Frank Beier was the Canada Research Chair in Musculoskeletal Research at the University of Western Ontario and a member of Western’s Bone and Joint Institute. He was a Professor and Chair of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. His lab explored mechanisms controlling cartilage and joint biology, using genetically engineered mice in combination with surgical, dietary and activity manipulations. This is a natural fit with the objectives of the Bone and Joint Institute, an environment that has helped to foster collaborations with fellow researchers from other fields such as clinicians (surgeons, rheumatologists) and imaging scientists.

As an engaged member of the Institute’s Operations Committee, Dr. Beier saw value in Institute priorities that improved his training program and that supported the acquisition of additional research funds. Dr. Beier  published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and gave 100 invited presentations. His work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (from which he won a foundation award in the inaugural competition in 2015) and The Arthritis Society. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International and a member of the Faculty of 1000 and several editorial boards, including the Deputy Editor for Osteoarthritis & Cartilage. He was the Chair of the 2017 Cartilage Gordon Conference and completed a four-year term on the SBSR study section at NIH. His lab used mostly mice and rats to determine the biological pathways that control growth, ageing and diseases (such as osteoarthritis) of the skeleton. In selected projects they collaborated with clinicians to test findings in human patient samples.