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News Releases
Researcher Presents at Swedish, British National Conventions
Columbia, Mo. (June 2000) - Marian Minor's research on the benefits of exercise on arthritis is literally taking her places - like Sweden and Great Britain.
Minor, P.T., Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Related Professions at the University of Missouri, started her travels in May as an invited speaker to the University of Lund, Sweden.
Her itinerary continued with visits to other top-notch universities as well as to national conferences in Sweden and the United Kingdom to discuss rehabilitation research focused on arthritis and exercise.
Minor is a principal investigator on two research projects, one with the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC), which is headquartered at MU and another funded by the Arthritis Foundation. The projects focus on the benefits of exercise in the treatment of arthritis.
Her travels included presentations at such august gatherings as the national conferences of the Swedish Rheumatology Health Professionals in Halmstad, Sweden, and the British Society for Rheumatology in Brighton, U.K., as well as at other venues.
"It was a great opportunity to be able to have a chance to talk rehabilitation research with people from Europe and to get another perspective and to share ideas," Minor said.
However, in some ways, what she heard was not new.
Despite a very different educational system, Minor said researchers there face the same problems that she has encountered in the United States: "Scarce money, little time and not much infrastructure to support studies focused on non-drug strategies."
Minor believes her travels may have another benefit down the road. Minor is the principal investigator of a project set to stage a State-of-the-Science Conference on Exercise in Arthritis in the fall 2001.
"I'm hoping to get visiting scientists here in 2001," Minor said.
At the University of Lund, Minor gave a graduate student seminar on exercise and pain. She also conducted a tutorial on rehabilitation research with six doctoral candidates.
From there, she headed to Halmstad, Sweden. Again, as an invited speaker, she addressed the Swedish Rheumatology Health Professionals conference on May 4, 2000. Speaking to about 200 physicians and allied health professionals, Minor presented on exercise and management of osteoarthritis in the hip and knee.
Next, she presented at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, giving a three-hour workshop on "Challenges in Measurements in Rheumatic Disease Research" to 16 physical therapy master and doctoral students.
Karolinska Institute is Sweden's only medical university. In addition, the Institute accounts "for 40 percent of all medical research at universities throughout Sweden," the Web site notes, adding that its research ranges from "fundamental research in molecular biology to public health science and care research."
Then it was across the North Sea to Britain.
As the keynote speaker, Minor addressed the national meeting of the British Society for Rheumatology for health professionals in rheumatology in Brighton, U.K. on May 10.
Addressing 200 health-care professionals including physicians, physical therapists, nurses, educators and psychologists, Minor spoke on "Research in Rheumatology for Health Professionals."
During a breakout session of the conference, Minor discussed "Clinical Issues in Rheumatology Research," with about 30 physical therapists, physicians, educators, psychologists and other health-care professionals.
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