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News Releases
MARRTC Researchers to Attend National Arthritis Conference
Conference to Offer Special Session on Vioxx Recall
Columbia, Mo. (Oct. 15, 2004) - Last month, Merck recalled the popular drug, Vioxx, which relieved arthritis symptoms for thousands of patients across the country. Two researchers at the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) are attending a national conference this weekend to help them learn more about that topic in addition to leading sessions of their own.
MARRTC Investigators John E. Hewett and Marian A. Minor will attend the American College of Rheumatology's/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals' 68th Annual Scientific Meeting at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Oct. 16-21, 2004 in San Antonio, Texas. Hewett was invited to lead a workshop on "Use of Statistical Methods Based on Ranks," and Minor was invited to lead a session on "Physical Activity or Exercise: Does it Matter What You Do?" during the conference.
"MARRTC is committed to national leadership in the field of arthritis rehabilitation, and I am extremely pleased that these two faculty members will be playing key roles at the annual scientific meeting," says Jerry C. Parker, Director of MARRTC and Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development at the Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital.
In addition to serving as a MARRTC investigator, Hewett is the director of biostatistics at the MU School of Medicine. He is a principal investigator of MARRTC's Project 5, which is a free online self-help course that helps consumers distinguish between medical/arthritis news and health product advertising. The course starts next week and continues through the first part of December.
Minor is professor and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy in the MU School of Health Professions and director of Research and Graduate Studies. She serves as principal investigator of MARRTC's Project 2, which investigates exercise and physical fitness for persons with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Hewett has been a statistical reviewer of numerous National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and National Institute of Health (NIH) grant review panels. Moreover, he has been the recipient of the ARHP Merit Award for Distinguished Scholarship.
Minor has received an Arthritis Foundation National Service Citation; the Governor's Fitness and Health Leadership Award from the State of Missouri, and the Arthritis Foundation's Engalitcheff Award for the Impact on Quality of Life. She also has served as president of the ARHP and as chair of the Missouri Arthritis Advisory Board.
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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