SAVE THE DATE! Join us online and in-person for the CRA & AHPA Annual Scientific Meeting, Feb 2-5, 2022!

News from the ASM Program Committee

The CRA ASM program committee looks forward to meeting you all at the CRA and AHPA’s Annual Scientific Meeting, being held Wednesday February 2 – Saturday February 5, 2022. We are planning for an outstanding meeting that can be safely enjoyed either in person at the Quebec Conference Centre, or from the comfort of your own home.

The pandemic has put the inequalities in our society in stark relief. As we celebrate the 76^th anniversary of the CRA, our meeting will showcase how we address equity, diversity, and inclusion within our extended rheumatology community, captured by the theme of our meeting, Towards Equity: Rheum for Everyone.

Technology has transformed how we interact with each other. However, we have come to appreciate that in-person interaction can never be fully substituted by virtual interactions. As clinical care, research, teaching and administrative activities have become increasingly delivered in a hybrid fashion, we too intend to provide a hybrid conference to offer our delegates the best of both worlds. We hope that most attendees will choose to attend the meeting in person and promise to safely deliver full days of in-person events with adequate time for networking. As an added bonus, you will have the opportunity to watch on-demand sessions afterwards!

The ASM keynote lectures include:

Dunlop-Dottridge Lecture by Dr. Simon Carette, on advances made in the management of vasculitis. Dr. Carette is a rheumatologist and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He trained at Laval University, McGill, the University of Toronto, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Cambridge. His area of clinical expertise is vasculitis, and he is the director of the Vasculitis Program at Sinai Health Network since 2001.

State-of-the-Art Lecture by Dr. Tuhina Neogi, on pain in adult and pediatric rheumatic diseases. Dr. Neogi is a Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology at Boston University Schools of Medicine and of Public Health, and Chief of Rheumatology. As a rheumatologist and epidemiologist, her research focuses on osteoarthritis, gout, and pain mechanisms.

Keynote Lecture by Dr. Grace Wright, on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within the rheumatology community. Dr. Wright is a rheumatologist and Founder and President of the Association of Women in Rheumatology (AWIR). Founded in 2014, AWIR has grown to over 30 local chapters throughout the United States as well as a growing number of international chapters. Dr. Wright has served as the President of AWIR since its inception.

We will of course feature all the content you have come to expect and enjoy, including abstracts and poster tours for trainees and investigators to showcase their research activities; State-of-the-Art and crowd-sourced workshops; satellite symposia; as well as the not-to-be-missed crowd favourites including Clinical Pearls and Mysterious Cases, RheumJeopardy and The Great Debate! Opportunities to celebrate our award-winning colleagues will be featured throughout the meeting, and satellite meetings will feature the Residents’ Pre-Course, CRA Review Course, AHPA Pre-Course, and the Canadian Arthritis Research Conference.

We welcome all CRA and AHPA members, as well as all interested stakeholders, and colleagues around the word to join us for this exciting event. We look forward to celebrating with you in February!

Vinod Chandran
On behalf of the CRA Annual Scientific Meeting Program Committee