The 64th Annual Meeting and the 17th Winter Workshop of The Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) was held at the Delta Lodge, Kananaskis, Alberta, February 18–21, 2009.
The Program consisted of presentations covering original research, symposia, workshops, poster sessions, the Royal College debate, the Dunlop-Dottridge Lecture, and special awards and presentations, including the CRA Distinguished Rheumatologist, Distinguished Investigator, and the Teacher-Educator Award.
A practical course and update for Fellows that included a special luncheon was held prior to the meeting. The national Annual Update, chaired by Shahin Jamal, covered a Mexican update by Javier Cabiedes, corticosteroid usage in rheumatoid arthritis by Mala Joneja, and new tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for juvenile arthritis by Nicole Johnson. President John Thomson delivered his opening remarks, followed by podium presentations chaired by Proton Rahman, and by a state of the art lecture “Vitamin D Deficiency: a Silent Epidemic,” by David Hanley of Calgary, whose insightful presentation aroused considerable discussion.
Workshop sessions were followed by a timely thieves’ market session on the new face of tuberculosis complicating anti-TNF therapies, a topic that was elucidated by crossfire presentations by Bob Offer and Wojciech Olszynski, chaired by Vivian Bykerk. A state of the art lecture by Dan Kastner, Chief and Clinic Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Bethesda, MD, USA, provided comprehensive coverage of the periodic fever syndromes, with emphasis on some Canadian connections.
The 2009 Royal College debate, entitled “Industrial Relations: Good For You or Not?”, pitted Easterners Brian Feldman and Paul Haraoui against Westerners Paul Davis and Liam Martin. Moderator Stephanie Ensworth was kept on her toes by the intensity of their heated presentations.
Contributions to Canadian Rheumatology were acknowledged with a number of awards. The Basic Science Award went to Dr. Nigil Haroon, University of Toronto, for his family-based association analysis study that confirmed the role for ARTS1 in ankylosing spondylitis. The P.S. Rosen Award went to Dr. Barry O’Shea, University of Toronto, for his study showing discordance between patient-reported subjective measures and physician-determined objective measures of spinal disease in ankylosing spondylitis. The Ian Watson Award went to Dr. Karen Adams, University of Toronto, for her study on cytokine screening for potential biomarkers to monitor disease activity in patients with SLE; her studies indicated that fluctuations in plasma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) may function best as a flare-specific biomarker in lupus. The Best Overall Paper award went to Dr. Julie Kim, University of Toronto, for her study of altered activation of newly-emergent bone marrow-derived B cells in lupus. The Best Paper by an Undergraduate Student went to Kim Baker, Queen’s University, for a multicenter multiethnic study of work disability in lupus that was predicted by sociodemographic and disease-related factors.
Dr. Manfred Harth of London, Ontario, was presented with the Distinguished Rheumatologist Award. Manfred’s career has included his role as Division Head of Rheumatology at the University of Western Ontario from 1966 to 1987, where he pursued research interests in rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. He also served as President and Vice President of the CRA in the 1980s as well as Chair of the Rheumatology Specialty Committee of the Royal College from 1982 to 1986. He has also received many teaching awards and contributed locally and nationally to the work of The Arthritis Society.
Dr. Claire Bombardier was awarded The Distinguished Investigator Award. Claire is the Director of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Toronto and holds the recently established Pfizer Research Chair in Rheumatology. In 2003 she was the Founding Director of the clinical epidemiology program at the University of Toronto. As an international ambassador for rheumatology she has pioneered the establishment of OMERACT and the development of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic diseases. As such she currently leads the Ontario Biologics Research initiative, bringing together researchers, government, and patients in one of the most comprehensive postmarketing initiatives for biologic therapies. She also continues to be the recipient of federal funding as the co-scientific director of the Canadian Arthritis Network. Claire also contributes to the Ontario Institute for Work and Health, The Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, and serves as a clinical rheumatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.
The Teacher-Educator Award went to Dr. Heather McDonald-Blumer. Heather is the current Program Director for postgraduate rheumatology training at the University of Toronto and the Chair of the Specialty Committee and Examination Board for Rheumatology of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Her early medical career involved full-time practice as a community rheumatologist that evolved into a part-time faculty appointment at Women’s College Hospital, where she was the Medical Director of the Multidisciplinary Osteoporosis Program from 1996 to 2004. She is currently Associate Director of the Osteoporosis Program of the University Health Network and a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of Osteoporosis in Canada. Throughout, her strong interest in medical education led to her completion of a Master of Science degree in health professional education at the University of Toronto.
The meeting concluded with the Dunlop-Dottridge Lecture, given by Dr. Cornelia Weyand, the David Lowance Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. Her presentation focused on the immunopathogenesis of vascular inflammation, with emphasis on how human macrovessels from different vascular beds specialize in immune-monitoring functions.
Last but not least, an important milestone in the life of the CRA and The Journal was proudly acknowledged at the Annual Meeting. The membership’s unanimous approval of the CRA’s acquisition of The Journal of Rheumatology at the previous year’s meeting in Mt. Tremblant had now been made official. This unique transition will ensure continuity of The Journal’s mission as a Canadian-based international voice of Rheumatology under the continued ownership and operation by rheumatologists like you. It is my pleasure, on behalf of our editorial team, to express our optimism for this new and renewed relationship with all the members of the CRA — our colleague-shareholders. As in the past, members of the CRA will continue to contribute to The Journal as readers, reviewers, and authors as we strive to disseminate new information that benefits all our patients.
