Welcome Address

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to invite you to the second edition of the annual Excellence in Rheumatology (EiR) international Conference, in Madrid, Spain from 25 to 28 January 2012.

The Conference recruits a distinguished and outstanding international faculty to present and discuss cutting edge scientific findings as they relate to clinical practice. Our aim is to provide rheumatologists and related health professionals with developing scientific knowledge that can be applied in their everyday clinical practice. Ultimately, we aspire to be in a position to generate state of the art guidance on selected topics. To ensure maximum interaction and networking, the conference is capped at 1.500 delegates.

Conference Highlights

Facts & Figures

• Excellence in Rheumatology (EiR) was inaugurated in February, 2011 in Istanbul and in 2012 it will be held in Madrid, Spain, on 25-28 January.

• The 2011 edition drew approximately 900 delegates from 60 countries; the 2012 edition is anticipated to draw approximately 1,500 delegates from all over the world.

• EiR will also cater for the practitioners from developing countries, with a number of bursaries granted, to enable a diverse range of practitioners to attend.

• The scientific programme of EiR is developed by Professors G Kitas, P Van Riel and G Tsokos, with the contributions of a stellar Scientific Advisory Board and International Scientific Committee.

• To provide breadth and depth, the conference follows a 3-day thematic format. The themes chosen for 2011 were: day 1, inflammatory arthritis; day 2, systemic autoimmune disease; and day 3, comorbidities.

• The programme features a balanced mix of plenary sessions, interactive round-tables, clinical practice workshops, and meet the expert sessions.