|  More than 100 specific types of arthritis have been identified, and the Arthritis Foundation estimates that approximately 43 million U.S. citizens are affected by this chronic disease. Founded in 1984, the interdisciplinary Multipurpose Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Center addresses a broad range of clinical, research, and educational activities at Northwestern University that are related to rheumatologic diseases. It is one of 13 sites designated a national center of excellence in rheumatologic diseases by the National Institutes of Health. The center's program director is Richard M. Pope, MD.
Current center research areas include immunobiology, cell and molecular biology, and musculoskeletal structure and function. The methodology and data management core, called the Education, Epidemiology, and Health Services Research (EEHSR) Component, supports the center's research projects. Rowland W. Chang, MD, MPH, is director of this component. Among the center's research activities are - a project to define the importance of and factors responsible for osteoporosis in patients with lupus;
- an investigation into the neuromechanical factors that contribute to the progression of osteoarthritis;
- an examination of the mechanisms responsible for the regulation of tumor necrosis factor in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis; and
- development of new therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, for example, the use of stem cell or progenitor cell transplantation.
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