The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is a agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases.