Summer 2019 (Volume 29, Number 2)
Presidential Address
A Message from the CRA President, Dr. Vandana Ahluwalia
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As I enter my second year as
President of the CRA, I am excited
for the year ahead with
many initiatives and projects set to
take off as we approach our association’s
75th anniversary in 2021.
Today, I look back at an amazing
membership-focused year, teeming
with collaborative efforts across our
various committees and partner organizations.
Building upon the great work of
Dr. Joanne Homik, my predecessor,
and focusing on the CRA’s strategic
priorities have allowed our association
to tackle various challenges that we face. We will be
striving to understand and serve our members’ needs and
wants based on their gender, demographics and career
stage.
Communications and collaboration, both internal and
external, remain a priority for our association. Our communications-related priorities have been several-fold
through knowledge transfer and support by virtue of our
Indigenous Health Competency Initiative, a member-exclusive
program; communicating drug shortages; developing
a Medical Cannabis Position Statement; and updating the
Biosimilars Position Statement. In addition, the Human Resources
committee has also kicked off with new co-chairs
this past year who are scoping the ongoing issues in workforce
management and preparing the 2020 edition of the
“Stand Up and Be Counted" survey. Collaboration this past
year is setting the stage to work closely with national and
international organizations towards “living” or dynamic
guidelines, as well as the development of a special interest
group in pediatric musculoskeletal (MSK) care at the Canadian
Paediatric Society. With the
initiation of the new Stakeholder
Engagement Committee, this group
will be focused on building relationships
and elevating the CRA’s voice.
With this voice, I am sure that we
will be able to lead our membership
on new evolving and controversial
issues.
In this new age of developing
technologies and ever-decreasing
funding, opportunities as well as
challenges arise as we look to empower
the CRA and our membership.
We must continue to leverage
newly formed partnerships and tap into the expertise of
our membership to open new doors while remaining at the
forefront of the conversation and leading arthritis care.
For members attending the American College of Rheumatology
(ACR) meeting this November, I am excited to
connect at our next annual Canada Night in Atlanta. I also
look forward to seeing you all on February 26-29, 2020,
in Victoria, British Columbia, at our 74th Annual Scientific
Meeting. Don’t forget to make time in your schedule to
attend one of our new offerings on February 26: the CRA
review course for practicing rheumatologists or the CRA/
Arthritis Society Research Day for the arthritis research
community.
Vandana Ahluwalia, MD, FRCPC
President,
Canadian Rheumatology Association
Former Corporate Chief of Rheumatology,
William Osler Health System,
Brampton, Ontario
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