SPARCC is a group of rhematologists and scientists who have come together to study spondyloarthritis. SPARCC is currently funded by the National Research Initiative (NRI) grant from The Arthritis Society. Known collectively as spondyloarthritis (SpA), this group of diseases is characterized by chronic inflammation of the pelvic joints and spine. It is frequently accompanied by arthritis in a number of other joints. SpA affects at least the same number of Canadians as rheumatoid arthritis (1 in 100 people). Until recently, SpA was under-recognized and under-studied in Canada.