Leading experts to gather at ISR Autumn Meeting

The upcoming Irish Society for Rheumatology gathering will feature key discussions on advancements in rheumatology and foster professional collaboration

The Irish Society for Rheumatology (ISR) Autumn Meeting will take place in Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare, on 12-13 September 2024. The Autumn Meeting, which is one of the two keynote ISR annual gatherings, will bring together leading rheumatology professionals, with a series of expert presentations on the latest advancements in the field. It promises to be an invaluable opportunity for knowledge-sharing and discussion, according to ISR President and Consultant Rheumatologist at Cork University Hospital, Dr John Ryan.

“These meetings give a great opportunity to get together, to have a sense of collegiality, particularly after Covid,” Dr Ryan, who took over as President from Prof Geraldine McCarthy following last year’s Autumn Meeting, told the Medical Independent.

“During Covid, there were very little face-to-face interactions with colleagues and you realised how important it is to work as a group. Meetings like this give an insight into how our colleagues are managing conditions. In a small country like Ireland, you rely on a network of people you can call on when you encounter challenging cases and it is great to keep those connections going.”

He also noted that these meetings are important for gaining insights and perspectives from international experts in the field.

“It gives a good gauge of where we are in Irish rheumatology and where things are going in the future.”

Specialty

Dr Ryan said rheumatology in Ireland is in a strong place currently and has seen a “dramatic rise in doctors wanting to enter the specialty and joining the [specialist registrar] scheme”.

He added that the recent appointment of additional rheumatology consultants has been “exciting to see”.

Dr Ryan also noted the increase in the number of abstracts submitted for the meeting, which is a testament to the strength of the research being undertaken currently in the field.

The main meeting on Thursday 12 September will begin with an opening address by Dr Ryan.

The address will be followed by oral presentations on the top six abstracts submitted to the meeting for consideration.

Sjogren’s disease

After a break, a talk will be given by Dr Elizabeth Price, Consultant Rheumatologist, Great Western Hospital, Swindon, UK. Dr Price runs a specialist Sjogren’s clinic accepting tertiary referrals. She currently focuses on extraglandular manifestations of the disease and clinical research into Sjogren’s disease (SD) and is a member of the steering committee for the UK’s primary SD registry.

The topic of Dr Price’s talk is the new British Society for Rheumatology Sjogren’s disease management guideline. This guideline builds on, and widens, the recommendations in the first guideline published in 2017. The working group that developed the guideline, which was led by Dr Price, included advice on the management of children and adolescents with SD where appropriate to provide as comprehensive a guideline as possible for UK-based rheumatology teams.

EGPA

The next speaker is Dr Allyson Egan, Consultant in Nephrology and Medicine, Trinity Health Kidney Centre, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin.

Dr Egan’s specialist interest is in vasculitis and lupus. She graduated in medicine from University of London – St George’s Hospital Medical School, UK, after completing a Bachelor of Science Chemistry degree at University College Dublin (UCD). Her senior house officer training at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK, was followed by a Wellcome Fellowship at Imperial College London. She completed her training at the Hammersmith Hospital, accrediting in nephrology and medicine, followed by a post-CCT Fellowship focusing upon glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, and lupus. Concurrently, she was a postgraduate Medical Education Fellow, winning ‘Rising Educator of the Year’ at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Her expertise in autoimmunity was furthered by Consultancy in Nephrology specialising in vasculitis at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

The title of Dr Egan’s talk is ‘The use of biologics in EGPA [eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis]’. EGPA, previously known as Churg-Strauss Syndrome, is an inflammatory disease of small-and-medium-sized blood vessels. The lungs and skin are commonly affected, but it can affect other organs including the heart, kidneys, nerves, and bowels.

JAK inhibitors

After the talk, there will be a break for lunch. The topic of the first talk in the afternoon, which is sponsored by Abbvie, is the role Janus kinase inhibitors play early in the treatment paradigm. It will be given by Prof Filip Van den Bosch, Head-of-Clinic and Associate Professor of Rheumatology in the Department of Rheumatology at the University Hospital of Ghent University, Belgium. Prof Van den Bosch graduated in medicine at the University of Ghent in 1991; he became board certified in rheumatology in 1996; and received a PhD degree in 2003. His doctoral thesis focused on the exploration of the therapeutic potential of TNF-alpha blockade in spondyloarthritis patients and more specifically in patients with bowel-related arthritis. He serves as an executive committee member of the Assessments in SpondyloArthritis International Society and is also a member of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis.

After Prof Van den Bosch’s talk, the Bernard Connor Medal will be awarded, and the ISR AGM will take place.

Rheumatoid arthritis

The final talk of the first day of the meeting will be delivered by Dr Elena Nikiphorou, Consultant Rheumatologist, King’s College Hospital, London, UK.

Dr Nikiphorou has a clinical and academic interest in inflammatory arthritis. She gained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at University College London (UCL) and completed her rheumatology training at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. During this time, she was awarded a CLRN Research Associate Fellowship which culminated in her MD research at UCL, examining structural outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis. Her second research degree is a PhD from Leiden University in the Netherlands, with a focus on spondyloarthritis.

She has been the recipient of multiple awards, bursaries, and competitive roles, including the Doris Hillier Award by the British Medical Association in 2018, to support her work on multimorbidity in rheumatoid arthritis and the development of management algorithms according to individual need.

The title of Dr Nikiphorou’s talk is ‘Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical management of rheumatoid arthritis’. The talk is sponsored by Galapagos/Alfasigma.

Later a drinks reception followed by dinner will take place. Dr Ryan also pointed out that a lifetime achievement award will be given to Consultant Rheumatologist Dr Grainne Kearns that evening, which he said would be one of the highlights of the meeting.

Second day

The main programme will commence on Friday 13 September with an update on hand surgery. It will be delivered by Mr Paul Sullivan, Consultant Plastic Reconstructive Hand Surgeon, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. Mr Sullivan graduated with honours in medicine from UCD in 2002 before completing the RCSI basic surgical training programme from 2005-7. He spent the next two years undertaking a research MD from the University of Galway whilst gaining experience in clinical plastic surgery. In 2014, he was awarded an FRCSI(Plast) and certificate of completion of specialist training.

He has specialist interest in hand and upper limb pathology and trauma as well as complex skin cancer and general reconstruction. Mr Sullivan is a member of the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons and the Irish Hand Surgery Society.

The following session will feature two speakers, both of whom are based in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin: Prof John Quinn, Consultant Haematologist; and Dr Khairin Khalib, Consultant Immunologist. They will discuss the management of high and low immunoglobulins in the rheumatology clinic.

Following a short break, Dr Laura Cappelli, Associate Professor of Medicine and Oncology, Department of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, US, will give the next talk. Dr Cappelli earned her MD from Johns Hopkins. She completed her residency in internal medicine and pursued a Fellowship in rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr Cappelli co-directs the immune-related toxicity team which provides clinical, research, and educational support for immune-related adverse events.

The title of Dr Cappelli’s talk is ‘Immune checkpoint inhibitors and the rheumatologist’.

The final talk of the Autumn Meeting is an update on systemic sclerosis. The speaker is Prof Chris Denton, Consultant Rheumatologist, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK. Prof Denton leads a large clinical programme in scleroderma at the hospital. The scleroderma centre has played a prominent role in many recent clinical studies in scleroderma, Raynaud’s phenomenon, and connective tissue disease associated pulmonary hypertension.

Following Prof Denton’s talk, a prizing-giving ceremony will be held, and the meeting will be brought to a close.