The annual Review Course is a high-yield learning experience for a broad spectrum of ACR Convergence attendees, from clinical and academic rheumatologists to residents and fellows, and it touches on many of the topics that will be featured throughout the scientific sessions at the annual meeting. The eight lectures in this advance programming session, presented 7:30 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, represent the breadth of rheumatology, making it an essential one-stop shop for staying current in the field.
“The Review Course is a concentrated, intensive learning opportunity,” said one of the session coordinators, Julie Paik, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins Rheumatology. “It brings leading experts to the stage to distill the most important updates, giving you the essential knowledge you need to be both an informed clinical partner and a stronger practicing rheumatologist.”
The lineup includes:
- Updates in the Treatment of Pediatric and Adult Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Stacy Ardoin, MD, MSc, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- Inflammatory Brain Disease for the Clinical Rheumatologist, Eyal Muscal, MD, MS, Baylor College of Medicine
- Pearls in Drug Management of Rheumatic Disease, Cecilia Chung, MD, University of Miami
- Mimics of Myositis: What’s Hiding in Plain Sight?, Jens Schmidt, MD, FEAN, FAAN, Immanuel University Hospital Rüdersdorf and Brandenburg Medical School, Germany
- Skin in the Game: Cutaneous Manifestations of Rheumatic Disease, Katharina Shaw, MD, University of Pennsylvania, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Priovant Therapeutics
- Updates in the Diagnosis and Management of Gout, Angelo Gaffo, MD, FACP, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Eye of the Cytokine Storm: Decoding Macrophage Activation Syndrome, Grant Schulert, MD, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- What’s New in Vasculitis?, John Stone, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
“We wanted to highlight some of the more severe manifestations of rheumatic diseases, such as macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), which can be challenging to manage,” Dr. Paik said. “Rheumatology is uniquely rewarding because of the diverse organ manifestations we encounter — one of the very reasons many of us chose this field, as it builds on our foundations in internal medicine and pediatrics.”
In his talk on MAS, Dr. Schulert will update attendees about advancements in drugs used to treat the condition and how to recognize it promptly to reduce mortality. Dr. Muscal will share updates on inflammatory brain disease, which can also present with severe symptoms and require urgent intervention.
The Review Course coordinators this year built a program that is intended for pediatric as well as adult rheumatologists.
“We’re excited that nearly all of the talks are relevant to both specialties,” said the other session coordinator, Sarah Bayefsky, MD, Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
Three of the speakers are pediatric rheumatologists, including those who will discuss MAS and inflammatory brain disease. In addition, Dr. Ardoin, who will provide updates on systemic lupus erythematosus, treats adults and children.
Dr. Chung will speak about drug management, which is a topic that has not been covered in the Review Course previously.
“It’s a topic that consistently appears on certification exams and has long been a cornerstone of our training,” Dr. Paik noted. “With the growing complexity of immunosuppressive therapies in autoimmune disease, it’s critical to stay current on new testing, monitoring strategies, and potential drug interactions.”
Other topics, such as gout (Dr. Gaffo) and mimics of myositis (Dr. Schmidt), will also be discussed for the first time in recent years.
Speakers were chosen on the basis of their clinical expertise and teaching prowess.
“We have a fantastic lineup of speakers this year,” Dr. Bayefsky said, “including Dr. Stone, who will highlight for attendees what is new in the diagnosis and management of vasculitis.”
In addition, the organizers invited a dermatologist, Dr. Shaw, who they state will emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of rheumatology.
“We see a lot of patients who have dermatologic manifestations of rheumatic disease,” Dr. Bayefsky stated. “While we work closely with dermatologists, we need to be astute ourselves in distinguishing cutaneous findings and selecting the best available treatments.”
Dr. Bayefsky concluded, “The Review Course represents an amuse-bouche for ACR Convergence 2025. Join us for an exciting half-day of eight excellent talks on key rheumatology topics.”
An All-Access Pass is required to attend the Review Course in person at McCormick Place in Chicago. On-demand access to recorded presentations will be available to registered attendees of ACR Convergence following the annual meeting through October 31, 2026.
Don’t Miss a Session
If you weren’t able to make it to a live session during ACR Convergence 2025 — or you want to revisit a session from the annual meeting — make plans to watch the replay. All registered participants receive on-demand access to scientific sessions after the meeting through October 31, 2026.