The 2025 ARP President’s & Merit Awards

A former editor of Arthritis Care & Research, Dr. Callahan is currently associate editor of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open. She has authored more than 300 publications and articles, is a frequent presenter at conferences and meetings worldwide, and continues to spearhead projects examining the factors surrounding arthritis, epidemiology, health outcomes and health disparities. She has received numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health, the CDC and foundations. She has mentored numerous graduate and medical students, rheumatology and post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty and currently co-directs the UNC T32 training program.

Dr. Callahan has been actively involved in the ACR/ARP and the Rheumatology Research Foundation for 40 years, serving on numerous committees and boards, as well as in leadership positions. She was ARP president in 1990. She received the Distinguished Scholar Award in 1994, the Addie Thomas Service Award in 2006 and the ARP Distinguished Lecturer Award in 2010. She received the ARP Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. She is also a long-time volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation on both the state and national levels and received the Charles B. Harding Award for Distinguished Service in 2005 for her work with the Arthritis Foundation.

ARP Lifetime Achievement Award

Among the ARP’s highest honors is the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to a current or past member who has made meaningful and lasting contributions to the field of rheumatology. This year’s award recipient is Thea Vliet Vlieland, MD, PT, PhD, professor in rehabilitation processes and physical therapy, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.

“Receiving the ARP Lifetime Achievement Award is an incredible honor that reflects not only my personal journey, but also the collective efforts of those who’ve inspired and supported me along the way,” says Dr. Vliet Vlieland. “It affirms the importance of collaborative, patient-centered approaches in clinical practice, research and education that help improve quality of life for those living with rheumatic diseases.”

Dr. Vliet Vlieland was born in Leiden and trained as a physical therapist from 1979–83 and physician from 1983–90 at the Leiden University Medical Center. She obtained a Master of Science in epidemiology in 1995 and an MBA-Health in 2009. After completing her PhD in 1996, she had several research positions before being appointed as professor at the Leiden University Medical Center. In addition, she is affiliated with Basalt Rehabilitation Center, The Hague/Leiden, and the Leiden University of Applied Sciences.

Dr. Vliet Vlieland’s research group focuses on the development, evaluation and implementation of rehabilitative strategies for people with rheumatic diseases. Their work has contributed to the evidence base of various single and complex interventions, such as specific exercise programs or multidisciplinary care pathways. The clinical trials led by the group are embedded in a systematic approach, spanning the spectrum from inventories of patients’ healthcare usage, needs and preferences to the larger scale implementation of effective interventions. This integrative approach, employing a variety of research designs, could only be successful through the multidisciplinary composition of the research team and the consistent, active involvement of people with a rheumatic condition.