‘Heavier workload’ in autoimmune care amid COVID-19 begs for interdisciplinary teamwork
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In the face of the unique threat that COVID-19 poses to patients with autoimmune diseases, communication across disciplines is essential “as our fields increasingly blend together,” noted presenters at the 2020 Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit.
In his opening remarks, conference chair Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc, director of the Center for Skin and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, was impressed by the continued growth of the meeting since its inception.
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“We are absolutely delighted to welcome you to the seventh year of IAS,” Merola said. “I can’t believe it has been 7 years. This is our biggest year yet.”
Merola said despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, work in autoimmune diseases must continue. “For many of us, our workload has gotten heavier,” he said. “We have to continue to meet, engage, learn and advance our own knowledge and advance our fields. It is probably as important a time as any for us to communicate between specialties as our fields increasingly blend together.”
For Adam S. Cheifetz, MD, director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, learning from dermatologists and rheumatologists is an integral component to IAS each year. “We rely more heavily on them than they do on us,” he said, and encouraged attendees to ask questions and interact through the online platforms. “Give us your perspectives and your takes.”
Cheifetz highlighted a roundtable discussion from senior advisers of the IAS on the impact of COVID-19 on autoimmune disease. “This really affects us all,” he said.
The 3-day, “jam-packed” program will also include a debate on therapeutic drug monitoring, psoriatic diseases in the telehealth era, case discussions and pre-recorded talks that dive deep into clinical scenarios, according to Cheifetz.
Mital Patel-Cohen, MD, director of Complex Medical Dermatology at Summit Medical Group in Florham Park, New Jersey, underscored the interactive nature of the conference, despite presenters and attendees being separated by physical distance. “All of the IAS faculty are here, we are engaged, we are ready to address all of your questions, so please do bring them forward,” she said. “We are happy to hear any perspectives you all have to add.”
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Cheifetz AS, Merola JF, Patel-Cohen M. Welcome remarks. Presented at: Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit; July 10-12, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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