Division of Rheumatology

Karen Beattie

BSc, PhD

Karen Beattie, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Medicine
Associate Appointment, School of Rehabilitation Sciences

 

 

Research Interests

Dr. Beattie’s primary research areas focus on imaging and clinical outcomes as they relate to osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

In osteoarthritis, she is involved in research exploring the use of peripheral MRI, radiography, DXA and pQCT in analyzing and quantifying bone and soft tissue (fat, muscle) structure as they relate to disease status. She is interested in the relationship between imaging and clinical outcomes, specifically pain and physical function.

Dr. Beattie’s research interests in osteoporosis also include imaging, specifically the use of peripheral MRI, pQCT and X-ray to characterize and quantify bone quality and microarchitecture. She is also involved research projects validating and exploring the clinical utility of the Bone Destiny fracture risk assessment tool which integrates bone mineral density and other clinical risk factors for fracture in predicting 10-year fracture risk.

The use of peripheral MRI in assessing and quantifying disease features of rheumatoid arthritis, including bone erosions, edema and synovitis, is also an area of Dr. Beattie’s research. She is working on developing and validating new, innovative clinical tools which may be used to monitor disease signs and symptoms in an accurate, efficient manner.

In addition, Dr. Beattie is also involved in studies validating and further exploring the use of the GALS (gait, arms, legs and spine) musculoskeletal screening exam in primary care and assessing its predictive value in identifying patients with inflammatory arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

Selected Publications

  1. Wong AKO, Beattie KA, Emond PD, Inglis D, Duryea J, Doan A, Ioannidis G, Webber CE, O'Neill J, de Beer J, Adachi JD, Papaioannou A. Quantitative analysis of subchondral sclerosis of the tibia by bone texture parameters in knee radiographs: site-specific relationships with joint space width. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2009. DOI 10.1016/j.joca.2009.05.004
  2. Wong AKO, Inglis D, Beattie KA, Doan A, Ioannidis G, Adachi JD & Papaioannou A. Reproducibility of computer-assisted joint alignment measurement in OA knee radiographs. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2009;17(5):579-85.
  3. Beattie KA, Duryea J, Pui M, O’Neill J, Boulos P, Webber CE, Eckstein F, Adachi JD. Minimum Joint Space Width and Tibial Cartilage Morphology in the Knees of Healthy Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2008; 9:119-127.
  4. Beattie K, Bobba R, Bayoumi I, Chan D, Schabort I, Boulos P, Kean W, Obeid J, McCallum R, Ioannidis G, Papaioannou A, Cividino A. Validation of the GALS Musculoskeletal Screening Exam for Use in Primary Care; A Pilot Study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2008; 9:115-122.
  5. Beattie KA, Inglis D, Xie X, Adachi JD. High-Field Extremity MR Scanner for Use in Rheumatologic Practice. J Rheum 2007; 34(7):1634.
  6. Inglis D, Pui M, Ioannidis G, Beattie K, Boulos P, Adachi JD, Webber CE, Eckstein F. Accuracy and test–retest precision of quantitative cartilage morphology on a 1.0T peripheral magnetic resonance imaging system Osteoarthritis & Cartilage 2007; 15(1):110-5.
  7. Beattie KA, Bobba R, Kumbhare D, Papaioannou A, Adachi JD. The Role of Bone Density, Bone Turnover, and Bone Architecture in Determining Bone Strength. Geriatrics & Aging 2007; 10(2):6-11.
  8. Beattie KA, Boulos P, Duryea J, O’Neill J, Pui M, Gordon C, Webber CE, Adachi JD. The Relationships Between Bone Mineral Density in the Spine, Hip, Distal Femur and Proximal Tibia and Medial Minimum Joint Space Width in the Knees of Healthy Females. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage 2005; 13(10):872-8.
  9. Beattie KA, Boulos P, Pui M, O’Neill J, Inglis D, Webber CE, Adachi JD. Abnormalities Identified in the Knees of Asymptomatic Volunteers Using Peripheral Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage 2005; 13(3):181-6.
  10. Sawka AM, Boulos P, Beattie K, Thabane L, Papaioannou A, Gafni A, Cranney A, Zytaruk N, Hanley DA, Adachi JD. Do Hip Protectors Decrease the Risk of Hip Fracture in Institutional and Community Dwelling Elderly? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Osteoporosis International 2005; 16(12):1461-74.