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ACR to expand use of livestreams, add 'TED Talk-style' sessions for 2019 annual meeting
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The American College of Rheumatology plans to expand its digital offerings at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual meeting this weekend with more than 50 sessions available for livestreaming, along with a new “TED Talk-style” collection of short lectures set to tackle several “controversial issues facing rheumatologists today,” according to organizers.
“One of the things that I am personally excited about this year is the ACR Live platform and livestreaming,” Swamy Venuturupalli, MD, FACR, chair of the ACR education committee, and founder and CEO of Attune Health, in Beverly Hills, California, said in a press conference. “There are several people who might not be able to travel for a meeting across the country, but still may want to participate. So, what we piloted last year was livestreaming through our ACR Beyond platform, which is our online version where we keep all of our videos of most of our talks. This year we are expanding it.”
According to Venuturupalli, participants who sign up online will be able to stream more than 50 sessions live as they happen. Each of these sessions will also be archived and viewable on the ACR Beyond platform following the meeting.
The 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, scheduled for Nov. 8 to 13 in Atlanta, is expected to attract approximately 16,000 rheumatology health professions, exhibitors, sellers and others from about 100 countries, according to Victoria Shanmugam, MD, chair of the ACR Annual Meeting planning committee, and chief of rheumatology at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
During the 6-day conference, attendees will learn from more than 450 peer-reviewed sessions covering “the most important and compelling issues in rheumatology today,” Shanmugam said.
New this year will be the “In the Rheum” sessions, which Shanmugam described as short, “TED Talk-style” sessions designed to be punchy and engaging.
“The speakers are going to explore some cutting-edge topics and controversial issues facing rheumatologists today,” she said. “One in particular will be focusing on minimizing steroid exposure in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus nephritis and vasculitis. There will also be one on the use of opioids in rheumatologic diseases.”
Another new pilot to be introduced this year will be the “Daily Digest,” which will feature two speakers highlighting and summarizing the biggest scientific and clinical takeaways of the meeting from that day. These roundup sessions are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and are designed to be “very fast-paced and energetic,” Shanmugam said.
This year’s ACR/ARP Annual Meeting will also introduce a new way to view late-breaking abstracts and late-breaking pediatric posters. According to Shanmugam, these abstracts and posters will be presented on digital screens, and will be available online after the meeting. If popular, this feature may be expanded for future meetings, she added.
Among the regular sessions this year will include information on new ACR guidelines for vasculitis, osteoarthritis and gout. In addition, this year’s “Great Debate” session will feature opposing viewpoints on the questions of whether anabolic agents are appropriate as first-line therapy for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Also, “Meet the Master” sessions will provide attendees the opportunity to listen to leaders in the field discuss their careers and how rheumatology has changed throughout the years.
The Association of Rheumatology Professionals — now going under the shortened acronym ARP — will also feature a collection of rheumatologists and other professionals associated with the field, including Rep. Kim Schofield, D-Atlanta, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives who was diagnosed with lupus in 2000. Her session, entitled “Lupus Legislation: From Advocacy to Policy,” will discuss her experiences as an advocate, legislator and patient.
“I think we have a lot of exciting new things this year, including some more interactive sessions and something that will appeal to anyone who comes to the meeting,” Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR/L, chair of the ARP Annual Meeting planning subcommittee, said. “We have a variety of offerings, spanning from basic to advanced. So, people that want more basic information vs. more sophisticated data and analysis. As a researcher, I tend to really geek out about this stuff, and I think we’ve done a really nice job of providing something at every level.” – by Jason Laday