Contents
Patient-Centered Outcomes: Communication
between you and your rheumatologist can make a difference in your health:
cover and page 2
Two New RA Drugs, Abatacept and Rituximab: The FDA recently
approved two drugs for RA: page 3
Our Research and Publications: Highlights
of our research and collaborations with other academic and medical centers: page
4
BRASS Bookshelf: Brief
reviews of four books for the BRASS bookshelf: page
5
Tips from the Doctor: How
can you get the most out of your appointment?: page
6, page 8
BRASS on the Web: We will soon have a
web site to better support you: page 7
Helpful RA Websites: Where to learn more
about RA: page 7
Nap Time: Squeeze the most out of your snooze — where, how often
and how long to nap: page 8
From the Directors
Nancy A. Shadick, MD and Michael E. Weinblatt, MD
BRASS had a wonderful year thanks to you! We
have 941 people participating in our study with plans to reach 1000 by the
end of the year. Your participation has led to a number of advances including
research on genetics and susceptibility to RA, exercise beliefs of people
with RA, response to anti-TNF alpha therapy and much more. Summaries of
two research areas are in the Research and Publications article (p.4). At
this year’s American
College of Rheumatology’s
Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, DC, we will present seven of our
research projects — an indication of the breadth of our research and
interest by the RA community. As we move into our third year we look forward
to continuing to work with you to improve the lives of people with RA.
Patient-Centered Outcomes
by Sally Miller
Did
you know research has found that effective communication between you and
your rheumatologist can make a difference in how well you feel and how
your disease progresses? What you discuss during your clinic visit helps
you and your doctor monitor your progress, decide about different courses
of treatment, and think about the best ways to manage your rheumatoid
arthritis.
...cont’d on page 2