Winners of the 2025 Howley Sr. and Howley Jr. Prizes for Arthritis Research

Ganadora del premio Lee C. Howley Sr. 2025
 

The Arthritis Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize to Elaine Husni, MD, MPH. Este premio reconoce a un investigador que haya hecho contribuciones significativas a la investigación de la artritis, incluidas mejoras en los resultados clínicos y la calidad de vida de los pacientes, y que haya demostrado un compromiso excepcional con el trabajo voluntario a través de la Fundación.

Dr. Husni received her undergraduate education from Boston College and her master's and medical degrees from Boston University School of Medicine. She trained in rheumatology at Brigham & Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School and completed her internship and residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and her fellowship at Brigham & Women's Hospital. With a career-long emphasis on improving outcomes for individuals with inflammatory arthritis, Dr. Husni's research integrates patient-reported outcomes, precision medicine and immunologic mechanisms underlying treatment response and nonresponse.   

“I’m deeply honored and grateful to receive the 2025 Howley Sr. Prize,” says Dr. Husni. “The Arthritis Foundation has shaped my career since training, and this recognition fuels my commitment to arthritis research and patients.”  

Bridging Science and Service  

Previously, Dr. Husni received an Arthritis Foundation research grant for her research program, “Defining a Personalized Treatment Approach to Rheumatoid Arthritis: Using Genetic Markers of TNFi Response.” Her program notably bridges rigorous science with real-world impact to advance individualized care and quality of life for patients living with arthritis. She has shared her work at the Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Summit and in other national venues.  

Dr. Husni’s Arthritis Foundation volunteer service began when she was a rheumatology trainee, helping lead early community health and fundraising efforts in the Boston area. Since then, she has continued to serve locally and nationally across the Foundation’s medical and scientific activities, supported major fundraising events, such as Walk to Cure Arthritis and Silver Spoons, and participated in multiple Think Tank initiatives (patient-reported outcomes, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis). She also contributes to the Arthritis Foundation Science & Industry Consortium to strengthen collaboration among academia, clinicians and industry, and regularly supports patient education events and seminars. 

Ganador del Premio Lee C. Howley Jr. 2025 

La Arthritis Foundation se complace en anunciar la entrega del premio Lee C. Howley Jr. 2025 a Mileka Gilbert, MD, PhD. Esta distinción reconoce a un investigador en los primeros años de su carrera que ha demostrado un firme compromiso con la investigación de la artritis, lo que incluye la mejora de los resultados clínicos y la calidad de vida de los pacientes, y una sólida trayectoria de servicio a la Fundación.

Dr. Gilbert, associate professor of pediatrics and senior associate dean for engagement at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), joins the ranks of esteemed physician-scientists who have previously received a Howley prize. 

Dr. Gilbert completed undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She then earned her MD and PhD degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her training in general pediatrics at the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and went on to complete fellowship training in pediatric rheumatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. In 2015, she joined the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics at MUSC, where she is the principal investigator for the Pediatric Rheumatology Care & Outcomes Improvement Network. Dr. Gilbert has led quality improvement and implementation science work to improve disease outcomes and mental health outcomes of children with juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.  

She has served on the Arthritis Foundation’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and Community Health Expert Working Group. Dr. Gilbert is also a co-chair of the Arthritis Foundation Community Health and Workforce Summit and is now serving on the Arthritis Foundation’s Vaccine Policy Taskforce.  She has also reviewed grant proposals for Arthritis Foundation awards and participated in Jingle Bell Run events. 

“I am very honored to receive this award, especially from an organization that inspires inclusive and collaborative teamwork in the holistic care of children with juvenile arthritis,” says Dr. Gilbert. 

Acerca de la Arthritis Foundation  

La Arthritis Foundation es la principal organización sin fines de lucro dedicada a la lucha contra la artritis, la causa n.º 1 de discapacidad del país. A través de investigaciones científicas innovadoras, programas centrados en el paciente, defensa en todos los niveles de gobierno y un sólido compromiso con la comunidad, la Fundación empodera a las personas para que vivan sus vidas al máximo mientras buscan incansablemente una cura. Con presencia en comunidades de todo el país, amplificamos las voces de los afectados y trabajamos para impulsar un cambio duradero. Learn more at arthritis.org.