Jon Allen selected for Arthritis Foundation bicycle tour

Dr. Jon Allen, director of the Simulation Center at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, is going on the road to support arthritis research.

Allen was chosen to participate in the Arthritis Bike Classic from Sept. 18-25, wherein he will bicycle 525 miles in eight days – from San Francisco to Los Angeles – for the Arthritis Foundation. He will be joined by Dr. Christian Dequet, a rheumatologist at Altru Health System, among other riders.

“People with arthritis are warriors, boldly facing the pain, limitations and challenges the disease causes,” Allen posted on the Arthritis Foundation website dedicated to the event. “I’m honored to have seen their challenges first-hand as a provider caring for many patients over my career.”

Dr. Allen added that his wife experiences an autoimmune arthritis, which makes him “even more keenly aware” of the challenges the condition presents.

“I ride to cure arthritis and to improve the lives of these arthritis warriors,” he added. “This incredible event is the largest gathering of the arthritis community in the world, raising funds for resources and research, to find better treatments and a cure.”

Funds raised through the event will be used for arthritis research and the search for a cure.