From APLAR 2024: Dr. Liebowitz wrote several articles for The Rheumatologist highlighting APLAR sessions and the research presented at this year’s meeting: https://www.the-rheumatologist.org/tag/aplar-2024.
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- The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is a two-story colonial style villa in Balestier, Singapore. The villa now serves as a museum commemorating Sun Yat Sen (1866–1925), the founding father of the Republic of China.
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- An art installation outside the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
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- Durian is a tropical fruit with a strong odor and soft flesh that can be expensive due to its short shelf life and limited season for harvesting. Our APLAR hosts were kind enough to take us out to enjoy this local delicacy.
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- The Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore
Next Year
For ACR members interested in applying, Dr. Liebowitz notes that he applied months in advance with the help of his university and department chair. “This approach allowed me to plan my time in Singapore, both in terms of the conference and with respect to sightseeing,” he says.
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- View from Pulau Ubin, an island situated in the northeast of Singapore. It is one of the last rural areas in Singapore, with a great deal of pristine flora and fauna.
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- A small ferry allows people to travel back from Pulau Ubin to Singapore.
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- The view from Pulau Ubin
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- A wild monkey on Pulau Ubin
“Be clear about what the Exchange Program will mean to you in a professional sense and why you are the right person to commit to this program,” continues Dr. Liebowitz.
The application details and deadlines for next year’s Exchange Program have yet to be announced, but APLAR 2025 will be held Sept. 3–7 in Fukuoka, Japan. Visit the ACR website for more details about the exchange program.
Natasha Yetman is an editor in California and the editorial coordinator of ACR eNewsRheum, an official publication of the ACR.
The ACR/EULAR Research Exchange
Dr. Kumar
APLAR isn’t the only organization in partnership with the ACR to provide opportunities for mutual collaboration; the ACR also partners with EULAR.
“To all the hardworking folks from ACR and EULAR, I just want to say a very heartfelt Danke schön,” says Bharat Kumar, MD, MME, FACP, FAAAAI, RhMSUS, physician editor of The Rheumatologist and rheumatology fellowship program director for the Division of Immunology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Dr. Kumar participated in this year’s ACR/EULAR Exchange, attending the EULAR Congress in Vienna. “It was an unforgettable experience, learning about how rheumatologists work throughout the world. I was exposed to so many diverse perspectives on rheumatology, not only from our speakers in Austria, but also from my fellow participants from all around the world.”
For more information on the ACR/EULAR Research Exchange Program, visit https://rheumatology.org/meetings/acr-eular-research-exchange-program.
