2017 National Psoriasis Foundation Research Symposium - Abstract
Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease that affects the skin and often the joints and
other organs. Affecting more than 8 million Americans, it is associated with lost quality of life,
reduced lifespan, and a steep burden on the economy. In support of its mission to drive efforts to
cure psoriatic disease and improve the lives of those affected, the National Psoriasis Foundation
(NPF) engages in research towards a cure, advocacy to improve access to therapies, and both
patient and professional education. In August 2017 NPF will host a scientific Research Symposium
concurrently with the patient-focused National Volunteer Conference in Chicago, IL. The Research
Symposium is unique for its inclusion of cross-disciplinary aspects of psoriatic disease, its level of
patient engagement with researchers, and the ability for meeting outcomes to immediately impact
activities of a large patient advocacy organization. The Research Symposium will bring together
more than one-hundred early career researchers, established researchers, and patients for four
scientific sessions on the fundamentals of psoriatic disease and cutting-edge research results, a
poster session open to a combined patient and research audience, and discussion sessions focused
on optimizing NPF's role in supporting psoriatic disease research. The Research Symposium venue
will facilitate access from interested individuals from around the world and foster networking and
collaboration between researchers across disciplines and career stages. Outcomes from the
Research Symposium will be disseminated to both patient and professional audiences through both
digital and print channels and will be immediately incorporated into NPF programs activities.