Dear Colleagues,
The next EULAR Annual European Congress of Rheumatology will take place from 6-9 June 2012 in Berlin. The annual EULAR congresses are now a major event in the calendar of world rheumatology. As have previous congresses during the last decade, Berlin 2012 will provide a unique event for the exchange of scientific and clinical information. It will be a platform to facilitate interactions between patients, medical doctors, scientists, health professionals and professionals representing the pharmaceutical industry both from within Europe and from around the world. In addition, EULAR 2012 will again welcome delegates from the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) to a Joint Congress. We will also continue our initiative of closer cooperation with primary care physicians and professionals – a commitment we started in London in 2011.
EULAR congresses have grown rapidly in terms of the numbers participating and the quality of contributions. This partly reflects the increased interest in arthritis and related musculoskeletal diseases which is seen in most societies. This expansion also reflects the increased availability of information on the impact and burden of these diseases and the significantly improved potential for diagnosis and treatment. The integration of health professional and patient organisations within EULAR has proved to be a considerable stimulus for these advances.
The EULAR Congress 2012 in Berlin will once again offer a wide range of topics including clinical innovations, clinical translational and basic science. In addition there will be meetings organised by people with arthritis, by health professionals and by the health care industry. The central activity of the congress will be poster presentations and poster tours with their highly interactive exchanges among participants. The Berlin event will further strengthen the reputation of the EULAR Congress as a highly innovative and informative venue for clinical and translational researchers not only within the different facets of our discipline (e.g. pain, bone, mechanical and inflammatory disorders) but also for practising physicians who will find updated high-quality information on the management of diseases commonly seen in daily rheumatological practice.
The city of Berlin needs little introduction. Its elegance and diversity with its architecture, galleries, theatres, cabarets and ambiance will provide an excellent background for clinical exchanges, international collaborations and renewal of friendships. We will take great pleasure in welcoming medical doctors, patients, health professionals and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and hope that their stay in Berlin will be enjoyable, informative and educational.
Maxime Dougados, M.D.
President of EULAR
Professor of Rheumatology at René Descartes University and
Chief of the Department of Rheumatology at Cochin Hospital, Paris
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