Information contained in this report is intended to help educate the academic rheumatology community on which organizations are currently providing support for rheumatic disease research, she explains. The report’s data will be used to identify the top NIH institutes and centers funding the rheumatology community in efforts to “inform an overall communications plan between the College and NIH,” she says.
Funding for COVID-19 Research
As the healthcare community focuses on understanding COVID-19, Dr. Bridges hopes rheumatology researchers can play a role in advancing this knowledge.
“Many of the drugs we use to treat our rheumatic disease patients may affect the outcomes of patients with COVID-19. Rheumatology health professionals should be at the forefront of research in this area, as well as investigating the effects of the pandemic on the care of our patients,” he says.
Therefore, the Foundation recently released a Notice of Special Interest, highlighting the availability of funds for projects exploring the relationships between rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
“These funds complement, but do not replace, the Foundation’s annual programs,” Dr. Bridges says. Given the urgency to acquire new knowledge about COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, applicants submitting research projects with this focus were able to request an expedited start date.
Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist based in Denver.
Reference
- Rheumatology Research Foundation. Analysis of funding for rheumatology research and training for the period 2013–2017. 2019 Oct.
