President’s Corner: Our Global Rheumatology Community

Global Rheumatology Summit

The Global Rheumatology Summit is held in conjunction with ACR Convergence and provides a platform to highlight the international burden of rheumatic diseases, as well as the challenges and opportunities encountered in different health systems. The Summit seeks to create a space to bring rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals together from different countries to talk about topics that are of mutual relevance and concern.

The theme of this year’s Summit is Disease Manage­ment, highlighting the global economic impact on disease management, the importance of patient and public engagement, and diverse approaches to care. The 2025 program will be held on Friday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST through a virtual format, allowing attendees from around the world to participate.

Opening Session

The ACR Convergence 2025 opening session will be held on Oct. 25. Topics previously covered in the opening session by invited speakers have been areas of interest to the entire rheumatology community. The opening session is also where the ACR recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through its awards, which include the ACR Masters and the Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional Award.

Convergence Global Networking

• Global Rheumatology Networking Reception
• Global Speed Mentoring Sessions—attended by mentees from the research exchange program and the 2025 Phil Robinson Global Scholars program.

International Membership

The ACR/ARP is proud to offer membership to physicians, researchers and rheumatology professionals from around the globe. Our international members represent almost 100 countries, providing their valuable knowledge and perspective on the current challenges facing the field of rheumatology. Further information on inter­national membership can be found at https://rheumatology.org/international-membership.

Carol A. Langford, MD, MHS, is the director of the Center for Vasculitis Care and Research in the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases at Cleveland Clinic, where she is professor of medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and holds the Harold C. Schott endowed chair in rheumatic and immunologic diseases.