Summer 2021 (Volume 31, Number 2)
Presidential Address
By Evelyn Sutton, President of the CRA
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It is with great pleasure and humility
that I have the privilege to serve
members of the Canadian Rheumatology
Association as the president for a second
year. Looking back and having been
part of CRA’s response since the onset of
the COVID-19 pandemic, I cannot overstate
the work that we have all undertaken
and the pressures we have faced. I am
proud of how well our team, committees,
members, volunteers as well as partners
have been proactive in developing resources,
tools, advocacy campaigns, guidelines,
and many other elements for the
benefit of the rheumatology community.
This past year, we also formed the CRA’s first Diversity &
Inclusion Task Force as we seek to ensure our association
delivers an inclusive opportunity and experience for all
future and current members, as well as stakeholders. Although
our community is distanced, our resilience and dedication
continually foster a spirit of togetherness.
With the current trend of work, practice, programs, and
events that are transitioning into virtual environments,
this unique situation has also provided an opportunity
to reflect on our pre-pandemic habits, and to be increasingly
cognizant of issues relating to climate change. The
CRA recently hosted an event on sustainability featuring
Dr. David Suzuki, who summed up the situation with immense
urgency. “The very survival of all human beings is at
risk.” This is not hyperbole—the evidence
Dr. Suzuki presented
was overwhelmingly convincing.
This is our time to change the world, and I challenge all
of us to proactively seek out information and make informed
decisions about how we live and
how we can lessen our impact on the
environment. At my weekly meeting last
week with our CEO, Dr. Ahmad Zbib, we
discussed what we can do individually
and as an organization to decrease our
carbon footprint. A few of our ideas were
to walk when we can, share rides when
walking is not an option, and to reduce
in-person CRA meetings by half. We
need to do this! I would love to hear your
suggestions and what you are planning
to do. We cannot ignore the science of
climate change. Our work as rheumatologists
is important and will be for
naught if we don’t have a world with clean water and air.
Now, more than ever, we must support each other. It is
with a reinvigorated spirit in my second year that I pledge
to everyone, as president of the CRA, that the entire
team and I are ready and here to support you. The CRA will
continue to innovate dynamically to positively shape the
future of rheumatology in Canada. Until we meet again, I
look forward to connecting with you all at Canada Night,
and at our 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting, in person or
remotely. Remember to make time for yourselves, your family
and friends and don’t hesitate to reach out to your
CRA family.
Evelyn Sutton, MD, FRCPC, FACP
President, Canadian Rheumatology Association
Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean,
Undergraduate Medical Education
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
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