Inaugural Global Rheumatology Summit added to ACR Convergence

The inaugural Global Rheumatology Summit takes place this year just as ACR Convergence 2021 begins.

The all-day summit on Wednesday, Nov. 3, included with your ACR Convergence registration, provides a forum for exchanges between rheumatology experts from around the world on issues and concerns of priority and common interest. The summit will present critical topics at the intersection of global health and rheumatology, allowing experts to share lessons and inspire future generations of rheumatology leaders.

Evelyn Hsieh, MD, PhD, chair of the ACR’s Global Engagement Special Committee, said that the summit will deliver discussions about the important work taking place in many regions around the world.

“We wanted to provide a platform to highlight those efforts and bring rheumatologists and health professionals together from different parts of the word to talk about topics that are of mutual relevance,” Dr. Hsieh said. “Sessions address critical cross-cutting themes such as equity, access, leadership and training. Sessions also focus on the science from different regions, how the science is being implemented to improve access to care and outcomes for patients in different settings, and how multidisciplinary teams are playing a critical role in that care delivery.”

The summit starts at 7:30 a.m. EDT on Nov. 3 and lasts until 3:30 p.m.

ACR President David R. Karp, MD, PhD, will kick off the summit by presenting the ACR Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional Award to Ida Dzifa Dey, MD, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana. The award was initiated in 2021 and is awarded to a rheumatologist or rheumatology health professional outside of the U.S. and Canada for exceptional contributions in public service and advocacy to the global rheumatology community.

Summit Sessions:

• Keynote Speaker—Health Equity: Bridging Divides and Fostering Dialogue to Achieve Health Equity: Ayoade Alakijia, MD, co-chair of the African Union Vaccine Delivery Alliance (AVDA), and former Chief Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, will address health equity and strategies to bring stakeholders to the table to improve health equity in crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Meet the Experts: The summit will be the kickoff for this quarterly series. Professionals from around the world submitted challenging diagnostic/management cases on ANCA-associated vasculitis and a panel of three global vasculitis experts will discuss and debate each case, with the audience also participating.
• Global Leaders Fireside Chat—Women Leaders in Rheumatology: Highlighting trailblazers in their regions, four world-renowned women leaders in the field of rheumatology will share their stories about creating research and training opportunities to develop the next generations of rheumatologists and women leaders.
• Innovative Solutions to Global Challenges in Rheumatology: In this session using crowdsourcing (similar to Meet the Experts), four presenters will explain innovative technology solutions they’ve created to address challenges in rheumatology.
• Engaging the Full Rheumatology Care Team to Improve Patient Care and Outcomes: Highlighting the complete rheumatology team, health professionals and patients will spotlight global initiatives enhancing care quality and capacity and address ways patient-oriented healthcare meets the challenges of chronic disease management in different resource settings.
• Global Researcher Spotlight: Lessons on the Ground from the Global Burden of Diseases Study: Chris Murray, MD, DPhil, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, will describe the history and evolution of the Global Burden of Disease Study, including lessons on how the institute has collected data from around the world with innovative, high-quality methods, and most important, how that data translates into policy and action globally.
• The Future of Rheumatology—Panel Discussion: Leadership from the four Leagues of Rheumatology and the ACR each selected an early career rheumatologist to participate on this first of its kind panel discussion showcasing their innovative work and provide perspectives on the future of rheumatology.

The summit is the first major event developed by the Global Engagement Special Committee. The committee formed last year and works on strategic and collaborative activities between the ACR, its international members and constituents, and other rheumatology organizations.

Looking ahead, Eric L. Matteson, MD, MACR, working with the Global Engagement Committee, said that the committee is looking for more opportunities for the ACR to offer global events on a regular basis. Some ideas include a recurring forum where international researchers can share ideas and problems with experts from the ACR and the international rheumatology community, along with a similar forum for training concerns. There also could be expanded exchange programs for visiting scholars and young researchers.

“I’m excited that this committee and this summit has been developed,” Dr. Matteson said. “The committee has developed the kinds of programs that highlight, consolidate, and coordinate the important areas of the ACR’s commitment to rheumatology.”