Combining the best of disease-specific medical education and a new focus on professional development, the recently renamed Association of Rheumatology Professionals is committed to providing something for everyone at this year’s ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, including many of ACR/ARP combined sessions focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to various rheumatic diseases.
“The overarching philosophy is that regardless of discipline, we will challenge you with something new to take back to your practice, especially individuals that are early in their career,” said Susan Murphy ScD, OTR, Associate Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan. “We also have many sessions combined with the ACR because we think that the topics are cross-cutting, and it enhances the representativeness of the speakers and your experience at the meeting no matter what your role is in rheumatology.”
The goal of the 2019 program is to bring together all disciplines in rheumatology from educators, practitioners, to researchers and administrators to discuss best practices in rheumatology.
“It is essential to be inclusive of the diversity of our membership. ARP, the ‘interprofessional division of ACR’ recognizes and values the unique and diverse individuals and disciplines involved in the care of patients in rheumatology,” Dr. Murphy said. “Our emphasis will be to showcase these successes as we aim to ensure the best care for all patients living with rheumatic disease.”
For example, the featured speaker for the annual Daltroy Memorial Lecture is Kim Schofield, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives who will deliver the lecture “Lupus and Legislation: From Advocacy to Policy” at 1:00 PM on Sunday, Nov.10.“She’s a person who is a huge lupus advocate. Not only will she show her lived experiences with lupus as a professional in the political arena, but she will also describe how she is advocating at the policy level,” said Dr. Murphy.
Dr. Murphy noted that a new feature this year is a number of sessions representing career and professional development on topics, ranging from cultivating a mentor-mentee relationship to improving communication skills. Additionally, a three-session Statistics Bootcamp is being offered for those involved in research, covering sample size and power calculations, statistical modeling of categorical data, and multi-state models for time-to-event data analysis.
Dr. Murphy suggested several other sessions that she expects will have broad interest. These sessions and others in ARP’s dynamic and engaging program are designed to provide up-to-date knowledge, useful tools, and resources for rheumatology professionals to optimally support and care for people with rheumatic disease.
- Precision Medicine (Preconference at 1:00 PM, Saturday, Nov. 9) — This session will cover how precision medicine can be used to deliver more effective care from basic science to psychosocial and behavioral considerations.
- Radiology Demystified (Part 1 at 11:00 AM, Sunday, Nov. 10, and Part 2 at 9:00 am, Monday, Nov. 11) — Part one will cover x rays, and part two will review indications for MRIs and ultrasound.
- Wearable Technologies: Evidence-Based Updates (8:30 AM, Tuesday, Nov. 12) — “This is a popular one where you get to see all the latest technology for tracking health outcomes. It’s an evidence-based update, so you can see what the latest research for these devices and wearables,” Dr. Murphy said.
- Tweets and Trolls: How to Handle Social Media (7:30 AM, Monday, Nov. 11) — “This is a new topic, but one that we thought was increasingly relevant in all of our professional lives no matter what our unique discipline is” said Dr. Murphy.
- Getting What You Want: Contract Law Essentials for the Practicing Rheumatology Provider (1:00 PM, Monday, Nov. 11) — Dr. Murphy noted that this won’t be your typical dry contract session, but rather a hands-on contract negotiation primer presented in a practical, yet entertaining way.
- Tough Talks with Teens: Sexuality, Substance Abuse & Self-Image (9:00 AM, Wednesday, Nov. 13) — Including a case presentation, this session will focus on the challenges that teens with rheumatic disease face and the role of the care provider in managing these issues.