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Over the last 30 years, the Rheumatology Research Foundation has invested more than $131 million directly into medical research and training of rheumatology professionals. What began modestly in 1985 has grown to become the largest private funding source of rheumatology research and training in the United States.
While budgets for rheumatology research and training among traditional sources have steadily declined, the need for rheumatic disease services has increased. Eleven million Americans suffer from rheumatic diseases, yet only 6,000 certified rheumatologists are currently in practice and the need for services is expected to grow by 46 percent in the next 10 years while the number of practicing rheumatologists will increase by just over one percent.
In interviews on May 12 as part of National Arthritis Awareness Month, Mary Wheatley, Executive Director of the Rheumatology Research Foundation, will detail the current outlook for rheumatic diseases in the United States, why further research and investment is so critical and explain how listeners can participate in Giving Day on May 19.
Mary Wheatley has served as Executive Director of the Rheumatology Research Foundation for more than six years, overseeing a series of new initiatives in research, awards and grants. She has been honored as one of Association Forum’s 40 Under 40.