The St. Louis Integrated Health Network (IHN) is proud to announce our participation in the groundbreaking Novel Innovations in Tissue Regeneration for Osteoarthritis (NITRO) initiative. This effort is part of our ongoing commitment to community-driven innovation and health equity.
What is NITRO?
NITRO is a research program funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program aims to develop non-surgical therapeutics that can prevent or reverse the progression of osteoarthritis (OA).
Our Role in NITRO
As part of this initiative, IHN is partnering with Washington University in St. Louis and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Our role is to ensure equitable demographic representation in clinical trials and to better understand barriers to healthcare access for under-represented populations. Through this work, we aim to give a voice to communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded from clinical trials.
Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Our involvement in NITRO reflects our commitment to addressing racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. Disparities exist in the levels of pain, severity of disability, and treatment outcomes for those suffering from OA. By ensuring diverse representation in our clinical trials, we hope to address these issues and contribute to better health outcomes for all.
Contact Information
For more information about the NITRO program, please contact Bill Winfrey, VP of Policy and Strategic Initiatives and Interim Equity Officer for NITRO, at bwinfrey@stlouisihn.org.
Further Reading
- Washington University in St. Louis Press Release: Award of up to $31 million supports development of osteoarthritis treatment
- ARPA-H NITRO Press Release: ARPA-H’s NITRO selects teams to lead breakthroughs in reversing OA
“Through partnership and collaboration, the St. Louis Integrated Health Network is a healthcare intermediary building capacity across sectors to advance health equity and improve wellbeing by increasing access to health and social services, with an emphasis on communities that have been historically excluded.”