My research group has had a longstanding interest in the epidemiology of a broad spectrum of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, with a particular focus on the epidemiology of and outcome assessment in osteoarthritis. I am currently engaged in several lines of research examining biomarkers, early indicators, pain, outcome assessment, and the examination of risk factors for the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). I have been the PI of multiple NIH awards (FIRST, RO1, NO1, P60, etc.). My research seeks to identify new targets for the prevention and management of knee OA. I have served on relevant committees for the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) to develop guidelines for the management of osteoarthritis of the knee, hip and hand. Osteoarthritis. My research emphasis in the past several years has focused on the earlier detection of knee OA through the identification of biomarkers and the characterization of knee pain location and patterns in knee OA through the collaborative partnership of the multi-center Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). As an original site Principal Investigator on this large longitudinal study, I have been involved with the project since its inception. I have also sought out opportunities and expanded the OAI research into several ancillary studies, including the Pivotal OAI MRI Analyses that seeks to identify imaging biomarkers for the development and/or progression of knee OA and the Risk of Incident Knee OA and Clinical Outcomes Based on Imaging Biomarkers study that supports the 120M clinical OAI visit. Additionally, I collaborate closely with other OAI investigators on a variety of related research questions.