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 [email protected] 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