Spain. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) holds its Annual European Congress of Rheumatology from 12 to 16 June, 2019, at the Feria de Madrid. This year’s congress serves as a platform for 14,000 delegates from Europe – and beyond – to discuss the latest in rheumatology, including paediatric rheumatology through joint participation of the Paediatric Rheumtology European Society (PReS).

The Congress will address a wide range of topics including innovation in population, health service, clinical, translational and basic science. Sessions are dedicated to the presentation of the latest scientific findings in the field of rheumatology, to People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe (PARE) and to Health Professionals in Rheumatology (HPR). The participation of young rheumatologists and researchers from the Emerging EULAR Network (EMEUNET) offers future perspectives in the discipline, while poster presentations and poster tours offer an opportunity for knowledge exchange and solutions among congress delegates. Finally, dedicated, high-quality health care industry sessions provide in-depth insight from the industry perspective.

Professor Johannes W. J. Bijlsma, EULAR President, says, “Madrid 2019 will provide an unique event for the exchange of scientific, clinical and patient focused information on a global basis. In 2019, we will be delighted to celebrate our close cooperation with paediatric colleagues – thus our congress will be jointly organised with PReS, assimilating knowledge across the spectrum of the ‘decades of life’. EULAR will take great pleasure in welcoming physicians, including our paediatric colleagues, patients, their families, health professionals and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry to the annual congress, and hope that their stay in the beautiful city of Madrid will be informative, educational and thoroughly enjoyable.”

Professor Berent J. Prakken, PReS President, comments, “Through the years, EULAR has been our natural partner, and for a good reason: Our patients also need the best possible care after their 18th birthday. Our efforts today are intended to offer our patients the very best chance to follow their dreams and aspirations tomorrow – and beyond. To achieve our common objective, our adult colleagues are our strongest allies. The congress offers exceptional possibilities for our visitors; together, EULAR/PReS is stronger. Madrid offers us the opportunity to learn from each other and be inspired by new perspectives offered by our colleagues.”

Nearly 5,000 abstracts were submitted to the EULAR Congress in 2019 alone. EULAR has a unique three-pillar structure meaning that science, healthcare and people with a rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease are all represented by the association. The annual congress is designed to facilitate interaction between patients, medical doctors, scientists, health professionals, and professionals representing the pharmaceutical industry both from within Europe and from around the world.