Johanne Martel-Pelletier, PhD, Full Professor, Department of Medicine, Member, Pharmacology/Physiology Department; co-director, Osteoarthritis Research Unit; co-titular Head, Chair in Osteoarthritis—all at the University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her research interests focus on the mechanisms involved in the etiology of osteoarthritis (OA), such as joint tissue catabolism and cartilage repair, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms involved in this disease process, and targeting new therapeutic strategies for its treatment. Her contributions to arthritis research resulted in historic studies that enabled significant breakthroughs and discoveries in the pathophysiology and treatment strategies of OA. With her team, she has developed quantitative and fully automated systems using magnetic resonance images to quantify articular tissue changes in the human knee and hip, which she and other groups have used in clinical, epidemiological and biomarker research. She has supervised and mentored numerous graduate students, fellows, invited and young professors. She is an active member of several editorial boards and committees and a highly respected reviewer. The success of her work is illustrated by her impressive number of publications, with 535 articles in high-impact journals, including reviews and book chapters, and 943 abstracts. She has given over 250 presentations and has received 9 distinguished international scientific awards recognizing her contributions to the field.

Jean-Pierre Pelletier, MD Rheumatologist and Researcher, Full Professor of Medicine, Member of the Pharmacology/Physiology Department, co-director of the Osteoarthritis Research Unit, and co-titular head of the Chair in Osteoarthritis, all at the University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was Head of the Arthritis Centre at the University of Montreal and the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre (CHUM) for 30 years. Designated member of the National Academy of Medicine of France, inducted as a master of the American College of Rheumatology, and appointed fellow by the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. His principal research interest lies in understanding the mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis in both humans and preclinical models, as well as in exploring and developing new therapeutic strategies to counteract the disease through basic, pre and clinical research. A pioneer and world leader in osteoarthritis research that has led to many groundbreaking studies, leading to breakthroughs and discoveries on the pathophysiology and treatment of this arthritic disease. He has received 14 national and international prestigious awards and nominations. His impressive number of publications, over 561 in world-renowned, peer-reviewed journals, with more than 1,005 abstracts and numerous guest speaker appearances (345), illustrate and reflect the influence and excellence of his work.