For the IRA-BSR fellowship, applicants need to send their applications to s.venkatachalam@nhs.net and secretary.ira&gmail.com, stating the following: 1) Why do they need the fellowship?

2) Where do they want to go in the United Kingdom?

3) What will they gain?

4) What changes in practice are expected on their return?

Age limit is <40 years Need to send a letter of support from their supervisor. Applicants will be interviewed at IRACON 2018.

The last date to apply is extended to 1^st Dec 2018.

The Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) and the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore organized IRA DM/DNB Fellows’ Retreat 2018 from 20 to 22 September 2018, under the organizing leadership of Prof. Dr. Debashish Danda, President of IRA and Head of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, CMC Vellore. The event, which was held at the Stem Cell Research Center of CMC Vellore, was attended by 45 DM/DNB trainees and 30 faculty members from all teaching rheumatology institutes from across the country. The meeting was inaugurated by the inspirational message from Prof. Dr. Anna Pulimood, Principal of CMC. Day 1 had the theme of “Exam-preparedness”, where all the fellows learnt from senior rheumatologists who are DM/DNB rheumatology examiners on how to approach exams with topics like sensible reading from literature and textbooks; bedside manners; effective communication in clinical exam; how to write a good logbook; approach to common cases in rheumatology exams; and viva on radiology and histology. Day 2 of the program had workshop on “Critical Appraisal of a Research Paper” and “Research Methodology”, which was conducted by the prestigious Clinical Epidemiology Unit of CMC. The workshop was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. J.V. Peter, Director of CMC Vellore. This workshop was appreciated highly both by the trainees and the teachers alike as the workshop dealt with important topics such as how to critically appraise various study designs like randomized controlled trial, case–control study, cohort study, diagnostic study, and so on. Day 2 also featured Rheumawhizz quiz program for DM/DNB trainees, which was well contested and was won by Dr. Sanket and Dr. Manoj from JIPMER Institute. Day 3 featured presentation of top rheumatology papers on various rheumatic diseases by trainees applying the principles of critical appraisal of various clinical study designs, which was learnt the previous day. These sessions were moderated by their own teachers from their institute and comprised intense discussion and participation of the audience. The retreat concluded with an International symposium on Inflammatory arthropathies featuring Prof. Kevin Pile, Prof. Yoshiya Tanaka, and Prof. Phillipa Hay, delivering talks on JAK inhibition and TNF and its role in osteoimmunology. The retreat was appreciated by the trainees and teachers alike for the unique discussion topics and the richness of academic content.

Prof. Dr. Debashish Danda, IRA President delivering the welcome address at the Inauguration of IRA Fellows meet 2018. On the stage are Chief guest Prof. Dr. Anna Pulimood (Principal of CMC Vellore), Prof. Alakendu Ghosh (President elect of IRA), and Reverend Finney Alexander.

Group photo of all participants of IRA fellows retreat 2018

THE CIRACON 2018: IRA CME for Medical UGs and PGs

The CIRACON 2018, an IRA CME for the medical Undergraduate and Post Graduates of Kerala, was held at Academy of Medical Sciences, Pariyaram, on 9 September 2018. This conference and workshop was organized as a joint effort of the Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) and Centre for Medical Research and Non-Communicable Diseases (CMRNCD) Pariyaram, Kannur District, Kerala. The program and content of this CME were designed to fulfill the objective of creating an awareness about Rheumatic Diseases among the medical graduates and post graduates and also giving them a first-hand experience on how to approach the multitude of manifestations of the diseases therein.

The one-day CME was planned under the chairmanship of Prof. Balakrishnan Valliyot and the scientific program was designed by Dr. Vinod Ravindran, editor IJR. The conference attracted participation across the state, and delegates included students and interested faculties. More than 170 delegates participated in the program.

Dr. Valliyot, the organizing chairman, welcomed the gathering and highlighted the importance of the conference while appreciating the effort of IRA in initiating and supporting such a focused academic program. In his key note address, Dr. Vinod Ravindran, the IRA coordinator of the program, stressed the importance of Rheumatology and deliberated on the need for creating awareness among UG and PG students on the newer developments and diagnostic and therapeutic options available to tackle these debilitating diseases.

Dr. Binoy J. Paul (Calicut) presented the topic on inflammatory arthritis and also discussed the clinical features of Rheumatic diseases and how to examine and interpret the clinical findings. Spondyloarthritis was presented by Dr. Aabu Alex Thomas (Calicut), and Dr. N.V. Jayachandran (Calicut) discussed various aspects of SLE. Vasculitis was dealt by Dr. Vinod Ravindran. The meticulous interpretation of laboratory tests was discussed by Dr. Anoof P.P. (Calicut) and use of imaging techniques in Rheumatology was discussed by Dr. Mujeeb Rahman (Perinthalmanna). Gout was covered by Dr. Sukesh E. (Calicut). Dr. Binoy Paul, Dr. Aabu Alex, Dr. Jayachandran, and Dr. Vinod Ravindran chaired the case presentation by PG students. Five clinical cases were presented by students in detail; the chairs guided the students throughout their presentation and discussed in detail the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects relevant to them. A Rheumatology quiz was conducted by Dr. Vinod Ravindran, in the final round of which five teams participated. A vote of thanks was proposed by the organizing secretary.

A feedback on the CME received from the students confirmed that CME was one among the best-conducted program at ACME. The overwhelming response to this CME encouraged the students and faculty to actively focus on Rheumatology, and many expressed their interest to select rheumatology as a specialty in their future career.

Report prepared by: Prof. Balakrishnan Valliyot, Professor of Medicine and Head, CMRNCD, ACME.

Dr. Vinod Ravidran, Editor, IJR.

The Government Medical College, Haldwani, hosted the IJR Workshop on “Scientific Writing and Publication” on 2 September 2018. A total of 120 delegates registered for the workshop, including research scholars from PGIMER Chandigarh. The course director was Dr. Vinod Ravindran (Calicut), Editor-in-chief of the IJR and JRCP of Edinburgh. He was ably supported by other learned faculty members—Prof. Vikas Agarwal (SGPGI Lucknow), Dr. Arnab Pal (PGIMER Chandigarh), and Dr. Rajkiran Dudam (Hyderabad). The workshop was organized by the Department of Medicine. The participants appreciated the content of the workshop and dissemination of knowledge through the well-planned modules. The feedback was highly positive for this greatly focused and punctual workshop. There was a significant increase in the awareness about scientific writing in general, including ethical issues, as well as specific issues such as structure of the manuscript and section-specific do’s and don’ts. They were very keen for such workshops and suggested the inclusion of research methodology and statistical analysis besides more practical sessions in the future ones.

Report prepared by: Dr. Paramjeet Singh, Haldwani, Uttarakhand

The first stand-alone GRAPPA symposium and workshop in India for rheumatologists and dermatologists was conducted at the CMC, Vellore, India, on 17 and 18 August 2018. The faculty for the event included Vinod Chandran, Ying Ying Leung, Mikkel Østergaard, Anupam Wakhlu, Aman Sharma, Sapan Pandya, Bhowmik Meghnathi, Ashish J. Mathew, Renu George, Abir Saraswat, and Ved Chaturvedi. First day of the workshop included didactic lectures on psoriatic disease; case discussions; presentation of challenging cases with input from faculty; and research initiative meeting. The forenoon of second day was dedicated to hands-on workshop on the assessment of psoriatic disease in which the participants were divided into six groups, each led by a faculty—axial assessment; peripheral joint assessment; enthesitis and dactylitis assessment; skin and nail assessment; radiographs in PsA; and physiotherapy and occupational therapy in PsA. The afternoon was dedicated for MRI workshop on axial spondyloarthritis, led by Mikkel Østergaard, with individual computers for all 33 participants. This initiative was very well appreciated by all the participants. The registrations for the first and second day included 85 and 60, respectively. Majority of these were trainees in Rheumatology and Dermatology. The content of symposium and workshop, which was approved by the GRAPPA educational committee, was much appreciated and really inspiring, as reported by many in the feedback session. A similar model is being planned to be replicated by an industry-sponsored initiative, to conduct symposia across the country, the proposal for which has been submitted to the GRAPPA administrative committee for consideration.

Considering the overwhelming response received from this novel initiative in India, we are planning to conduct similar symposia and workshops every year, alternating between CMC, Vellore, and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, with permission from GRAPPA. The income and expenditure related to this symposium, as per GRAPPA rules, is given below. No registration fee was charged for this symposium and trainees were provided free accommodation.

We would like to whole-heartedly thank Vinod Chandran for his help in organizing this symposium, inviting international faculty, and perusing the scientific program; the GRAPPA Education Committee for endorsing the scientific content of this symposium; Pam Love for all the logistic support in organizing this event; and all the national GRAPPA members for their constant support and encouragement.

Debashish Danda MD, DM, FRCP, Professor and Head
Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, CMC, Vellore Scientific Chairman—GRAPPA Symposium 2018.

Vinod Chandran MD, DM, PhD International Mentor—GRAPPA Symposium 2018.

Ashish Jacob Mathew DNB, DM Organizing Secretary—GRAPPA Symposium 2018.

Rendezvous with expert allies: Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai

Mumbai Rheumatology group organized the second annual rheumatology update “RENDEZVOUS WITH EXPERT ALLIES” (Rheumatology interface with Neurology, Ophthalmology and Dermatology) on 13 and 14 October 2018 at PD Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai.

In the first session on “Eye in rheumatic diseases”, there were case-based discussions on the approach to patients primarily presenting with ophthalmological manifestations. First talk was on anterior segment involvement, including scleritis, keratitis, and OCP by Dr. Nikhil Gokhale, consultant ophthalmologist at Dadar. This was followed by talk on uveitis in general and in pediatric rheumatic diseases by Dr. Samyak Mulkutkar and talk on retinal vessel involvement in rheumatic diseases by Dr. Preetam Samant, both consultant ophthalmologists at PD Hinduja National Hospital. Rheumatologists participating as chairpersons also gave their comments on how best to investigate and treat these conditions.

For the post-lunch second session on “Neurological involvement in rheumatic diseases”, faculties of neurology and neuropathology departments from National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, were invited. First talk was on interpretation of EMG/NCV in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and mononeuritis multiplex by Dr. Khushnuma Mansukhani, consultant neurophysiologist at Bombay Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences. This was followed by a talk on interpretation of MRI in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies by Dr. Zena Patel, consultant Radiologist at PD Hinduja National Hospital. Third talk was on histopathology in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and mononeuritis multiplex by Dr. Nandeesh BN, Associate Professor of Neuropathology at NIMHANS, Bangalore. This was followed by a discussion on difficult clinical problems of differentiating primary from secondary demyelinating syndromes in rheumatic diseases by Dr. Netravathi M., additional Professor of Neurology at NIMHANS and Dr. Zena Patel. Finally, there was a case-based panel discussion on “Muscle and nerve involvement in rheumatic diseases”. Dr. Satish Khadilkar, consultant Neurologist at Bombay Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr. Jyotsna Oak, consultant rheumatologist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, and Dr. Nimish Nanavati, consultant rheumatologist at Nanavati Super-Specialty Hospital participated as panelists.

On second day of the conference, in third session on “Skin in rheumatic diseases”, dermatopathology of common rheumatic diseases was discussed by Dr. Uday Khopkar, Professor and Head of the Department of Dermatology at Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital. This was followed by a talk on sharing of experience on newer biologics in psoriasis by Dr. Nina Madnani, consultant dermatologist at PD Hinduja National Hospital. After this, there were three workshops: First on Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) by Dr. Nina Madnani, followed by workshops on modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS) and tendon friction rubs, by Dr. Sapan Pandya and Dr Taral Parikh, both consultant Rheumatologists at Ahmedabad, respectively.

Finally, there was a competitive session of “Difficult case presentations” by rheumatology and medicine trainees. The judges for the session were Dr. Ramnath Misra, Professor and Head of the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) Lucknow; Dr. Lata Bichile and Dr. Arun Chogle, both consultant rheumatologists at Saifee Hospital, Mumbai. Winners were awarded by Dr. VR Joshi, Emeritus Director of research at PD Hinduja National Hospital.