News Release

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Symposium celebrates NIAMS 25th anniversary

 On Monday, June 13, 2011, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) will host its 25th Anniversary Scientific Symposium: Improving Lives Through Discovery. The symposium will feature scientific advances made possible with NIAMS support, highlight how these advances have improved patients' lives, and address the future directions for NIAMS research. The NIAMS is part of the National Institutes of Health.

NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., will provide the welcoming address, followed by the Honorable John Edward Porter, chairman of Research!America.

"Over the past two-and-a-half decades, federally supported research on arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin disorders has benefited countless Americans, as these diseases and conditions affect nearly every household in our nation," said Dr. Collins.

A broad array of outstanding senior and early-stage investigators that the NIAMS supports will present their work, complemented by personal stories from patients who are challenged by arthritis, musculoskeletal and skin diseases. "The diverse program speaks to the value that the NIAMS places on the many stakeholders who are vested in our mission areas," said NIAMS Director, Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D. "We are proud of the scientific advances that our extramural and intramural researchers have made toward helping people who have diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and skin, and are excitedly looking forward to the discoveries they will make in the future."

The event will be held in the Lipsett Auditorium of the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., from 8:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. A reception and poster session will immediately follow the event. The symposium is free and open to the public. For additional information, visit http://www.niams.nih.gov/25th_Anniversary/default.asp.

The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health (NIH), is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. For more information about the NIAMS, call the information clearinghouse at (301) 495-4484 or (877) 22-NIAMS (free call) or visit the NIAMS website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

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