March is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month in Canada. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a type of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis that can be seen in children under the age of 16 years. JIA affects up to three in 1000 children and is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood.
In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis 2025 interview with Dr. Lori Tucker and Ms. Brittany Barnes. They join Cheryl Koehn, ACE’s Founder and President, in a conversation about caring for children with rheumatic diseases in Northern British Columbia. They share how their research partnership formed, how kids with arthritis and their families were an integral part of their research, what some of the challenges are for kids living with arthritis in Northern British Columbia, and some key messages from their workshop.
About Dr. Lori Tucker and Ms. Brittany Barnes
Dr. Lori Tucker is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and Division Head in the Department of Pediatrics at BC Children’s Hospital. Her clinical research focus areas include prediction of outcomes for children with JIA and improving care through longitudinal outcomes registries, study of physical activity in children with JIA, transition of youth with rheumatic disease to adult care, and translational research in autoinflammatory disease.
Ms. Brittany Barnes is the Director of Programs and Partnerships at Cassie and Friends Society. She is constantly inspired by the strength and resiliency of kids and families affected by pediatric rheumatic diseases and uses her background in program development to help bring them new avenues of support.
Additional learning resources
- About the Canadian Rheumatology Association
- About Cassie and Friends
- Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page