AiArthritis was built by listening to patients. For more than 15 years, conversations within the community have shaped programs, resources, research initiatives, and advocacy efforts designed to improve the patient journey. In this episode, Leila and Tiffany discuss AiArthritis' next chapter and how the organization is expanding its commitment to collecting, analyzing, and acting on lived experience data.

The conversation explores what lived experience data is and why it matters. Patient stories can help identify unmet needs, improve healthcare conversations, influence research priorities, and drive meaningful change. Leila and Tiffany also share how AiArthritis is creating new opportunities for patients, care partners, and advocates to contribute their experiences and ensure every voice is counted.

Whether you have participated in an AiArthritis program before or are just discovering the organization, this episode offers a behind the scenes look at how patient experiences become real world impact. It also highlights new ways to get involved and help shape future programs, resources, and advocacy efforts.

Episode Highlights:

• How sharing your experience can help improve care for future patients
• Why AiArthritis is expanding its focus on lived experience data
• Real examples of patient feedback leading to new resources and solutions
• New ways to participate in research and community driven initiatives
• What's coming next for AiArthritis Voices and patient engagement

• Mystery Patient Guide: https://www.aiarthritis.org/undiagnosed
• JHA/HCP Communication Toolkit: https://www.aiarthritis.org/JIACommunication
• Submit Your Rant: https://www.aiarthritis.org/rant
• WTHellth Website: https://wthellth.org/
• Have questions about this episode or topics you want to hear us bring to the table? Email us at podcast@aiarthritis.org
• Donate to Support the Show: www.aiarthritis.org/donate

Follow AiArthritis on all social media platforms @IFAiArthritis

Sign up for our Monthly AiArthritis Voices 360 Talk Show newsletter! HERE

Connect with our Co-Hosts:

Tiffany is the CEO at International Foundation for AiArthritis and uses her professional expertise in mind-mapping and problem solving to help others, like her, who live with AiArthritis diseases work in unison to identify and solve unresolved community issues.

Connect with Tiffany:

• Facebook: @tiffanyAiArthritis
• Twitter: @TiffWRobertson
• LinkedIn: @TiffanyWestrichRobertson

Leila is the Health Education Manager at the International Foundation for AiArthritis. She is a person living with Lupus and Sjögren’s disease. She is passionate about inclusion and diversity in health education and meeting individuals where they are at in order to learn in a way that resonates with them.

Connect with Leila:

Tiktok: @Lupuslifestyle.lei

Vagus nerve stimulation has been a hot topic in the AiArthritis community, and for good reason. In this episode, host Tiffany sits down with Dr. Vibeke Strand, Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Division of Immunology/Rheumatology at Stanford University, to explore what VNS actually is, what the research shows, and why it could be a game changing option for people who have not found success with traditional treatments.

Whether you have struggled to find a treatment that works or are simply curious about what is emerging in the rheumatology space, this episode shares useful information you can bring to your next doctor's appointment.

NOTE: As of April 2026 this device is only available in the United States. We will keep you updated as it becomes available elsewhere!

Episode Highlights:

• What VNS is and how it connects to inflammation in AiArthritis diseases
• How VNS differs from traditional biologics/DMARDs and whether it can be used alongside them
• What the research says about its effectiveness beyond just pain relief
• Who might be a good candidate and how to start the conversation with your care team

• Have questions about this episode or topics you want to hear us bring to the table? Email us at podcast@aiarthritis.org
• Donate to Support the Show: www.aiarthritis.org/donate

Follow AiArthritis on all social media platforms @IFAiArthritis

Sign up for our Monthly AiArthritis Voices 360 Talk Show newsletter! HERE

Connect with our Co-Hosts:

Tiffany is the CEO at International Foundation for AiArthritis and uses her professional expertise in mind-mapping and problem solving to help others, like her, who live with AiArthritis diseases work in unison to identify and solve unresolved community issues.

Connect with Tiffany:

• Facebook: @tiffanyAiArthritis
• Twitter: @TiffWRobertson
• LinkedIn: @TiffanyWestrichRobertson

Dr. Vibeke Strand is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Division of Immunology/Rheumatology at Stanford University, where she has taught since 1993, and previously at University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Strand has also served as a consultant in clinical research and regulatory affairs to pharmaceutical and biotech companies since 1991. She has been a clinical rheumatologist for more than 40 years, previously in subspecialty practice in San Francisco, as a clinical investigator, and subsequently senior positions in clinical research at three pharmaceutical/biotech companies before embarking on her consulting practice.

Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Strand has authored over 450 original publications, is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a Master of the American College of Rheumatology.

Sleep problems are one of the most common and most frustrating experiences for people living with AiArthritis diseases. In this episode, Eileen Davidson breaks down why getting a good night's rest can feel nearly impossible when you're living with an AiArthritis disease, and shares what has actually helped her along the way.

Eileen explores the many reasons sleep is so disrupted by AiArthritis diseases, from pain and stiffness to the role that chronic inflammation plays in interfering with the body's natural sleep cycles. She offers an honest, personal reflection on what sleepless nights really look like from a patient's perspective and why this issue deserves more attention in conversations about disease management.

Whether you're lying awake wondering if anyone else understands what you're going through, or you're looking for practical steps to try tonight, this episode offers both validation and real, actionable guidance from someone who lives it every day.

Episode Highlights:

• Why sleep is uniquely challenging for people living with AiArthritis diseases
• The connection between inflammation and disrupted sleep
• A personal reflection on what sleep struggles really feel like
• Small, realistic habits and strategies that can actually make a difference

• Have questions about this episode or topics you want to hear us bring to the table? Email us at podcast@aiarthritis.org
• Donate to Support the Show: www.aiarthritis.org/donate

Follow AiArthritis on all social media platforms @IFAiArthritis

Sign up for our Monthly AiArthritis Voices 360 Talk Show newsletter! HERE

Connect with our Co-Hosts:

Eileen Davidson is a rheumatoid arthritis patient advocate from Vancouver Canada. She volunteers with the Arthritis Research Canada patient advisory board and the Canadian Institute of Health Research - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis patient engagement research ambassador, among others. When not advocating she is writing about her experience with arthritis through Creaky Joints, Healthline, Chronic Eileen or can be found being a mom to her son Jacob.

Connect with Eileen:

Twitter: @ChronicEileen