Fall 2026 (Volume 36, Number 3)

Awards, Appointments, and Accolades

Download PDF

Dr. Abraham Chaiton — ORA Distinguished Member Award

Receiving the Ontario Rheumatology Association Distinguished Member Award is a deeply appreciated honour. With over 50 years in rheumatology, one of the most rewarding parts of my career has been witnessing and contributing to the acceptance of musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound within our specialty.

I undertook the challenge of educating myself in MSK ultrasound at a time when it was not considered within the traditional scope of rheumatology practice. Recognizing its potential to improve bedside diagnosis and patient care, I became committed to advancing its use in Canadian rheumatology. That personal journey evolved into a national, educational initiative through my involvement in establishing the Canadian Rheumatology Ultrasound Society (CRUS), developing structured training programs, and teaching and mentoring rheumatologists across Canada.

Today, I am particularly impressed by the younger generation of motivated colleagues who continue to advance the science and application of ultrasound in the pursuit of better patient care. Their enthusiasm, curiosity and commitment leave me confident that the future of our specialty is sound.

Dr. Walter Maksymowych (for work done in collaboration with
Dr. Robert Lambert)
EULAR 2026 Abstract Award for Clinical Research

We assembled a unique global collaboration of 21 rheumatologists from SPARTAN and 16 musculoskeletal radiologists from the Skeletal Society of Radiologists, all of whom are experts in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), with the aim being to define the essential parameters for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the sacroiliac joints to be considered indicative of axSpA for the purposes of disease classification.

Qualitative parameters and a new quantitative component were derived for a definition of a positive MRI across the full spectrum of axSpA. Data analyses were based on assessments of MRI scans from 3 cohorts and 1,050 patients which culminated in the generation of more than 130 data tables. The abstract describing this work was awarded a EULAR 2026 top 10 abstract prize (from among 4,500 submitted).