Building networks and deepening knowledge at the ISR

The Irish Society for Rheumatology (ISR) warmly received delegates and an esteemed line-up of national and international guest speakers at its 2026 Autumn Meeting in Belfast. Opening the conference, ISR President, Dr Andrew Cairns, Consultant Rheumatologist, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, welcomed attendees to his hometown to “renew friendships, make new connections, and gain renewed updates, enthusiasm, and inspiration”.

Dr Nazia Chaudhuri, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Ulster University and Altnagelvin Hospital, launched the clinical presentations with an insightful update on interstitial lung disease in rheumatic disease. Prof Susan Mollan, Professor of Ophthalmology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, completed the morning itinerary with a deep dive into ‘the eye of giant cell arteritis’.

Among many other highlights from day one of the conference, Prof David Armstrong, Consultant Rheumatologist, Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Western Health and Social Care Trust, described novel ways of “building bone” in his talk: ‘Translating mechanistic differentiation into treatment decisions for menopausal women with severe osteoporosis and imminent fracture risk’. Prof Armstrong emphasised the value of treatment to prevent vertebral and non-vertebral fractures. “Vertebral fractures can be a disaster for older patients,” he cautioned. Prof Armstrong also noted the importance of being “confident talking to patients about common and rare effects”, and in discussing the risks and benefits of treatments.

Prof Armstrong then delivered a clinically-grounded overview of the pathophysiology, trial data, and real-world evidence responsible for the paradigm shift in osteoporosis care from primarily anti-resorptive therapy to osteoanabolic approaches over the last two decades. He summarised the evolution of osteometabolic therapy, from teriparatide in 2001 to the latest arrival, romosozumab – the monoclonal antibody designed to target sclerostin. Prof Armstrong also advocated for equitable care and swift management of an “osteoporosis emergency”, such as a T-score of -5.

The second day of the meeting kicked off early for some delegates who joined Dr Cairns for a 5km ‘President’s Run’ around Belfast city centre. Among several notable presentations that followed, Dr Gareth Lewis, Consultant Acute Physician, Antrim Hospital, Northern Ireland, touched on philosophy, movies, and mythology in his talk: ‘Artificial intelligence in medicine and medical education’, while Prof Donal O’Shea, Consultant Endocrinologist, St Vincent’s Hospital and University College Dublin, shared his expertise about obesity, glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, and ‘lessons learned from patients’. The plenary sessions closed with a pertinent debate and subsequent panel discussion entitled: ‘The house believes all polymyalgia rheumatica should see a rheumatologist’.