insight newsletter here to receive the full report when it is published. Thank you to everyone who contributed your time and energy for making this possible.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
- ACE Advocacy: Addressing Health Inequities
- Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey Report on Arthritis and Mental Health
- ACE Survey page – Find summaries of all ACE Surveys here
Friday is the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, to honour the lost Indigenous Children, Survivors, their families and communities of Indian Residential Schools.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, and Cheryl Koehn, President at Arthritis Consumer Experts discuss how members of the arthritis community can get educated, attend events or webinars and support local Indigenous Peoples as part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
Webinar - The Papal Apology: Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox's Personal Reflection
Oomah'katoyapiikowaan Ah'tsimihhasii (Pope Apology): kii Apiihkwaikomotaa’kii's isskská’takssin (Miracle Healing Woman's reflection)
Montreal Indigenous Community Network
- Resources
- Indigenous Ally Toolkit
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: Residential School History
- Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
- Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action 18 to 24 and the Arthritis Community
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, ACE president Cheryl Koehn, and VP of communications and public affairs, Kelly Lendvoy, discuss the ACE Survey on Arthritis Health Inequities.
The ACE Survey asks people living with arthritis to share details of inequities or discrimination they have experienced or witnessed as well as report on the impact of those incidents and how people care for themselves and others in the face of health inequities.
The Survey is open to people living with any form of arthritis and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Your identity will not be known and your responses will remain anonymous. Survey results are stored in a secure, accredited data centre. The Survey deadline is August 23, 2022.
Click here to take the Survey.
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Dr. Diane Lacaille, Scientific Director of Arthritis Research Canada. Cheryl Koehn, Founder and President of Arthritis Consumer Experts, has a discussion with Dr. Lacaille about equity and biases in rheumatology care. She explains the difference between explicit and implicit biases and how it can impact how healthcare professionals provide care. In addition, she shares her personal experiences on how to ensure everyone receives equitable care.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
- Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action 18 to 24 and the Arthritis Community
- Arthritis Research Canada
- University of British Columbia: Mentorship, Equity & Inclusion Resources
People with arthritis are at higher risk for developing mental health issues. Researchers believe that pain, fatigue, and other symptoms aggravate mental health and reduce the ability to self-manage and cope with arthritis. In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Kelly Lendvoy and Ellen Wang discuss the ACE Survey on mental health.
ACE hopes to understand what steps people living with arthritis can take to care for their mental health and what specific challenges they may face when accessing professional and timely care. The Survey is open to people living with any form of arthritis and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The Survey deadline is June 8, 2022.
Click here to complete the survey – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACESurveyMentalHealth
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are sharing the #CRArthritis interview with Cristina Montoya, a Registered Dietitian from Ontario, Canada. Cristina shares her journey with Sjögren’s syndrome and highlights key points from her talk on managing digestive disorders in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
- Arthritis Consumer Experts: Diet & Nutrition
- Arthritis Dietitian: Recipes & other resources
- Canada Food Guide
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, ACE president Cheryl Koehn has a discussion with ACE programs coordinator Ellen Wang on exercise and physical activity from patient and research perspectives. They talk about the difference between physical activity and exercise, how to incorporate exercise into your daily life and invite viewers to complete the 10-minute ACE Survey on Arthritis and Exercise.
Take the ACE Survey on Arthritis and Exercise - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACESurveyExercise
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ms. Serina Khangura speaks to us about her pregnancy experience, including her pregnancy considerations with rheumatoid arthritis, talking to her family, support system and health professionals about becoming pregnant, her preparation for pregnancy and her journey through her first 18 weeks.
Ms. Serina Khangura was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 7 years ago. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and works with Vancouver Coastal Health as a Senior Internal Auditor. Early on in her diagnosis, she did not fully understand the severity of her disease. This resulted in severe joint damage in her right shoulder which required a total shoulder replacement at the age of 31.
Check out these resources to learn more
- Mamas Facing Forward
- Pregnancy and Parenting with Arthritis: A Resource for Patients by Patients
- Arthritis At Home 69 – What should patients living with rheumatic disease consider when planning for a pregnancy?
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we speak to Dr. Susan Bartlett, Professor of Medicine at McGill University and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, on her American College of Rheumatology annual meeting poster abstract titled “Real World Canadian RA Patient Outcomes Over the First Two Waves of COVID-19 Pandemic.” Dr. Bartlett takes a close look at the experiences of patients living with rheumatoid arthritis and their reported health outcomes.
Check out these resources to learn more
Abstract: Riding Multiple Waves of Uncertainty: Real World Canadian RA Patient Outcomes Over 1 Year of COVID-19 Restrictions – https://bit.ly/ACRAbstract2021-Susan1
Arthritis At Home Episode 7: Isolation and loneliness in the age of COVID-19 with Dr. Susan Bartlett – https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=575
In celebration of the food festivities this weekend in the United States, we are sharing this #ArthritisAtHome episode with Kim Arrey, a Registered Dietitian who has extensive experience counselling patient who are seeking weight management advice.
Kim provides highlights from her session at this year’s CRA & AHPA Annual Scientific Meeting and explains how the food we eat can influence our disease journey with arthritis. She provides strategies for making dietary changes in a way that is manageable and low-stress, including how to make those changes during an emotionally challenging time like COVID-19.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
Kim’s nutrition website - https://kimarreynutrition.com/
UnlockFood.ca - brought to you by Dietitians of Canada - https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/default.aspx
September 30, 2021 was National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day that honoured the lost Indigenous Children, Survivors, their families and communities of Indian Residential Schools (IRS). In this second of a two-part series of Arthritis At Home, Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox discusses her research work on the experiences of Survivors from the Blackfoot Confederacy from six Indian Residential Schools.
Dr. Fox is from the Blood Tribe, within the Blackfoot Confederacy, and practices her Siksikaitsitapi ways. Dr. Fox has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology; a Master’s degree in Sociology; and a Doctoral degree in Education. Her dissertation focus was Indian Residential Schools and the specific Perspectives of Blackfoot Confederacy People on the experiences of Survivors from the Blackfoot Confederacy from six residential schools, and the majority of her research is on and about Indian Residential Schools. Dr. Fox is both directly and indirectly affected by Indian Residential Schools. She is the daughter of two Survivors of an Indian Residential School and is a survivor of Indian Day Schools, herself. She is blessed with four children and six grandchildren.
Click on the resources below to learn more:
- Indian Residential Schools: Perspectives of Blackfoot Confederacy People
- “The Unforgotten” – a short film on the health across 5 stages of life of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous approaches to health and racism in the health care system
- Arthritis At Home Episode 93: Learning about National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox
- Podcast: Métis scholar and writer Mike Gouldhawke visits with Sara Mai to unpack his take on "colonial problem rebranded asIndigenous issues."
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
- The Gord Downie and Chenie Wenjack Fund: Reading resources for Truth and Reconciliation
- On Canada Project: Settlers Take Action
- National Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
September 30, 2021 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour the lost Indigenous Children, Survivors, their families and communities of Indian Residential Schools (IRS). In this first of a two-part series of Arthritis At Home, Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox shares her and the Indigenous community’s views about the significance of this first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and what non-Indigenous people can do to take action for Truth and Reconciliation.
Click on the resources below to learn more:
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action -
- Orange Shirt Day
- Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide by Historica Canada
- The Gord Downie and Chenie Wenjack Fund: Reading resources for Truth and Reconciliation
- On Canada Project: Settlers Take Action
- National Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
NationalDayforTruthandReconciliation
No one knows arthritis better than those who live with it every day. Self-advocacy is a way of reaching out to others and explaining your arthritis experience and learning how to ask for support and help.
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Kelly Lendvoy and Cheryl Koehn discuss ACE’s new National Survey on Arthritis Self-Advocacy. ACE’s Survey findings reveal how Canadians understand their disease, where they go to learn about treatment and care, as well as inequities and gaps in arthritis self-advocacy – who is experiencing them and what some of the challenges are.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
- ACE National Survey on Arthritis Self-Advocacy
- Survey Infographic
- Arthritis Consumer Experts Advocacy
- Arthritis Research Canada: Diane Lacaille
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Dr. Jackie Whittaker, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia, talks about her recent Canadian Foundation for Innovation grant that will support the advance of her team’s research in musculoskeletal health. She highlights the importance of exercise and how staying active can help prevent, maintain, and manage bone and joint related pain and health. She concludes the interview by sharing insights and updates on osteoarthritis treatment.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
Arthritis Research Canada: Jackie Whittaker, Research Scientist of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation – https://www.arthritisresearch.ca/jackie-whittaker/
Stop OsteoARthritis (SOAR) program: Preventing osteoarthritis (OA) after a sport-related injury – https://bit.ly/3gxVDKI
For patients: Talk to Your Doctor About Joint Pain Handout – http://bit.ly/JointPainTalkLetterFormatEN
The Osteoarthritis Tool for Family Physicians – https://www.jointhealth.org/pdfs/OATookKit_En.pdf
People living with arthritis often must be their own best advocate. No one knows arthritis better than those who live with it every day.
In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Cheryl Koehn and Kelly Lendvoy discuss Arthritis Consumer Experts’ recently launched national survey on arthritis self-advocacy. Learn how your participation in this community-led research will help ACE better understand what effects self-advocacy has on a person’s quality of life at home, at work and on the healthcare they receive from their healthcare team. Survey findings will help ACE develop information tools and education programming to best support people in their journey with arthritis and role as self-advocate. The survey deadline is July 24, 2021.
Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACENationalSurveyArthritisSelfAdvocacy
In this episode, Dr. Sacha Bhatia discusses about how the evolution of telemedicine will change how we deliver care to patients in the future, including the possible changes to models of care. He shares his personal experience with providing virtual care services and highlights some of the benefits of virtual care services that he observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also discusses about the technological aspects of virtual care and how we can use electronic medical records to optimize care.
Dr. Bhatia is the Director of the Institute for Health Systems Solutions & Virtual Care (WIHV) at Women’s College Hospital. His published research on virtual care services include Canada’s Virtual Care Revolution: A Framework for Success and Modernizing Canada’s Healthcare System through the Virtualization of Services.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more:
- Canada’s Virtual Care Revolution: A Framework for Success
- Survey results: ACE National Survey on virtual care services for people living with arthritis
- ACE National Survey on virtual care services for people living with arthritis: Examining virtual health inequities
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Maya Joshi and Cheryl Koehn discuss survey results specifically related to health inequities in virtual care from the “ACE National Survey on Virtual Care Services for People Living with Arthritis”.
They also discuss the overall underrepresentation of racial minorities within the arthritis patient community at large, and why this is a very important issue to address.
Are you a member in the Black, Indigenous and people of colour community and interested in addressing health inequities? Please email us at feedback@jointhealth.org for collaboration opportunities.
Learn more about the survey results here:
Health inequity survey results
- Infographic
- Summary
General survey results
- Infographic
- Summary
This episode features Denise Jupp, rheumatology nurse at the Diamond Centre Rheumatology Clinic, on how rheumatology nurses are supporting people with arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also shares insights on what patients should know about preparing for a rheumatology appointment and what patients can do to help alleviate pain at home.
Check out these helpful resources
Dr. Shahin Jamal's Interview
https://youtu.be/UIhiblfnf3Y
Information for people living with arthritis including instructions on how to inject medications
https://rheuminfo.com/living-with-arthritis/
This episode features Trish Barbato, President and CEO of The Arthritis Society. She takes us through a guided meditation and gives us an overview of The Arthritis Society (TAS) programs for COVID-19, including the Arthritis Talks Webinars. Join us on this meditation journey to emotional wellness!
Click here to learn more.
In this episode, Cheryl Koehn takes a deeper look at the results of the “ACE National Survey on Virtual Care for People Living with Arthritis”. She explains the respondents’ experience with virtual care pre-COVID, during COVID, and what they hope will be available post-COVID. The survey identified key issues and opportunities related to the virtual care experience, such as timeliness of care, delivery challenges, and overall satisfaction levels.
Learn more about the survey results here:
- ACE National Survey on Virtual Care for People Living with Arthritis Infographic
- Full survey report
Last chance to take the ACE National Survey on Arthritis Medications Reimbursement (deadline to take the survey is April 30, 2021) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACENationalSurveyArthritisMedsReimbursement?lang=fr
In this episode, Kelly Lendvoy and Cheryl Koehn discuss a national survey on arthritis medications reimbursement ACE has launched for Canadians living with arthritis to help identify challenges patients are experiencing in getting reimbursement for needed medications. The survey deadline is April 30, 2021.
Follow this link to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACENationalSurveyArthritisMedsReimbursement
About the survey:
- Open to Canadian residents using the Canadian Healthcare system as their primary health care insurer;
- You can also answer this survey on behalf of someone you provide care to (for example, a child, spouse, or parent living with inflammatory arthritis);
- The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete;
- Your answers will be anonymous and will be pooled for analysis to maintain anonymity;
- Your identity will never be known, and the results will remain in a secured database.
In this episode, Registered Dietitian and patient advocate Cristina Montoya speaks about her experiences living with Sjögren's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. Cristina explains some common misconceptions about Sjögren's syndrome, how the disease impacts the lives of patients, and why more public awareness for the disease is needed. She shares her strategies for symptom management as well as the important lessons she has learnt over the course of her disease journey.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
- Cristina’s website: Arthritis Dietitian
- Sjögren's Society of Canada
- Previous Arthritis at Home interviews with Cristina Montoya
- Cristina’s 1:1 Coaching program “Breaking the Pain and Fatigue Cycle Club: Anti-inflammatory Nutrition and Lifestyle”
This episode features Dr. Jane Purvis, a rheumatologist from Peterborough, Ontario and the President of the Ontario Rheumatology Association (ORA), on the rise of virtual care and telehealth during #COVID19. She also shares results of a recent Ontario Rheumatology Association patient survey regarding their experience with telehealth.
We want to continue this conversation and learn more about your experience with virtual care. Take this 7-minute survey on virtual care to help improve virtual care: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACEVirtualCareNationalSurveyEN
In this episode, Denise Jupp, rheumatology nurse at the Diamond Centre Rheumatology Clinic, shares how rheumatology nurses are supporting people with arthritis at this time. She also shares insights on what patients should know about preparing for a virtual rheumatology appointment and what patients can do to help alleviate pain at home.
Would you like to share your virtual care experience in arthritis health care during the pandemic? Take this quick 7-minute survey to help improve virtual care: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACEVirtualCareNationalSurveyEN
VirtualHealth #ArthritisAtHome
In the fall of 2020, ACE conducted a national survey to examine the student experience since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced elementary and high schools and post-secondary schools to adopt new protocols and in some cases, close and move courses online.
In this episode, Maya and Kelly highlight key findings from the survey, which will help ACE improve advocacy efforts and support for people living with autoimmune arthritis and their households. By sharing the results of this survey, ACE hopes to increase awareness for the concerns and challenges that the arthritis patient community is facing while navigating the school year and making decision that impact quality of life, health, education and safety.
Check out these helpful resources to learn more
- Read the full summary of the survey here
- COVID-19 resources for parents and children
- Cassie + Friends mental health resources
- Mental health and arthritis: a complex relationship
The most commonly performed joint replacements are hip and knee replacements but the procedure can also be performed on other joints, such as the ankle, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
On this episode, Ms. Linda Wilhelm, President, Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, and a patient advocate based in New Brunswick, talks about her shoulder replacement surgery. Linda discusses the decision-making process to have both shoulders replaced, what patients can expect in terms “of pre-habilitation” and post-surgery rehabilitation, including how to be the leader of your healthcare team and interacting with the orthopaedic surgeon and physiotherapist.
Resources
- JointHealth™ insight: The Road to Joint Replacement Surgery
- Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance
Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
- Learn how to prepare for and recover from shoulder surgery
Canadian Institute for Health Information
- Canadian Joint Replacement Registry Annual Report
Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2020. In this special two-part episode of Arthritis at Home, we speak to ACE’s Founder and President, Cheryl Koehn, and find out how ACE started, its core mission to educate and advocate on behalf of six million Canadians living with arthritis. In Part 1, Cheryl describes the grassroots origins of ACE and how its education programming has evolved with a focus on ACE’s work on the arthritis patient care experience and satisfaction issues to help enable patients speak out about what is important to them.
Check out these helpful resources:
- JointHealth™ Education
- Patient Reported Outcomes
- OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology)
Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2020. In the second half of this special two-part Arthritis at Home interview with Founder and President, Cheryl Koehn, we learn more about ACE’s ongoing efforts to advocate for improved models of care, ACE partnership and collaboration in the Canadian and international arthritis communities and how ACE has helped amplify the patient voice. Click here to watch Part 1.
Did you know ACE is the Secretariat and one of the founders of the Global RA Network? Click here to learn more.
Check out these helpful resources on models of care:
- What is an arthritis model of care?
- Interactive Inflammatory Arthritis Care Path Toolkit
- Visit Arthritis at Home
Cheryl Koehn has a conversation with Parkash Ragsdale, a licensed pharmacist with over 25 years combined experience in academic, non-profit, corporate, regulatory and primary care environments. They walk us through the pharmacist’s role in a patient’s care and share tips on effective communication with your pharmacist. Topics covered include:
- Medication monitoring, safety and adherence
- Effective communication between patient and pharmacist
- Ways that your pharmacist can help you in your arthritis disease journey
Parkash Ragsdale is also a Lecturer & Coordinator of Practice Innovation Primary Care in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia.
Check out these helpful resources:
The College of Pharmacists of British Columbia’s “Find a Pharmacy Tool”
The pharmacist: An important healthcare team member
This episode of Arthritis At Home features Kelly English, a member of the Arthritis Patient Advisory Board of Arthritis Research Canada. Kelly speaks with Cheryl Koehn, President, Arthritis Consumer Experts, on life with rheumatoid arthritis during COVID-19. Learn how she is adjusting to life during the pandemic and how she is managing her disease and using coping strategies to deal with the stress and loneliness many patients are experiencing.
Check out these helpful resources:
Arthritis Patient Advisory Board at Arthritis Research Canada
Online Health Assessment Questionnaire through the OPERAS (an On-demand Program to EmpoweR Active Self-management) study
- Introduction
- “OPERAS for Everyone” consent form
As 2020 comes to an end, the challenges we faced this year continue — the COVID‑19 pandemic, health inequalities, delivery of healthcare – just to name a few. While these challenges affect everyone — in every community — the fact is, they don’t affect everyone equally.
In this episode, ACE leaders, Cheryl Koehn and Kelly Lendvoy, look back at key healthcare events this past year and how they will inform new ACE programs and activities in 2021.
Summarizing the past year, Cheryl observes: “Although the path forward from 2020 may feel uncertain, one thing has never been more clear: To change the lives of people living with arthritis for the better, we have to come together, listen to each other and work together towards building a brighter, safer, more just future we can all share.”
Check out these helpful resources
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ Advocacy Resources
- ACE Special Series: Health Inequities
- JointHealth™ insight – Health Inequities in article: Structural racism affecting Indigenous People’s Healthcare
Ontario’s leading arthritis centre being forced to shut downIn this episode of Arthritis At Home, Kelly Lendvoy speaks to Dr. Carter Thorne, Chief, Division of Rheumatology and Director, The Arthritis Program (TAP) and Carrie Barnes, TAP’s patient ambassador, to learn more about the nationally acclaimed arthritis clinic and Southlake’s decision to close it, effective January 15, 2021.
The decision could leave more than 2,200 inflammatory arthritis patients seeking to find care in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Thorne and Ms. Barnes talk about the impact on patients and what concerned individuals can do to show support and oppose the closure.
- Take action now to #SaveTAPNow, contact your MPP – https://bit.ly/SaveTAPNowLettertoMPP
- Make news now to #SaveTAPNow, write a letter-to-the-editor of your community newspaper - https://bit.ly/SaveTAPNowLettertoEditor
On this episode of Arthritis At Home, Anita Chan, Programs Manager at Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE), talks to Maya Joshi about the ACE Education Survey. Maya explains the purpose of the survey and why it is important for us to better understand the experiences of students and households living with autoimmune arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maya also highlights who can take the survey, how to access it and what the results will be used for.
Please complete the survey by November 30, 2020.
ACE Education Survey Link - https://bit.ly/ACEEducationSurveyEN
In this episode, Kelsey Chomistek discusses strategies for self-advocacy, disease management and personal wellness while attending post-secondary school with inflammatory arthritis. Kelsey also highlights some helpful resources for youth and young adults living with arthritis.
Kelsey was diagnosed with polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) when she was 14 years old in almost 30 joints. At the time, she was a competitive dancer. Even after her diagnosis, she performed on a salsa team for 4 years! She is the national leader for the Teen Arthritis and Autoinflammatory Group (TAG) with Cassie and Friends. She is also a JIA blogger and mentor for JIA patients and families.
Go Deeper
Follow Kelsey’s disease journey on Instagram: @CHRONICALLYKELSEY
Kelsey’s blog: https://chronicallykelsey.wordpress.com/
Cassie and Friends’ resources for school and youth: https://cassieandfriends.ca/school/
On this episode of Arthritis At Home, Kelly Lendvoy has a conversation with Chris Pudlak, a young father of three and a person living with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Chris shares his diagnosis journey and how he and his family have been managing work, health, school, and special celebrations such as Halloween during the pandemic.
Chris Pudlak has been a member of the Arthritis Patient Advisory Board of Arthritis Research Canada since September 2019. He was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in 2016. Initially, he thought his back symptoms were due to poor posture. Chris spent the first two years after diagnosis chronicling his AS, including various treatments and medications, and how to regain normal activities. He hopes his experience with AS, combined with the analytical perspective of a mechanical engineer, will help researchers with their work and ultimately help other AS patients manage their symptoms.
Check out these helpful resources:
Arthritis Patient Advisory Board, Arthritis Research Canada - https://www.arthritisresearch.ca/our-team/arthritis-patient-advisory-board/
Provincial and territorial resource for COVID-19 – http://bit.ly/GovernmentofCanadaResourceCOVID19
How to have a safe Halloween in the midst of COVID-19 – http://bit.ly/HowtohavesafeHalloweenCBC
On this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn has a conversation with Nevena Rebic, a graduate trainee at Arthritis Research Canada and a PhD student at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Cheryl and Nevena discuss how social and racial justice issues affect evidence-based decision-making, patient participation in research, and how arthritis community members can positively advocate for change.
Learn more: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=1935
Helpful resources
Arthritis Research Canada
Anti-racism resources
Health inequities in arthritis: Spotlight on Indigenous Peoples and Barriers to Arthritis Care
Dr. Susan Bartlett, Professor of Medicine at McGill University and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, on isolation and loneliness in the age of #COVID19. She comments on how we can stay connected with and reconnect with loved ones, and take this opportunity to meet new people.
Learn more: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=575
Helpful resources:
Canadian Mental Health Association – COVID-19 and mental health
McGill University – Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program (BRaIN)
Dr. Susan Bartlett, Professor of Medicine at McGill University and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, will be speaking about the emotional impact of #COVID19 on our health and wellness. She will share with us what you can do to better manage this crisis while isolated at home.
Learn more: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=513
New Brunswick on September 14th and Saskatchewan on October 26th are the first two jurisdictions in Canada to hold elections during the throes of the COVID-19 crisis. On this special episode of Arthritis At Home, ACE’s President, Cheryl Koehn, interviews ACE’s VP Communications & Public Affairs, Kelly Lendvoy, to gain insights into the unprecedented logistical and public health challenges the pandemic presents to campaigns and elections. “There’s no playbook for planning an election during a pandemic,” explains Lendvoy.
The two ACE leaders also look at how health care is debated during election campaigns and the importance of arthritis patients ensuring their voices and issues are heard and discussed.
For further information on upcoming provincial elections in Canada, please visit:
Arthritis Consumer ExpertsArthritis At Home: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/
Taking Action Homepage – Provincial Elections: https://jointhealth.org/electionNewBrunswick2020.cfm?locale=en-CA
Elections New Brunswick: https://www.electionsnb.ca/content/enb/en.html
Elections Saskatchewan: https://www.elections.sk.ca
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Maya Joshi and Cheryl Koehn discuss conquering anxiety and fear related to your arthritis and the process of showing yourself that you are more than your disease. Maya begins by explaining the physical and psychological barriers that have held her back in the past and then highlights the strategies that have helped her overcome these barriers, using the example of a recent canoe trip.
Maya Joshi is the Programs Coordinator at Arthritis Consumer Experts and a student at the University of British Columbia. Maya was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about 4 years ago just after graduating high school. Since then, Maya has become an active member in the arthritis community, always learning from and inspired by other patients, researchers and healthcare providers. Although she has experienced a number of disease challenges that have significantly impacted her life as a young adult, she is making exciting strides in her disease journey, working her way back to feeling like her “normal” self again.
Helpful linksArthritis At Home: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/
Mental health and arthritis: a complex relationship: https://jointhealth.org/programs-jhinsight-view.cfm?id=1231&locale=en-CA
How to stay active and exercise at home during COVID-19 with Dr. Linda Li: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=590
Patient resources for inflammatory arthritis: https://jointhealth.org/pdfs/ModelsOfCare_E.pdf
We're excited to share the news that Arthritis Consumer Experts will be making #ArthritisAtHome episodes available on the go!
Arthritis At Home is a JointHealth™ Education program launched in 2020 to share arthritis facts and news and allows you to hear directly from arthritis experts at home - where you live and feel most comfortable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You will get to meet many of the experts who over the past 20 years have informed and supported our education and information programming. Our invited guests will feature world experts in clinical rheumatology, arthritis scientists, physio and occupational therapists, psychologists, health economists, among other health subject matter experts. The program will also feature interviews with leading arthritis consumer-patient leaders and advocates who either work or volunteer in our community.
To learn more about the program, visit https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/