COVID-19, New Research & More: 2 Experts Discuss Scientific Advances in Rheumatology at ACR Convergence 2020

The Year in Review session during ACR Convergence 2020, this year’s fully virtual annual meeting, will cover a variety of topics in rheumatology, including drug safety, precision medicine and the unforgettable and unrelenting consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two speakers will select research articles and highlight the year’s significant findings in clinical and basic science.

ACR Convergence 2020 begins Nov. 5. The 60-minute Year in Review block will be held at 5 p.m. EST as part of the day 1 lineup.

Clinical Science Presentation
Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH, professor and chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hos­pital, will give the clinical science review. A specialist in systemic lupus erythematosus, Dr. Yazdany conducts research on the epidemiology and outcomes of rheumatic diseases, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Health­care Research and Quality, the leading federal agency responsible for improving the safety and quality of the U.S. healthcare system. She is also chair of the ACR’s Committee on Registries and Healthcare Information Technology.

In August, as she set about selecting specific papers to feature in her session, Dr. Yazdany wrote in an email to The Rheumatologist that she is honored to be presenting some of the exciting ways the field of rheumatology is rapidly growing.

During her clinical science review, Dr. Yazdany plans to discuss the intersection of COVID-19 and rheumatic diseases illuminated in recent, noteworthy research. “This has been a historic and unusual year, with the pandemic weighing on rheumatologists,” she says.

Other highlights will include a review of new drug approvals for rheumatic diseases and key developments in the management of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, the spondyloarthropathies, osteoporosis and other rheumatic conditions.

“The explosion of therapeutic options continues in rheumatology, with many new therapies hitting the market,” Dr. Yazdany says. “As therapeutic options expand, it’s important for rheumatologists to keep track of new data on drug safety.” She notes that several key trials that have expanded our knowledge of drug safety will also be addressed during her presentation.

Basic Science Presentation
The Year in Review presentation on basic science will be presented by Richard Bucala, MD, PhD, chief of rheumatology, allergy and immunology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., and rheuma­tologist-in-chief at Yale New Haven Health. Dr. Bucala is the immediate former editor in chief of Arthritis & Rheumatology. He was instrumental in developing macrophage migration inhibitory factors to treat autoimmunity and cancer and in the discovery of fibrocytes, which are being targeted for interstitial lung diseases.