In 1976, a group of pediatric rheumatologists gathered for the first American Rheumatism Association (now the ACR) Conference on the Rheumatic Diseases of Childhood in Park City, Utah. This meeting marked the beginning of the organized pediatric rheumatology subspecialty.
Honoring 50 years since this medical milestone, pediatric programming at ACR Convergence 2026 in Orlando, Florida, will reflect on the field’s remarkable achievements and explore the work that remains to optimize care for children and adolescents living with rheumatic disease.
The celebration begins at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 8, in Room W414 with the special session Mastering the Field of Pediatric Rheumatology: Pioneers and Progress, 50th Anniversary.
“In this session, we’ll have four giants of our field discussing what they’ve seen over the last 40 years of pediatric rheumatology,” explained Stacey Tarvin, MD, Chair of the Annual Meeting Planning Committee (AMPC) Pediatric Team. “We’re very excited to honor these leaders and have them share some of their most interesting past experiences and what they hope the future of the field will look like.”
Each “master” will reflect on a specific era, sharing stories and experiences about where the field was when they started, early genetics, the first DMARDs and then biologics, along with the critical milestones achieved in their careers. The speakers will also highlight promising areas for the next wave of innovation across the field, including personalized medicine, advanced diagnostics, and gene therapies.
“In addition to 50 years of pediatric rheumatology, the AMPC Team came up with a theme we’ve decided to carry forward called the ‘Cytokine of the Year,’” said Dr. Tarvin. “This year, our pediatric cytokine will be interferons (IFN).”
At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday in Room W311A-D, Interferons at the Intersection of Immunity and Immune Dysregulation will kick off the program’s examination of these critical cytokines for immune defense against pathogens. The session will analyze the biology of type I and type II IFNs, the pathologic conditions associated with excessive IFN production, and the use of medications that target IFN signaling pathways.
This year’s Pediatric Great Debate is particularly timely, Dr. Tarvin explained. “We have a forthcoming ACR juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) guidelines publication that’s still under review, and one of the main topics was focused on a question that has confounded us in pediatric rheumatology for quite some time: oral versus subcutaneous methotrexate.”
The Pediatric Great Debate: Mamma Mia, Here We Dose Again: Use of Oral vs. Subcutaneous Methotrexate in Juvenile Arthritis, 10 a.m. on Monday, November 9, in Room W311A-D, will dive deep into this topic with two experts discussing the risks and benefits of methotrexate via oral and subcutaneous routes for the treatment of JIA with polyarthritis. Attendees will gain knowledge of methotrexate mechanism of action, long-term efficacy and safety, and other factors to select the most appropriate methotrexate route of administration for individual patients with JIA polyarthritis based on specific clinical presentation, circumstances, barriers, and values.
A high-impact basic science session begins at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, in Room W311A-D with Untangling the Genetic Drivers of Autoinflammation. This session will focus on the role of somatic variants and factors that contribute to incomplete penetrance in autoinflammatory diseases.
“This is a really hot topic for pediatric rheumatologists because the science is evolving very quickly,” Dr. Tarvin said. “Integrating that into our clinical practice and our understanding of patient care is something that I think many of us are finding that we need more information about.”
The Pediatrics program wraps up at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, in Room W311A-D with Business of Rheumatology: Knots and Bolts of Pediatric Rheumatology Practice.
“For the first time, we have a session focused on the business of rheumatology,” Dr. Tarvin noted. “By and large, pediatric rheumatologists work at academic healthcare centers. They’re not typically private practitioners. However, we’re seeing that there are opportunities for pediatric rheumatology to start making its mark in private practice, so we wanted to recognize some of the ways that can happen.”
The session will discuss billing and coding for complex rheumatology services, optimizing reimbursement for biologics and infusions, workforce planning, and leveraging telehealth to expand access to care. Attendees will also learn about strategies for integrating value-based care models and improving efficiency without compromising quality, offering practical tools and insights to strengthen the business foundation of their practice while meeting the unique needs of children and young adults with rheumatic diseases.
Also during the meeting, the Pediatric Rheumatology Anniversary Lounge: Connecting Generations will take place in Room W208A. There will be an interactive opportunity to trace the roots of pediatric rheumatology and time to connect with members of the pediatric rheumatology community, as well as some fun surprises to mark the 50th anniversary of the subspecialty.
The complete list of ACR Convergence 2026 pediatric track sessions is available in the online program.
Additional Pediatric Sessions
Sunday, November 8
- Pediatric Year in Review, 1–2:30 p.m., Room W414
- Building Bridges to Better Care: Advocacy and Legislative Updates in Pediatrics, 3–4 p.m., Room W311A-D
- Progress Through Partnership: Recent Advances in Rare Pediatric Rheumatic Diseases, 3:30–5 p.m., Room W414
Monday, November 9
- Childhood Neuropsychiatric Lupus: Understanding Cognitive Dysfunction from Bench to Bedside, 8–9:30 a.m., Room W311A-D
- Joint Efforts for Clear Eyes: A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Optimizing Care in Non-Infectious Uveitis, 1–2 p.m., Room W414
- Pediatric Thieves Market: Show Me Your Best Cases!, 2:30–3:30 p.m., Room W414
- Building 50 Years of Patient Collaboration: Advances in Treat to Target and Shared Decision Making, 4–5 p.m., Room W414
Tuesday, November 10
- Moving Towards Competence: Building Flexible Pediatric Rheumatology Training Pathways for Fellows, 8–9 a.m., Chapin Theater
- Hit Me with Your Best Shot: Precision Dosing in Pediatric Rheumatology, 10–11 a.m., Room W311A-D
- Preparing Pediatric Rheumatology for CAR Based Therapies in Rare Disease, 10–11:30 a.m., Room W110B
- Co-Production of Patient Education Materials to Improve Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Care and Outcomes, 1–2 p.m., Room W205
- Engage and Solve: Pediatric Rheumatology Kahoot! Game, 1–2 p.m., Room W414
- High Stakes, Shared Decisions: Teratogens in Transition-Age Rheumatology, 2:30–3:30 p.m., Room W414
- 50 years of Progress and Hope for Pediatric Rheumatic Disorders, Using Juvenile Myositis as an Exemplar to Celebrate Scientific Advancement, 4–5 p.m., Room W414
Wednesday, November 11
- From Ideas to Impact: Building Collaborations and Careers in Pediatric Rheumatology Research, 8–9:30 a.m., Room W311A-D
JOIN US IN ORLANDO
If you haven’t registered for ACR Convergence 2026, register today to participate in this year’s premier rheumatology experience, November 6–11 in Orlando, Florida. All registered participants receive on-demand access to scientific sessions after the meeting through September 30, 2027.
