The award is presented to one clinical scientist yearly, for making outstanding contributions to the field of Rheumatology.
Dr. Jordan, an Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at UNC, is receiving the award for her outstanding clinical research in osteoarthritis.
As the Founding Principal Investigator and Director of the ongoing Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project (JoCo OA) for over 27 years, her research focuses on racial/ethnic and gender disparities in osteoarthritis and chronic illness, their risk factors, and outcomes in African-American and Caucasian men and women in rural North Carolina.
“We are thrilled that Dr. Jordan has received this important award that recognizes the contributions she has made to the understanding of key risk factors for the development and progression of osteoarthritis,” said Dr. Richard Loeser, Director of the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center, and Joseph P. Archie, Jr. Eminent Professor of Medicine, in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology.
“Dr. Jordan is known worldwide for her work in developing and leading the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project which she has used to not only significantly advance the epidemiologic understanding of osteoarthritis but also to train a new generation of investigators who are carrying on this work,” added Dr. Loeser.
“It has been a joy and privilege to work with such amazing colleagues, in clinical practice, in research and academia, and within exceptional professional societies such as the ACR,” said Dr. Jordan.
”I’m truly honored to receive this award, and am grateful to the many clinicians and investigators with whom I’ve worked over the years, for their friendship, for their dedication to the field of Rheumatology, their passion for conducting new and innovative research, and their tireless efforts to constantly improve the quality of care for our patients.”
More information about JoCo OA:
This unique multidisciplinary, population-based cohort, continually federally-funded since 1990, is the first such cohort to concentrate on the underserved rural population, including African Americans, establishing a role for systemic biomarkers and genetics, environmental exposures, and social determinants in OA outcomes, defining lifetime risks and mortality from OA, and identifying targets for pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapeutic interventions.