Roland Staud, MD is a rheumatologist and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and a noted and internationally admired medical researcher. Dr. Staud's cutting-edge research on fibromyalgia for the National Institutes of Health and the Arthritis Foundation clearly demonstrated that patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are more pain-sensitive and their pain lasts longer than for those without FMS. At the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Scientific Meeting in 2000, Dr. Staud presented his research and pointed out that, "Our findings provide evidence for abnormal central nervous system mechanism of pain in fibromyalgia patients and have significant implications for future therapies, which need to target these abnormal pain mechanisms." Dedicated to helping FMS patients by sharing his knowledge as much as possible, Dr. Staud is greatly appreciated by attendees at major national and international fibromyalgia and arthritis conferences, where he is a frequent speaker. He is also on the advisory board of Fibromyalgia Awareness magazine.

In addition, he is a reviewer for the following medical publications: the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, the Journal of Pain, and Pain. Dr. Staud has authored many medical journal articles on fibromyalgia and other topics. Dr. Staud is a diplomate of the American Board of Rheumatology and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Rheumatology, the International Association for the Study of Pain, the American Pain Society, the International Myopain Society, the Florida Medical Association, and the Florida Society of Rheumatology. Dr. Staud is licensed to practice medicine in Florida and California.

Christine Adamec has been a freelance writer for more than 20 years, concentrating on self-help and medical/health issues. She has authored and coauthored 14 books, including The Encyclopedia of Diabetes (Facts On File, Inc.), How to Stop Heartburn (Wiley), and Moms with ADD: A Self-Help Manual (Taylor), as well as written numerous magazine and newspaper health features. Ms. Adamec is a member of the American Medical Writers Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Authors Guild.