OVERALL ABSTRACT The Boston University P30 CCCR emphasizes rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) epidemiology and patient-oriented clinical research. The first cycle of our CCCR has been highly productive and successful in expanding the network of RMD researchers leveraging our expertise and resources. Our CCCR will continue to serve as a central resource for clinical researchers in RMDs locally, nationally, and internationally who represent our broader research community. Our CCCR's broad aim is to conduct and disseminate high quality clinical research in RMDs using state-of-the-art methods and to serve as a central resource for such methods for our dynamic research community. The Center has also trained many leading clinical researchers in RMDs, and most continue to have active interactions and collaborations with the Center, including accessing advanced methodology support and unique data resources. In this cycle, we will continue to provide advanced methodology support, including in new areas, make our protocols and data resources available, providing training in protocols, and function as a resource for clinical expertise to those who require such clinical insights and guidance. We will continue a Pilot & Feasibility grant program to aid early-stage investigators and/or attract new investigators into the RMD field. We will expand our educational programming and outreach efforts to broaden our impact and research network. A key focal point of this CCCR is a weekly clinical research meeting known as Research Accelerator, in which ongoing and proposed research projects are critically evaluated. Specifically, we provide input into study design, protocol development, and analysis help for multiple projects both within and outside the Core group, as well as critical feedback for abstracts, manuscripts, presentations, posters, and grants. The success of our Research Accelerator is evidenced by the publication productivity and grant support garnered by the Core group and collaborating research community. Our CCCR currently supports 26 grants with Core faculty as PI, including the current P30, 1 U19, 7 R01s, 1 T32, 1 K23, 1 K24, 11 foundation grants, and 3 industry research grants, as well as several clinical trials. In addition, CCCR funding has supported ~52 original peer- reviewed annually in peer-reviewed journals (210 in past 4 years of this cycle), most in leading arthritis journals and some in leading general medical journals, reflecting both our Core faculty's own research and the Center's successful assistance and partnerships in the research community. The overall goal of this Center is to carry out and disseminate high-level clinical research utilizing advanced methodology and informed by biological scientific discoveries. Ultimately, we aim to prevent the RMDs we are studying and to improve the lives of those living with these diseases.