About FIRST-DailyLife

Our mission is to promote research that improves the lives of persons with or at risk for rheumatic diseases and musculoskeletal conditions.  

The overarching goal of FIRST-DailyLife is to promote cutting-edge clinical research aimed at prevention or control of rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions and poor outcomes associated with them. We seek to drive a theme of prevention strategy and intervention development to create lifestyle, behavioral, medical, and rehabilitative solutions for these conditions and their consequences. Our overall aims are:

• Accelerate and enhance funded research, by improving efficiency, rigor, collaboration, cost-effectiveness, productivity, and impact.
• Organize and catalyze all research at Northwestern relevant to our mission, adding value and moving it forward in a way that would otherwise not be feasible.
• Promote new research within the areas of our mission, by expanding the Research Community working in these areas and by expanding research fields within the mission.

Overview

Directed by Leena Sharma, MD, FIRST-DailyLife consists of three Cores:

• Administrative Core
• Methodologic Core
• CE-ASSIST-DailyLife (Community Engaged Assessment and Intervention Science & Technology in Daily Life) Resource Core

The foundation of FIRST-DailyLife is the powerful network of our Research Community. Executive, Oversight, Patient Advisory, and External Advisory Committees provide advisory support to FIRST-DailyLife. 

Learn more about us via the links below:

• Director's Message
  Learn more about our work from our director.  
• Acknowledge FIRST-DailyLife
  Find citation information.  
• Contact Us
  Connect with our team. 

Grant User News

FIRST-DailyLife User Receives HEAL K12 Grant

Resource and Methodologic Core members, in 2025 Dr. Antoinette Spector, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences was awarded the highly competitive HEAL K12 career development grant. Dr. Spector, a public health scientist with clinical expertise in orthopedic physical therapy, focuses on developing evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes for patient populations who are at increased risk to experience chronic pain. Dr. Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, founder of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Program and Associate Core Director, is her primary mentor working with expert mentors in pain science (Dr. Yvonne Lee, co-director of FIRST-DailyLife), community-engaged research (Dr. Darius Tandon, Director of the Center for Community Health, Resource Core member), and biostatistics (Dr. Lutfiyya Muhammad, Methodologic Core member). Together, they worked with Dr. Spector to revise her project proposal to tailor and evaluate a virtual pain self-management program incorporating health coaching by physical therapists and monitored physical activity to reduce pain, one of the most prevalent symptoms negatively impacting persons living with SLE. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Spector to the First-DailyLife family and look forward to her contributions to improving the lives of those living with SLE.