Press Release By Lisa Murray

The Arthritis Foundation
and Brown Rudnick LLP Establish
Ellen Lutch Bender Arthritis Research Award

Boston, Massachusetts, May 11, 2009 -- Brown Rudnick, a premier international law firm, in partnership with the Arthritis Foundation, today established the “Ellen Lutch Bender Arthritis Research Award.” Named for a former Chairperson of the Arthritis Foundation and a former Director of Brown Rudnick’s Health Care Practice Group, this three-year, $150,000 postdoctoral fellowship will be awarded to a doctor to fund innovative research dedicated to the prevention, control and cure of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The award recipient will be announced in late-May during National Arthritis Month, and the award will be presented on June 22, 2009 at an evening reception at the Boston offices of Brown Rudnick.

According to Kevin Martin, Jr. Massachusetts Chapter Chair, Arthritis Foundation, “We are delighted to offer this award in honor of Ellen Lutch Bender. She is a recognized health care leader in Massachusetts who has made so many significant contributions to the Arthritis Foundation, to the awareness, prevention and cure of arthritis, and to the betterment of the health care industry. Thanks to the generosity of Brown Rudnick, we are able to offer this award to a postdoctoral researcher whose leadership and work demonstrate the qualities and commitment that have distinguished Ellen’s legacy.”

Ellen Lutch Bender is the President and CEO of Bender Strategies LLC, a health care consulting firm dedicated to helping health care organizations develop and implement strategies for mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures and by forming relationships within the health care field. She served two terms as Chairperson for the Arthritis Foundation, where she was the Board’s first woman and non-physician chairperson. She was also Cochair of the Health Care United Way of Massachusetts Bay Campaign Cabinet.

In 1990, Ms. Bender joined Brown Rudnick, helping to establish Brown Rudnick’s Health Care Practice Group in 1991 and developing this team into one of the largest and most widely respected health care legal practices in the region. Prior to Brown Rudnick, she served for six years as director of regional support services at University Hospital in Boston. Earlier, she was Associate Executive Director of the Massachusetts Federation of Nursing Homes and Director of Community Affairs at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Ms. Bender began her health care career in 1972 when she worked at the Massachusetts State House, serving on the newly formed health committee. In addition, she has held a series of policy positions on the local and state levels, serving two governors on the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Brown Rudnick CEO Joseph F. Ryan commented, “Ellen has dedicated her career to working with health care providers in the Commonwealth to help reconfigure our health care delivery system. During her 15 years at Brown Rudnick, she distinguished herself as one of the few non-lawyer professionals at our Firm with her ability to create advantageous joint ventures between for-profit and not-for-profit health care entities. We are honored to partner with the Arthritis Foundation in establishing this research award.”
About The Arthritis Foundation
The Arthritis Foundation is the only national not-for-profit organization that supports the more than 100 types of arthritis and related diseases. Founded in 1948, with headquarters in Atlanta, the Arthritis Foundation has multiple service points located throughout the country. The Arthritis Foundation is the largest private, not-for-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world, funding more than $380 million in research grants since 1948. The foundation helps people take control of arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public policy and legislation; and conducting evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis. For more information, please visit
www.arthritis.org.
About Brown Rudnick LLP
Brown Rudnick is an international law firm with offices in the United States and Europe. The firm represents clients from around the world, providing business-focused solutions that address today’s ever-changing, ever-demanding competitive marketplace. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset, Brown Rudnick offers a broad slate of capabilities and talents in areas that include: Government Law & Strategies, Health Law, Corporate & Securities, Intellectual Property, Finance, Energy, Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring, Complex Litigation and Real Estate. For more information, please visit
www.brownrudnick.com.
The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest is a measure of the firm’s strong commitment to the community and serves as an umbrella entity encompassing the firm's pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement and public interest efforts.
For more information, please visit www.brownrudnickcenter.com.

May is National Arthritis Month. The goal is to increase awareness of arthritis. Better understanding can benefit both patients with arthritis and people who are not
afflicted with the disease.