Dr. Johanne Martel-Pelletier

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.