EULAR president: Inclusivity, innovation at heart of EULAR’s mission
Ensuring equal opportunity for patients to receive care, and for practitioners to grow in their careers, is at the heart of EULAR’s mission for 2023 and beyond, according to opening remarks at the EULAR 2023 Congress.
“We are a leading provider of education in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases,” EULAR President Annamaria Iagnocco, MD, said in her welcoming statement. “I look forward to a productive and memorable few days together,”
Iagnocco, a professor of rheumatology in the department of clinical and biological sciences at the University of Turin, in Italy, and director of the Academic Rheumatology Center at the Mauriziano Hospital in Turin, noted that EULAR in recent years has made “significant achievements” in forming strong partnerships with stakeholders in the rheumatology space, as well as in developing a dedicated network of professionals across Europe. The organization has also established a European center for research into rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
And underlying all of these efforts, Iagnocco said, are EULAR’s core values — innovation, patient centeredness, responsibility, flexibility, community, dedication and inclusivity.
“We always welcome new ideas and view them as opportunities for improvement,” she added. “In all our activities, patient needs, values and preference, as well as their immediate environment, are always taken into consideration to ensure their best possible outcome.”
According to Iagnocco, the core value of responsibility is relevant not only to the organization itself, but to EULAR’s partners and “society at large.” She stressed that the health of the environment is considered in all of EULAR’s activities.
Meanwhile, rheumatology’s complexity as a field often drives the value of flexibility, Iagnocco added.
“Our aim is in every conversation is to reach a workable agreement,” she said.
Regarding the core value of community, Iagnocco noted that “diverse representation” is important to providing care for all patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. This, in turn, underscores the importance of inclusivity.
“EULAR aims for to ensure fair representation of all community members in every aspect of our operations,” Iagnocco said.
Looking ahead, Iagnocco outlined four directions of impact for the years 2024 through 2028. They include leadership, scientific guidance and innovation, investing in personal and professional development, building strong and sustainable communities, and ensuring that these efforts lead to viable income.
EULAR past president Iain McInnes, PhD, FRCP, of the University of Glasgow, commented on leadership.
“We are going into a congress that brings everything that is new in rheumatology to our fingertips,” he said. “It is vital that EULAR is a leading organization in rheumatology across Europe.”
Another former EULAR president, Daniel Aletaha, MD, of the University of Vienna, stressed that standardized personal and professional development for rheumatologists is a critical mission of EULAR.
“This will establish a consistent level of training,” he said. “It will further generate not only better knowledge but support a more uniform, professional translation of that knowledge to support better health for affected individuals.”
Regarding the last two impact areas, Iagnocco described the focus on community as a “critical component” of the EULAR mission that will allow members and participants to practice rheumatology in a viable and sustainable way.
“In order to achieve our long-term goals beyond 2028, EULAR needs to establish a stable and sustainable economic foundation to facilitate the necessary changes,” she said.
Ideally, the presentations and meetings of the EULAR 2023 Congress will help advance of these areas, Iagnocco added.
“This year’s congress promises to be a really exciting event,” she said.
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Iagnocco A. Opening by the president of EULAR. Presented at: EULAR 2023 Congress; May 31 to June 3, 2023, Milan, Italy.