Toronto, ON, October 7, 2026 – Arthritis Society Canada is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2026 Training Awards. This year, the organization is allocating $560,000 to eight PhD students and four Postdoctoral fellows advancing groundbreaking arthritis research.
This funding allows next generation researchers to delve into unanswered arthritis questions and pave the way forward with revolutionary prevention, diagnostic, and treatment methods.
“We are proud to support researchers who are committed to fighting Canada’s most common chronic condition,” says Dr. Siân Bevan, Chief Science Officer at Arthritis Society Canada. “Arthritis can affect every aspect of a person’s life, often sidelining them from work, their family, and the moments that matter most. Each scientific innovation funded is another step closer to a fuller life and a pain-free future for the more than six million people living with arthritis in Canada.”
The PhD Salary Awards provide up to $35,000 annually for PhD students in full-time research training, for up to three years. Similarly, the Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards offer between $40,000 and $50,000 annually for postdoctoral fellows, also for up to three years. Both awards are funded 50% by Arthritis Society Canada and matched by funding partners, including government entities, industry, non-profits, or research grants held by supervising scientific investigators.
All 12 awards are aligned with patient priorities and directly support Arthritis Society Canada’s mission to create a future without arthritis. Among this year’s recipients is Dr. Alyssa Howren, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia – Arthritis Research Canada, whose work examines how mental health influences arthritis progression and patient experiences.
“Many people diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis (IA) also live with mental health conditions such as depression, yet the impact this has on the clinical course of IA remains poorly understood,” says Dr. Howren. “By working directly with patients and healthcare providers, our research will build a clearer picture of these complex challenges and guide the creation of comprehensive support systems to improve mental health care for arthritis.”
Under the supervision of Dr. Diane Lacaille, Dr. Howren and her team will analyze healthcare data to see if depression around the time of diagnosis increases the need for advanced IA treatments and healthcare services. They will also interview people living with arthritis and depression or anxiety to understand how mental health impacts their arthritis treatment and management journey.
Here are the full details of this year’s Training Award recipients:
PhD Salary Awards:
- Semini Beragama, University Health Network: Spatiotemporal metabolomic atlas of psoriatic arthritis onset and progression
- Megan Hutter, Western University: Development and testing of three-dimensional ultrasound imaging guidance for thumb osteoarthritis treatment
- Chantelle Lin, University of Toronto: Bidirectional Pixel Map-Guided Discovery of Causes of Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms using Knee MRI and High-Dimensional Linkage to Multiple Patient Outcomes
- Maitland Martin, University of Calgary: Understanding and Managing Hip-Related Pain in Young Athletes: Implications for Early Hip Osteoarthritis Prevention
- Madeline Rao Shishis, McMaster University: Improving Biomechanical Evaluation of Kinematic and Functional Outcomes in Partial vs. Total Knee Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis
- Patricia Remalante-Rayco, University Health Network: DRAK2 as a Biomarker and Mechanistic Regulator of T Cell Responses in Axial Spondyloarthritis
- Wesley Tran, Western University: Synovial Metabolic and Mitochondrial Reprogramming as a Driver and Therapeutic Target in Osteoarthritis Progression
- Tong Yu, University of Toronto: Systemic Bone Health, Local Bone Structure and their Interplay in the Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis
Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards:
- Dr. Henrietha Adandom, University of Alberta: Predicting Rehabilitation Outcomes to Support Personalized Care in Knee Osteoarthritis
- Dr. Cole Fleet, University of Victoria: The Influence of Scapula Anatomy on Scapular Spine Fractures following Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty: Identifying Risk Factors and Developing Personalized Treatment Strategies
- Dr. Alyssa Howren, University of British Columbia – Arthritis Research Canada: Exploring the connection between mental health and arthritis: A multi-method approach to improve mental health care
- Dr. Lisa Yamaura, University of Calgary: Modulating osteoarthritis through the Htra1-Prg4 axis: A mechanistic and therapeutic investigation
About Arthritis Society Canada
Arthritis Society Canada represents more than six million people in Canada living with arthritis today, and the millions more who are impacted or at risk. Fueled by the trust and support of our donors and volunteers, Arthritis Society Canada is fighting arthritis with research, advocacy, innovation, information and support. We are Canada’s largest charitable funder of cutting-edge arthritis research. We will not give up our efforts until everyone is free from the agony of arthritis. Arthritis Society Canada is accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. For more information, visit arthritis.ca.
Media Contact:
Jenny Ng
Senior Manager, Public Relations & Media
Arthritis Society Canada
[email protected]
416-455-1182
