Share your views about medication use and breastfeeding!  As mothers or birthing parents, we may need to take medications during breastfeeding to treat arthritis and a research team at the University of Manitoba is looking to understand decision making around medication use during infant feeding. The survey is open to mothers or birthing parents in Canada and it should take about 20-30 minutes to complete and will provide important information about this often understudied topic – share your views today! 

Recruiting patient partners for deprescribing opioid guideline – A research team at the University of Waterloo is working on the development of an evidence-based deprescribing guideline for opioid medications for people over 55 years of age. They are looking to recruit patient partners to work with the project team of researchers and clinicians. There will be training sessions offered as well as compensation. Learn more about this opportunity today! 

Research training opportunity – Equator Canada is inviting patient partners to learn alongside researchers and trainees about the academic publishing process and publication science. You will learn about patient partnership in research and publishing, the operation of biomedical journals, publication ethics, authorship, and open science practices. All accepted applicants will receive a full scholarship to attend.

Warning about Verkazia (cyclosporine) eye drops – Health Canada has issued a notice about Verkazia (cyclosporine) eye drops that were recalled due to potential presence of particulate matter. There is only one lot that has been recalled however it’s important to check if your medication is affected. 

Demystifying workplace accommodation – The Canadian Psoriasis Network, Unmasking Psoriasis and the Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patient developed a guide to demystifying workplace accommodation for people with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis. It provides a practical hands-on description of how to make a request for accommodation, including legal rights and types of accommodations that might work for people with psoriatic disease.  

Shifting Power to Patients webinar – In case you missed it, you can still watch the webinar hosted by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Institute for Musculokletal Health and Arthritis about “Shifting power to patients“. Two patient partners (Linda Hunter and Eileen Davidson) share their lived experiences followed by presentations by physiotherapist Linda Truong and rheumatologist David Hunter. 

Joint Action podcast on Osteoarthritis – Join this episode of Joint Action, a podcast hosted by rheumatologist Dr. David Hunter, as he interviews Dawn Richards. They discuss how people with osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis can be empowered to take control of their health.

Sjorgen’s Society virtual townhall – The Sjögren’s Society of Canada is excited to announce their next virtual town hall that will be held on December 7th at 7 p.m. Cristina Montoya, a Registered Dietitian, will be speaking about “Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition During the Holiday Season”. Register today by visiting the Sjogren’s Society website! 

Resources on our website – We recently updated our website to provide updated information about the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. We also have information about public drug plans by province, workplace resources, and managing pain and fatigue. 

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