Annie Nolan Helps Trial Participants Increase Activity
Research assistant puts her interest in improving quality of life to work in the KArAt Clinical Trial.
Sept. 3, 2025
Annie Nolan is a research assistant who is helping implement the Arthritis Foundation-funded KArAT (Knee Arthroplasty Activity Trial) study. Research has found that people who have total knee replacement surgery (TKR) do not tend to increase their physical activity after the surgery, even though they no longer have arthritis-related pain. The KArAt study is testing whether personal coaching and financial incentives can help people increase their activity levels after TKR.
Tell us about your background.
I first moved away from my beloved home state of New Jersey to attend Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where I majored in cellular biology and philosophy. While I had been set on following a scientific path since grade school and my biology major was carefully planned, the major in philosophy was almost an accident. I took my first philosophy class during my second trimester and enjoyed it so much that I kept filling my schedule with more philosophy classes until I realized I had nearly completed the major. Philosophy proved to be a worthy outlet for my love for reading and writing and served as a nice complement to my biological studies. Philosophy also provided me with frameworks for investigating ethical issues related to my interest in science and fueled my interest in bioethics.
I have always interested in issues related to access to health care, and I spent a significant amount of time as an undergraduate student involved with a local student-run nonprofit called FORT, standing for “fortitude,” which worked to fund students’ mental health care. I started as a public relations assistant, collaborating with local businesses to sponsor events, and was elected CEO in my junior year. I now serve as a board member of the organization, helping current students serve the next generation of Dartmouth students.
I also immersed myself in the outdoorsy culture at Dartmouth, swimming in the Connecticut River, going on hikes and taking advantage of the winter weather to play some of the greatest sports! Now, I live and work in Boston as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
What drew you to the field of science and research, and arthritis research in particular? What do you hope to accomplish professionally?
My passion for science can be traced back to a lifelong love and appreciation for life itself. I was the kid who spent her afternoons in the mud collecting bugs and identifying trees and was completely fascinated by every new species I came across. As I matured, this interest transformed into a need for knowledge and a desire to preserve. I loved biology because it helped me understand how life worked and realize how precious life is.
I entered the world of health care and research because I not only wanted to preserve life, but to improve it. One reason I am so drawn to osteoarthritis (OA) research is because I think this notion of improving life is often overlooked. Preserving life takes priority, but I believe it is our responsibility not only to prevent death, but to maximize quality of life. Osteoarthritis, like other chronic conditions, can significantly affect patients’ quality of life, but because it does not necessarily threaten life, it is rarely treated as urgent. I believe that arthritis research can be life-changing, and there is a huge opportunity to help a huge number of people in this field.
Professionally, I hope to pursue my interests in issues related to bioethics, health policy and access to care. The next step in this journey is earning my juris doctor, and I am currently applying to law schools to do just that.
Could you describe what you do with KArAT?
I am an unblinded member of the KArAT team and I directly deliver the intervention to participants. For KArAT, this means that I am a health coach. I use motivational interviewing techniques to motivate participants randomized into the experimental arm of the study to increase their physical activity following their total knee replacements. These efforts are complemented by financial incentives, which reward participants for meeting weekly step count goals. I almost always follow the same participants week to week through the entire duration of their six-month intervention period, so I am able to form strong personal relationships and observe first-hand the life-changing effects of total knee replacements.
Do you expect KArAT to affect patients either directly or indirectly?
KArAT is one of my favorite randomized controlled trials that I am involved in because I get to observe the impact that I and the study are having on participants. As opposed to some of our other trials, where we may have to wait for imaging to assess study success, I get some degree of instant gratification with KArAT where I get to see my participants get better each week. Although we will still need to wait until the study is over to assess whether these perceived improvements are clinically relevant, I am willing to bet that we are not only helping participants actively involved in KArAT, but that the study’s insights will improve the lives of many more!
What are you excited about in OA? What should patients be excited about?
I am excited by what I perceive to be a recent shift in attention to taking advantage of non-invasive and drug-free techniques for preventing and managing OA, such as diet and exercise. Of course, surgical intervention and proper medical treatment are often appropriate and necessary, but it is important to pay attention to all pieces of the puzzle, and overall health and wellness are definitely among them.
What else would you like to share about your involvement with arthritis research?
It is a privilege to not only be involved in KArAT, but with other studies funded by the Arthritis Foundation, such as PIKASO. By participating in multiple studies, I am able to gain a better understanding of the breadth of the field and am continuously amazed at the amount of work there is to be done.
Annie Nolan is a research assistant who is helping implement the Arthritis Foundation-funded KArAT (Knee Arthroplasty Activity Trial) study. Research has found that people who have total knee replacement surgery (TKR) do not tend to increase their physical activity after the surgery, even though they no longer have arthritis-related pain. The KArAt study is testing whether personal coaching and financial incentives can help people increase their activity levels after TKR.
Tell us about your background.
I first moved away from my beloved home state of New Jersey to attend Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where I majored in cellular biology and philosophy. While I had been set on following a scientific path since grade school and my biology major was carefully planned, the major in philosophy was almost an accident. I took my first philosophy class during my second trimester and enjoyed it so much that I kept filling my schedule with more philosophy classes until I realized I had nearly completed the major. Philosophy proved to be a worthy outlet for my love for reading and writing and served as a nice complement to my biological studies. Philosophy also provided me with frameworks for investigating ethical issues related to my interest in science and fueled my interest in bioethics.
I have always interested in issues related to access to health care, and I spent a significant amount of time as an undergraduate student involved with a local student-run nonprofit called FORT, standing for “fortitude,” which worked to fund students’ mental health care. I started as a public relations assistant, collaborating with local businesses to sponsor events, and was elected CEO in my junior year. I now serve as a board member of the organization, helping current students serve the next generation of Dartmouth students.
I also immersed myself in the outdoorsy culture at Dartmouth, swimming in the Connecticut River, going on hikes and taking advantage of the winter weather to play some of the greatest sports! Now, I live and work in Boston as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
What drew you to the field of science and research, and arthritis research in particular? What do you hope to accomplish professionally? My passion for science can be traced back to a lifelong love and appreciation for life itself. I was the kid who spent her afternoons in the mud collecting bugs and identifying trees and was completely fascinated by every new species I came across. As I matured, this interest transformed into a need for knowledge and a desire to preserve. I loved biology because it helped me understand how life worked and realize how precious life is.
I entered the world of health care and research because I not only wanted to preserve life, but to improve it. One reason I am so drawn to osteoarthritis (OA) research is because I think this notion of improving life is often overlooked. Preserving life takes priority, but I believe it is our responsibility not only to prevent death, but to maximize quality of life. Osteoarthritis, like other chronic conditions, can significantly affect patients’ quality of life, but because it does not necessarily threaten life, it is rarely treated as urgent. I believe that arthritis research can be life-changing, and there is a huge opportunity to help a huge number of people in this field.
Professionally, I hope to pursue my interests in issues related to bioethics, health policy and access to care. The next step in this journey is earning my juris doctor, and I am currently applying to law schools to do just that.
Could you describe what you do with KArAT?
I am an unblinded member of the KArAT team and I directly deliver the intervention to participants. For KArAT, this means that I am a health coach. I use motivational interviewing techniques to motivate participants randomized into the experimental arm of the study to increase their physical activity following their total knee replacements. These efforts are complemented by financial incentives, which reward participants for meeting weekly step count goals. I almost always follow the same participants week to week through the entire duration of their six-month intervention period, so I am able to form strong personal relationships and observe first-hand the life-changing effects of total knee replacements.
Do you expect KArAT to affect patients either directly or indirectly?
KArAT is one of my favorite randomized controlled trials that I am involved in because I get to observe the impact that I and the study are having on participants. As opposed to some of our other trials, where we may have to wait for imaging to assess study success, I get some degree of instant gratification with KArAT where I get to see my participants get better each week. Although we will still need to wait until the study is over to assess whether these perceived improvements are clinically relevant, I am willing to bet that we are not only helping participants actively involved in KArAT, but that the study’s insights will improve the lives of many more!
What are you excited about in OA? What should patients be excited about?
I am excited by what I perceive to be a recent shift in attention to taking advantage of non-invasive and drug-free techniques for preventing and managing OA, such as diet and exercise. Of course, surgical intervention and proper medical treatment are often appropriate and necessary, but it is important to pay attention to all pieces of the puzzle, and overall health and wellness are definitely among them.
What else would you like to share about your involvement with arthritis research?
It is a privilege to not only be involved in KArAT, but with other studies funded by the Arthritis Foundation, such as PIKASO. By participating in multiple studies, I am able to gain a better understanding of the breadth of the field and am continuously amazed at the amount of work there is to be done.
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