Project Summary-Abstract
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has been a leader in the effort to facilitate the bidirectional
exchange of cutting-edge scientific information between scientists and investigators in rheumatic diseases
through its annual Basic and Clinical Research Conferences. Historically, these scientific symposia have
occurred immediately prior to the ACR annual meeting at the site of the meeting. This past year, based on the
pandemic restrictions, these symposia were hosted virtually as a post-event to the annual meeting.
The ACR annual meeting, ACR Convergence, attracts more than 15,000 attendees each year and is the
principal mechanism for providing a forum for the exchange of ideas about research, education, patient care,
practice management and advocacy issues. Because the Basic and Clinical Research Conferences are pre-
meeting events for ACR Convergence, ACR has been able to attract renown scientists and investigators who
may otherwise not have attended.
For 2021, the Basic and Clinical Research Conferences will be held jointly to attract scientists and investigators
from both the basic, clinical and translational research communities. The title of the conference will be
Rheumatologic Complications of Emerging Viral Infections / SARS-CoV-2. This combined approach will focus
on emerging viral infections, especially as they relate to SARS-CoV-2. This deadly global pandemic has
provided an enormous influx of data relevant to rheumatologists. Not only is the rheumatologist confronted with
managing her/his own patients with rheumatic diseases on various anti-rheumatic therapies, but viruses like
SARS-CoV-2 are responsible for triggering rheumatologic complications among a substantial number of
infected individuals. Rheumatologists have an important role to play in diagnosing and treating these
complications. Moreover, rheumatologists have expertise in many of the biologic therapeutics being employed
to treat severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. Ever expanding knowledge from viral pandemics is important to share
with rheumatologists who are integral to the care of infected individuals worldwide.
Clinical research sessions will focus on topics such as the impact of COVID-19 vaccines for
immunocompromised hosts, cytokine storm syndrome, and dermatologic manifestations of COVID-19. Basic
research sessions will explore topics such as auto-antibodies to type 1 interferon and other cytokines, anti-
phospholipid antibodies and their role in comorbidities, and neutrophil dysregulation and NETs in COVID-19.
The conference organizers include Dr. Randy Cron, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Arthritis Foundation, Alabama chapter endowed chair in Pediatric
Rheumatology. Dr. Cron is the Director of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and the Pediatric
Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Children's of Alabama; Dr. Mariana Kaplan, NIAMS Chief of the
Systemic Autoimmunity Branch. She is also Deputy Scientific Director at NIAMS; and ACR Committee on
Research (Dr. Kristine Kuhn, Chair). The ACR Committee on Research focuses on research and research
training in rheumatology and encourages clinical and health services research on the organization of medical
and health care as they may affect patients with rheumatic diseases. Dr. Kuhn, Chair, is Associate Professor,
Medicine-Rheumatology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
