Prof. JOHANNE MARTEL-PELLETIER, Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine and Accredited Member of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Montreal. In 1981, she co-founded with Professor Jean-Pierre Pelletier, the Osteoarthritis Research Unit at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre, which today is world renowned for its research in the field. In 2000, they initiated a University Chair in Osteoarthritis at the University of Montreal and have been appointed titular heads of this Chair.Her research interests lie in the mechanisms involved in the etiology of osteoarthritis, such as joint tissue catabolism and cartilage repair, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms involved during the osteoarthritis process of certain proteases, pro- and anti-inflammatory factors, and growth factors in humans and targeting new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of osteoarthritis. In addition, she is involved in developing systems using magnetic resonance imaging technology for the automatic quantification of structural tissue changes in the human knee and hip.She is an active member of several editorial boards and committees and is a highly respected reviewer for numerous rheumatology and connective tissue journals and governmental and private research funding agencies at national and international levels. She has authored more than 410 publications including journal articles, reviews and book chapters and over 730 abstracts, as well as being guest editor of several journals and editor of four books. In addition, she has been an invited guest speaker at numerous national and international meetings and conferences. She is recipient of several distinguished scientific awards honouring her excellence and outstanding achievements in osteoarthritis research.
