March 26, 2012
NIAMS logo

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) has launched its new page on Facebook, the popular social media site, as a companion to the Institute’s website and Twitter feed. The NIAMS will use its presence on Facebook to feature health information publications, news stories, resources, research advances, and other news from the Institute. Videos that the NIAMS has posted to YouTube will also be featured on the new Facebook page.

Each week, the NIAMS will post several status updates that will be seen by those who follow the NIAMS Facebook account. These postings will link to new stories, publications, and other content posted on the NIAMS website. Followers can receive these posts on their own Facebook wall through Web browsers on computers, as well as on mobile devices such as smartphones.

This new Facebook presence adds to the two existing NIAMS pages: the NIAMS Intramural Research Program Labs and the NIH Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program.

"Using Facebook will enhance our information dissemination efforts about the progress being made through the Government’s research investment related to bones, joints, muscles, and skin," said NIAMS Director, Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D. "Participating more in social media also allows the NIAMS to connect and engage with our audiences and address their interests in a forum which is familiar to an ever-increasingly plugged-in public. It will enable us to extend our reach into an arena where people are already discussing health matters important to them and their families."

To follow the NIAMS on Facebook, go to the NIAMS home page and click on the Facebook icon. Under "Facebook," click on the link for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. If you do not have a Facebook account, you can sign up for one at www.facebook.com.

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The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health, is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. For more information about the NIAMS, call the information clearinghouse at (301) 495-4484 or (877) 22-NIAMS (free call) or visit the NIAMS website at https://www.niams.nih.gov.

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