WCVB investigative reporter Karen Anderson will emcee the Arthritis Foundation's Commitment to a Cure Gala on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the InterContinental Boston, an event marking 30 years of impact and progress for the arthritis community in Massachusetts. The evening runs from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., with dinner and the speaking program beginning at 7:30 p.m., and it will honor a slate of community leaders and healthcare providers who share the foundation's commitment to a pain-free future.
According to WCVB, the Arthritis Foundation aims to find a cure for arthritis while working to connect and support people living with the disease through research, resources and advocacy designed to improve quality of life. Tickets are available on the gala's ticket page, and the event takes place at 510 Atlantic Avenue in Boston, a waterfront venue with 32,000 square feet of event space situated on the historic site of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, according to PartySlate.
Physicians Honored for Sports Medicine and Pediatric Rheumatology
The gala will present the Marian Ropes Award for Physician Excellence in Orthopedics to Dr. Elizabeth Matzkin of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dr. Eric Smith of New England Baptist Hospital, alongside the Physician Excellence in Rheumatology award to Dr. Peter Nigrovic of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital, according to OneCause. Matzkin, Chief of Women's Sports Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, serves as team physician for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and was named head orthopedic surgeon for Boston Legacy FC ahead of its inaugural 2026 NWSL season, per Mass General Brigham. Nigrovic, meanwhile, chairs the Division of Immunology at Boston Children's Hospital and directs the Center for Adults with Pediatric Rheumatic Illness at Brigham and Women's, focusing on long-term care for childhood-onset rheumatic conditions, according to Boston Children's Hospital.
Labor Leader and Family Fundraisers Also Recognized
The evening will also bestow the Myles & Jean McDonough Award for Community Excellence on Jen and Bob Tonning of Emily's Pink Team, while honoring Patrick J. Walsh of Laborers' Local 223 as the 2026 Outstanding Labor Leader, per the same OneCause listing. Walsh is a third-generation construction craft laborer who was appointed Business Manager and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 223 in April 2024 after serving as local union president since 2014, according to the Irish Echo.
Jen and Bob Tonning launched Emily's Pink Team after their 5-year-old daughter, Emily, developed sudden severe joint inflammation and fevers, turning their family's experience into an annual charity effort that has raised nearly $1 million for arthritis research, according to a post from the Arthritis Foundation Massachusetts Facebook page.
Fundraising History and the Scale of Arthritis in America
Last year's Boston Commitment to a Cure Gala raised more than $161,820 to support the Arthritis Foundation's research, advocacy and community support initiatives in Massachusetts, per the foundation's OneCause event page. The disease the foundation targets is far from rare: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates covering 2019 through 2021 found that 21.2% of U.S. adults, roughly 53.2 million people, have been diagnosed with arthritis, making it a leading cause of chronic pain and disability, according to the CDC.
Federal health data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey also shows an age-adjusted arthritis prevalence of 21.5% among women compared with 16.1% among men, a gender gap the CDC has documented in its own data brief. That disparity gives added weight to the honorees being celebrated this year, from a sports medicine chief treating elite female athletes to a family that turned a young daughter's diagnosis into a fundraising movement.
The InterContinental Boston has hosted high-profile gatherings before, including an unannounced appearance by former President Joe Biden at a St. Patrick's Day breakfast covered in earlier Hoodline coverage. This time, the waterfront venue on Fort Point Channel will center on a quieter cause: three decades of local advocacy for people living with arthritis across Massachusetts.
