Winter 2023 (Volume 33, Number 4)

News from the ASM Program Committee

By Marinka Twilt, MD, MScE, PhD

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The CRA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) Program Committee looks forward to seeing you all at the 2024 CRA and AHPA Annual Scientific Meeting, this coming February 28th-March 2nd, 2024. We are looking forward to reconnecting with colleagues and friends in Winnipeg! Of course, a modified virtual conference will be made available for those who would prefer or who cannot attend in person.

As we celebrate the 78th anniversary of the CRA and move towards more equity, inclusivity and diversity in all aspects, this year’s meeting theme, “Confluence and Collaboration at the Forks”, will focus on collaboration and shared decision-making in our complex rheumatology practices and strengthen our rare diseases research. We will once again provide unparalleled educational and networking opportunities, centered on a program that will deliver innovative leading-edge science, interactive programming, and insights from Canadian and international experts.

In addition to the Distinguished Investigator lecture that will be announced in the coming months, the ASM will feature three keynote addresses: Dr. Jillian Horton from the University of Winnipeg, an award-winning medical educator, will present her lecture focused on Physician Wellness; Dr. Lihi Eder from the University of Toronto will discuss psoriatic arthritis; and the CRA’s own Dr. Hani El-Gabalawy will present the 2024 Dunlop-Dottridge Lecture on rheumatoid arthritis.

This year’s schedule will follow last year’s modified ASM schedule, with core educational content featured from Wednesday afternoon to Friday evening (Wednesday morning before the start of the ASM and Saturday morning will be reserved for small group and committee meetings). The meeting will commence the afternoon of Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, with a discussion on Mysterious Cases and Clinical Pearls and will end Friday, March 1st, 2024, with the gala dinner and awards ceremony. Each day will offer a full day of educational events, with adequate time for networking.

The meeting will, of course, feature all of the compelling content you have come to expect from the CRA & Arthritis Health Professions Association (AHPA) ASM. We will have poster sessions and poster tours for trainees and investigators to showcase their research activities; state-of-the-art, paired specialty and crowd-sourced workshops; satellite symposia; as well as favorites such as Mysterious Cases and Clinical Pearls, Controversies in Rheumatology, the Year in Review, RheumJeopardy and the Great Debate! This year’s debate topic is “Be it Resolved that EMRs Save Time for Healthcare Providers and Improve Quality of Care”. Opportunities to celebrate our award-winning colleagues will be featured throughout the meeting. Satellite meetings include the Residents’ Pre-Course, CRA RheumReview (formerly CRA Review Course), and AHPA Pre-Course.

We welcome all CRA and AHPA members and other colleagues within the rheumatology community from across Canada and around the world. We look forward to seeing you all in Winnipeg and celebrating our achievements together in February 2024.

Marinka Twilt, MD, MScE, PhD
Chair, ASM Program Committee
Pediatric Rheumatologist, Clinician Scientist,
Associate Professor, Cumming School of Medicine
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta