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Winter 2019 (Volume 29, Number 4)

News from the ASM Program Committee
Come to Victoria and Leave with 20/20 Vision!

2020 marks the start of a new decade in rheumatology. If the last two decades are any indication, exciting things await us in the field over the next 10 years!

By Tom Appleton, MD, PhD, FRCPC

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Join us on February 26-29 in Victoria, B.C., at the Fairmont Empress & Victoria Conference Centre for the 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA). Canadian and international colleagues across professional domains will be treated to an exciting and interactive opportunity to engage with new science and emerging themes in rheumatology in the picturesque setting of coastal B.C.

The 2020 ASM will build on the success of our new 2019 “state-of-the-art” workshops track, with exceptional content provided daily, developed by world leaders on practical clinical topics for immediate applicability to clinical practice.

New This Year!
The CRA is bringing you two completely new satellite sessions on the first day before the ASM begins. The new CRA Review Course will provide state-of-the-art clinical experience to established rheumatologists looking for new ways to stimulate their practice and provide best-possible patient care. For more information on the new CRA Review Course, please refer to page 5 of this issue or click here.

Beginning on the eve of the ASM, the new Canadian Arthritis Research Conference will bring the research community together to discuss how we can “take collaborative action” and advance the field together.

Crowd-sourced Workshops
Members of the CRA and Arthritis Health Professions Association (AHPA) were invited to submit proposals to share their knowledge at the ASM by presenting an interactive workshop session. Come and engage with our colleagues who are leading in various areas including allied health experts, practice management, pragmatic research, and much more!

You Told Us That CRA Members Love Controversy!
In 2020, we are bringing back Rheumatology Controversies, providing insights into how to address difficult clinical decisions based on the experience of thought leaders in rheumatology.

Trainees can continue to expect fantastic opportunities to learn from the best, including the Resident’s Review Course. Trainees will also have the chance to provide top-line learning points for ASM attendees during the Mysterious Cases and Clinical Pearls session, a perennial highlight of the ASM!

Our ASM Headliners!
We are delighted to present an outstanding meeting that includes world-renowned speakers:

  • Professor Tim Spector will kick off the ASM as our Keynote Speaker. As the author of the global phenomenon “The Diet Myth,” he will address the role of the microbiome in human health and rheumatic diseases.
  • Dr. Dinesh Khanna from the University of Michigan will present the State-of-the-Art Lecture on interstitial lung disease in scleroderma.
  • Dr. Betty Diamond from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research will present the Dunlop-Dottridge Lecture. She will summarize the latest cutting-edge research in lupus, including how her work has led to new understanding of the cause of neuropsychiatric manifestations in lupus.

Professor Tim Spector

Dr. Dinesh Khanna

Dr. Betty Diamond

Registration opened November 29th! Old friends, new connections, important causes, Canadian content, and world-class opportunities in rheumatology await. I look forward to seeing you in Victoria. Bienvenue!


Tom Appleton, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Chair, ASM Program Committee
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology,
The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario



The access code to enter this site can be found on page 4 of the most recent issue of The Journal of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRAJ) or at the top of the most recent CRAJ email blast you received. Healthcare professionals can also obtain the access code by sending an email to CRAJwebmaster@sta.ca.

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