We are also thrilled to announce that Anthony S. Fauci, MD, ACR Master and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), will give a live presentation on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 4 p.m. EST. You may recall that Dr. Fauci delivered the 2017 ACR Keynote Lecture on vaccine development during epidemics.
Logistics
To assist with scheduling to accommodate meeting participants in different time zones, we have divided the daily educational sessions into two time blocks: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. EST; 3–6 p.m. EST. Each educational block will include oral abstracts and invited speaker presentations. These are designed to provide live content and time for a question-and-answer (Q&A) period, wherever possible, as well as opportunities for interaction with peers during normal waking hours—at least in one time zone.
Between educational time blocks, participants will have the opportunity to access community hubs, a unique feature that allows attendees to engage with experts and connect with peers who share the same research or clinical interests. Each community hub will be co-hosted by leaders in the field and will include a mix of formal and informal networking opportunities, including study groups.
We will offer opportunities to attend special events and visit the virtual exhibits. To create greater opportunities for engagement, all participants will have the option to request meetings and schedule private group meetings within the new platform.
We also plan to offer selected presentations as encore sessions with live Q&A. This will allow for a second viewing opportunity for participants to engage
with speakers.
In addition, all content will be available on demand following the live session, so attendees can watch their choice of sessions at a later, convenient time.
Poster presentations will be held daily from Friday, Nov. 6 through Monday, Nov. 9. Participants will have the option to listen to a five-minute audio recording for each poster, as well as view the abstracts and posters and engage with presenters daily from 9–11 a.m. EST and through private meetings.
In addition to new session formats on timely topics, such as COVID-19, your traditional favorites will still be offered, including The Great Debate. This year we will see Vibeke Strand, MD, and Michael Weinblatt, MD, square off on the question of whether Janus kinase inhibitors should or should not be used before biologics in rheumatoid arthritis patients who have failed methotrexate. A special Closing Session will also be offered this year.