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The Power of Partnership
By Dr. Stephen Katz, NIAMS director
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The cost, complexity and other
facets of research today make collaboration an essential ingredient
for scientific achievement. As NIAMS enters its third decade, some
of its most notable successes have come through
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| “In a successful
partnership, each partner brings unique resources
and strengths to the table.” — Dr.
Gayle Lester, Osteoarthritis Initiative coordinator |
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the partnerships it has formed with other institutes, academia, industry,
private foundations and patient advocacy groups. Such collaborations
include:
The Osteoarthritis Initiative, a public-private partnership with
several pharmaceutical companies to help find biological markers
for the progression of osteoarthritis. It provides funds to research
centers to establish and maintain a natural history database for
the disease that will include clinical evaluation data, radiological
images and a repository of biospecimens.
The North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium, a partnership
between NIAMS, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases and the Arthritis Foundation to support a national collaboration
of 12 research centers in the search for genes that determine susceptibility
to rheumatoid arthritis.
Upcoming Individual Postdoctoral NRSA Fellowships in Epidemiology,
Clinical Trials Research and Outcomes Research in skin diseases
and in orthopaedic surgery, to be collaboratively supported by
the American Skin Association and the Orthopaedic Research and
Education Foundation, respectively.
The Health Partnership Program, a community-based medical research
program operating as a collaborative effort between NIAMS and Washington,
D.C.-area community leaders and representatives. The program is
aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with arthritis
and other rheumatic diseases, primarily in the African-American
and Hispanic/Latino communities in the metropolitan area.
To paraphrase an old saying, "a rope of many strands is stronger
than a single thread." At NIAMS, collaborative efforts will always
remain an essential part of our success in efforts to conquer
human disease. 
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