President’s Perspective: The ACR and ARHP Advance Rheumatology Through International Collaboration

This month, it is a great honor to share my column with the ARHP President, Jan K. Richardson, PT, PhD, OCS, to discuss the ACR’s and ARHP’s strides in international collaboration. In rheumatology, we have the team of physicians, scientists, and health professionals working together to improve the care of our patients with rheumatic disease. We understand that collaboration is imperative to achieving best outcomes. In some cases, a collaboration can serve to share knowledge or experience, and in other cases, de novo projects may benefit from a collaborative approach. The ACR/ARHP collaboration has really advanced our field in myriad ways—our educational programs, our journals, our critical committee work.

The ACR’s mission is to Advance Rheumatology!, and part of our new strategic plan is a specific goal to increase the ACR’s international outreach and presence. We have heard from our international members about a desire to stay connected and to share our programs and products with their local communities—sometimes to provide key support in developing nations. We have heard from our colleagues representing international societies and leagues against rheumatism around the world, with a clear sense that collaboration will enhance the strength of our field—the science, the clinical care, the perceived value of rheumatology. To meet this critical strategic goal, we are collaborating with numerous rheumatology leagues and national organizations around the world, establishing new connections and strengthening time-honored efforts.