The ACR Rheumatology Research Workshop Designed to Promote Collaboration, Mentoring Among Investigators

A Rheumatology Research Workshop attendee and ECI Subcommittee Chair Jeffrey Sparks, MD, MMSc, discuss an abstract poster at the poster session and reception.

The ACR Rheumatology Research Workshop (RRW) is a two-day meeting designed to promote interactions between early and established investigators to foster collaboration and facilitate career mentoring. The RRW is targeted to rheumatology fellows, junior faculty, medical/graduate students, and residents interested in learning more about how to succeed in a research career for rheumatology. RRW is composed of didactic sessions on the nuts and bolts of how to succeed in research. Topics have included optimizing the mentor/mentee relationship, funding opportunities, collaborations with industry and grantsmanship.

Participants of the RRW present a poster and showcase their work in an intimate environment. The highlight of this meeting is the abstract discussion group where participants present their work to peers and established investigators. Other breakout sessions provide guidance on career development, faculty advancement and work–life balance.

This meeting is organized by members of the ACR Early Career Investigators (ECI) Subcommittee. Members of the ECI Subcommittee are junior faculty from institutions across the U.S. who have recently navigated the path to become investigators in basic or clinical science. The Subcommittee members lead small group discussions throughout the workshop and provide guidance on building their academic careers in terms of obtaining an academic appointment, grant application and mentorship. These small-group discussions have been a great mechanism for collegial advice and peer mentorship during the workshop and afterward. The ECI Subcommittee members are always looking for ways to bring new topics and activities to the workshop to make it more dynamic and innovative year after year.

The ECI Subcommittee welcomes those who seek to have a research experience beyond their institution and return energized to apply. Abstract submission is required to present a poster and to participate in the abstract discussion group. Abstracts about study designs and research in progress are eligible. The call for abstracts for the 2018 RRW will open in November 2017. Accepted applicants will receive up to $500 in reimbursement for travel and lodging expenses. Institutional support for remaining expenses is encouraged. Next year’s RRW will take place in San Francisco on June 23–24, 2018.

For more information on the visit 2018 RRW, or contact Ngozi Afulezi, ACR senior specialist of research.

Iris Navarro-Milan, MD, is an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Her main area of interest is outcomes research in rheumatoid arthritis, with a special interest in cardiovascular disease.

Jeffrey Sparks, MD, MMSc, is a rheumatologist and population-scientist with an overall focus on using patient-oriented and epidemiologic research studies to evaluate the etiology, outcomes and public health burden of rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In particular, he performs studies to evaluate genetic, environmental, serologic and familial risk factors for RA, clinical trials for RA prevention and outcomes research focusing on the respiratory burden of RA.