Tom Appleton, MD, PhD - Western University

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Tom Appleton, MD, PhD - Western University

Dr. Tom Appleton is passionate about rheumatology research and clinical care. In 2016, he was recruited to the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Western Ontario with cross appointments to the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Dr. Appleton is the Director of the Western Multidisciplinary Osteoarthritis Centre, where he leads clinical trials, cohort studies, and the rheumatology MSK ultrasound consult service. He currently holds Tri-Council and international funding as principal investigator for clinical and translational studies in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. As Director of the Synovial Translational Biology Laboratory at Western, his research team aims to discover new arthritis treatments by studying how the immune system interacts with the joint environment during osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Appleton is a past director of the Ontario Rheumatology Association and past chair of the Canadian Rheumatology Association Scientific Committee. He currently serves as clinical advisor to the Western Bone and Joint Institute, and chair of the Ontario Rheumatology Association Informatics Committee due to his interest in real-world evidence and improving outcomes for patients with rheumatic diseases. He also leads the Ontario Rheumatic Diseases Evaluation Registry (ORDER) project.