David T. Felson MD, MPH
Professor, Rheumatology
Professor, Epidemiology
650 Albany St | (617) 638-5180david.felson@bmc.org
dfelson@bu.edu

Sections
Rheumatology
Centers
Arthritis & Autoimmune Diseases Research Center
Framingham Heart Study
Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
Biography
Dr. David Felson's research interests include: understanding how to prevent osteoarthritis and treat osteoarthritis. In osteoarthritis, Dr. Felson’s interests include studying whether treatments for rheumatic diseases are effective and particularly in osteoarthritis, identifying biomechanical risk factors for disease and testing biomechanical treatments and characterizing MRI features of normal knees and knees with pain. He also studies outcome measurement in rheumatic disease and has focused in this work on rheumatoid arthritis trials.
Other Positions
Education
Medicine, MD, Johns Hopkins University
Public Health, MPH, Boston University School of Public Health
History/Biochemistry, AB, Harvard College
Publications
Neogi T, Dubreuil M, Peloquin C, Marinko L, Camarinos J, Felson DT, Kumar D. Reply. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025 Apr 28. PMID: 40289862.
Published on 4/11/2025Sara LK, Felson DT, Tilley S, LaValley MP, Lewis CE, Lynch JA, Segal NA, Guermazi A, Roemer F, Stefanik JJ, Lewis CL. The relation of walking forces to structural damage in the knee: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2025 Apr 11. PMID: 40222627.
Published on 3/19/2025Oliinyk M, Mastbergen SC, Marijnissen AKCA, Felson DT, Hunter DJ, Nevitt MC, Weinans H, Jansen MP. Comparing Five Major Knee Osteoarthritis Cohort Studies: Similarities, Differences, and Unique Aspects of CHECK, OAI, FNIH, IMI-APPROACH, and MOST. Cartilage. 2025 Mar 19; 19476035251326276. PMID: 40105347.
Published on 3/16/2025Neogi T, Dubreuil M, Peloquin C, Marinko L, Camarinos J, Felson DT, Kumar D. Association of Physical Therapy Care With Use of Intra-Articular Injections in People With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Real-World Cohort Study. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025 Mar 16. PMID: 40091450.
Published on 3/8/2025Vanhaverbeke T, Miller G, Ukonu NC, Wittoek R, Haugen IK, Felson D. Presence of erosions is not a risk factor for the development of knee OA in a hand OA population: Results from the Framingham OA study. Osteoarthr Cartil Open. 2025 Jun; 7(2):100591. PMID: 40144956.
Published on 2/1/2025James KA, Neogi T, Felson DT, Corrigan P, Lewis CL, Davis IS, Bacon KL, Torner JC, Lewis CE, Nevitt MC, Stefanik JJ. Association of walking cadence to changes in knee pain and physical function: The multicenter osteoarthritis study. Osteoarthr Cartil Open. 2025 Mar; 7(1):100575. PMID: 39995587.
Published on 1/2/2025Liew JW, Petrow E, Tilley S, LaValley MP, Roemer FW, Guermazi A, Lewis CE, Torner J, Nevitt MC, Lynch JA, Felson D. Comparison of definitions of early knee osteoarthritis for likelihood of progression at 2-year and 5-year follow-up: the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2025 Jan; 84(1):115-123. PMID: 39874225.
Published on 12/23/2024Jacobs CA, Jones MH, Collins JE, Waddell LM, Li X, Winalski CS, Pietrosimone B, Kraus VB, Otero M, Wellsandt E, Schmitt LC, Spindler KP, Anderson DD, Rodeo SA, Magnussen RA, Wolf BR, Hart JM, Stone AV, Conley CE, Golightly YM, Myer GD, Snyder-Mackler L, Lotz MK, Kim JS, McLeod MM, Huebner JL, Lisee C, Selzer F, Katz JN, Long K, Frier KC, Betensky DJ, Felson DT, Losina E. The PIKASO trial (Preventing Injured Knees from Osteoarthritis: Severity Outcomes): Rationale and design features for a randomized controlled trial. Osteoarthr Cartil Open. 2025 Mar; 7(1):100563. PMID: 39867299.
Published on 12/8/2024Riedstra NS, Boel F, van Buuren MMA, Ahedi H, Arbabi V, Arden N, Baart SJ, Bierma-Zeinstra SMA, Cicuttini FM, Cootes TF, Crossley KM, Felson DT, Giellis WP, Heerey J, Jones G, Kluzek S, Lane NE, Lindner C, Lynch JA, van Meurs JBJ, Mosler A, Nelson AE, Nevitt MC, Oei EH, Runhaar J, Tang J, Weinans H, Agricola R. Acetabular dysplasia and the risk of developing hip osteoarthritis within 4-8 years: An individual participant data meta-analysis of 18,807 hips from the World COACH consortium. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2025 Mar; 33(3):373-382. PMID: 39657871.
Published on 11/19/2024Gløersen M, Kjeken I, Tveter AT, Kazemi A, Sexton J, Dziedzic K, Felson DT, Stamm TA, Guermazi A, Hermann-Eriksen M, Sæther MI, Lundby K, Esperø EL, Olsen M, Norheim KB, Fister EB, Hoff M, Uleberg JK, Midtgard IP, Andreassen T, Sjølie D, Sletten H, Hammer HB, Haugen IK. Study protocol for the PICASSO trial: A randomized placebo-controlled trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of intraarticular steroid injections and an occupational therapy intervention in painful inflammatory carpometacarpal-1 osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr Cartil Open. 2025 Mar; 7(1):100542. PMID: 39669005.
Media Mentions
Published on 10/30/2024
Obesity Drug Shows Promise in Easing Knee Osteoarthritis Pain
Published on 10/30/2024
Semaglutide linked to reduced arthritis knee pain in people with obesity, study finds
Published on 10/30/2024
Wegovy Reduced Pain From Knee Osteoarthritis
Published on 3/20/2024
Published on 11/12/2023
Researchers suggest new approach for testing treatments for osteoarthritis.
Published on 10/26/2023
PCPs and Knee OA: When to Keep Treating, When to Refer
Published on 10/13/2023
BU researchers novel osteoarthritis treatment testing idea
Published on 10/12/2023
Published on 12/20/2022
Can Metformin Reduce Need for Total Joint Replacement in Diabetes?
Published on 3/15/2022
The Safety of Corticosteroid Injections for People With Knee Osteoarthritis
View full list of 25 media mentions.