CRAJ Winter 2017

Winter 2017 (Volume 27, Number 4)

News From SOAR

By Volodko Bakowsky, MD, FRCPC

The 34th annual meeting of the Society of Atlantic Rheumatologists (SOAR) took place at Fox Harb’r, Nova Scotia, from June 23-25th, 2017. Once again, rheumatologists from the three Maritime provinces convened for a weekend of rejuvenation of the brain and spirit.

This year’s David Hawkins Lecture in Rheumatology, “ANCA-associated Vasculitis: Lies I May Have Told You” was given by Dr. Phil Seo, MD, MHS, from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. He followed this up with a second myth-busting, paradigm-shifting lecture “Neglected Vasculitis”.

Our second lecturer was Dr. Sindhu Johnson, MD, PhD, from the University of Toronto. She gave us two excellent talks, “Advances in Scleroderma” and “Scleroderma Mimics”, and in her spare time infected us all with her unbridled enthusiasm and energy.

The meeting was rounded out by case and research presentations from the next generation of Atlantic Canadian Rheumatologists. The future looks bright!

The Bluegrass band, Big Country Ramblers, rounded out the meeting, and really shook up our normally staid group of rheumatologists with their alt-country rhythms. There was a “whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on” (some of it on tables), and I will leave it at that because what happens at SOAR, stays at SOAR!

We are all looking forward to SOAR 2018, which will be held June 22-24th, 2018, at Dalvay, Prince Edward Island. Rumour has it that the band will be back. Save the date!

SOAR members (from left to right): Dr. Elana Murphy, Dr. Caroline Barry, Dr. Volodko Bakowsky, Dr. Alex Legge, and Dr. Trudy Taylor.

Dr. Phil Seo (left) and Dr. Sindhu Johnson (right) were this year's guest speakers.

Volodko Bakowsky, MD, FRCPC
Interim Division Head/Chief, Associate Professor,
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine
Dalhousie University
President,
SOAR,
Halifax, Nova Scotia