Dr. Helmick has been a member of the ARP since 1996, worked closely with many ARP leaders over the years and received multiple ARP awards. He was a member of the Arthritis Care & Research Editorial Board and continues as a longtime contributor to the journal. He worked to make the ARP the national home for public health science and intervention activities that address arthritis and other rheumatic conditions.
Dr. Helmick says, “The ARP is the perfect place to work on bridging the clinical-community gap in health and to achieve what we all want—better health and quality of life for people affected by arthritis and other rheumatic conditions. The population burden and individual impact of arthritis and rheumatic conditions is under-recognized in the United States. For me this award helps recognize those of us who have worked to change that by focusing on the big picture and communicating it more widely.”
Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award
The 2022 Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award, recognizing an ARP member who has provided extraordinary service in advocating for patients with arthritis and rheumatic diseases or for health professionals in rheumatology, was presented to Ms. MacQueen graduated from the University of Western Ontario, London, in 1980 with a BScPT degree and worked at Grand River Hospital, Kitchener, Ontario, as staff physiotherapist until 1988 when she started working with the Arthritis Society’s Arthritis Rehabilitation and Education Program (AREP) in Kitchener.
She has been active in the assessment and management of people living with arthritis and has developed and presented education programs for people with different types of arthritis and for healthcare professionals who wish to enhance their competency in arthritis care.
In 2009, she completed the Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC) program through the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. She provided ACPAC support in the pediatric rheumatology clinic at Children’s Hospital, London, Ontario, and for local physicians and rheumatologists in Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo from 2009 until 2021. Her passion has been the development of models of care that improve timely and appropriate access to care for people living with arthritis.
Ms. MacQueen has been a member of the Arthritis Health Professions Association (AHPA) for over 33 years and served as president of the organization 2018–20 during which time she was focused on the development of a strategic plan and promoting collaboration with the Canadian Rheumatology Association, the Ontario Rheumatology Association and the ARP. She was awarded the AHPA Extraordinary Service Award in 2021 and the AHPA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
