Welcome to the 2019 EULAR Congress News Preview Edition

Prof. Johannes Bijlsma

Dear Colleagues,

The beginning of the next EULAR Annual European Congress of Rheumatology is fast approaching and is set to take place 12-15 June 2019 in Madrid. I invite you to read about the wide range of sessions, activities, and events available to you at this year’s congress in the EULAR Congress News Preview Edition.

This 20th annual congress will again be the major event in the calendar of world rheumatology, unique for the exchange of scientific, clinical, and patient-focused information on a global basis. Our congress will be jointly organised with the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS), assimilating knowledge across the spectrum of the “decades of life.”

Possibilities for new treatments as well as the impact, burden, and cost of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases for the individual and society will remain our focus. EULAR Congress 2019 will address once again a wide range of topics including innovation in population, health service, clinical, translational, and basic science research. Sessions dedicated to People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe (PARE) and Health Professionals in Rheumatology (HPR) will feature prominently! High-quality healthcare industry sessions providing in-depth and focused insights will again be offered.

EULAR Congresses arouse tremendous interest in terms of participation reflected by the remarkable quality of contributions. We have received 4,900 abstract submissions. Overall, 45% have been accepted for presentation and another 30% for publication. More than 350 were accepted as oral presentations this year, and the congress features over 125 sessions and poster tours with more than 500 speakers. Our poster presentations and poster tours will offer a highly interactive exchange of knowledge and solutions amongst participants. Out of the 2,226 poster displays plus 10 late-breaking posters spread over 3 days, 425 posters will be explained in 36 themed poster tours.

We are very happy to visit the city of Madrid again. We will take great pleasure in welcoming physicians, including our paediatric colleagues, patients, their families, health professionals, and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry to EULAR 2019, and hope that their stay in Madrid will be informative, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Johannes W.J. Bijlsma

EULAR President