Dawn Richards, PhD, lives with rheumatoid arthritis and is an analytical chemist by training. Through her consulting firm, Five02 Labs, she provides services and advice related to strategy development, project management, writing, and the incorporation of the patient perspective. Dawn is the volunteer Vice President of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, where she advocates for arthritis awareness and access to treatment, and the inclusion of patients in decision-making and as research collaborators, and the importance of research.