Irish Society for Rheumatology, Autumn Meeting, Europa Hotel, Belfast, 17–18  September 2026 Conference Agenda

Programme

Thursday 17 September

08.30–09.15 CAG Meeting — Chaired by Dr Eoghan McCarthy — Special Interest groups

09.15–09.45 Irish Society for Rheumatology (ISR) board meeting

09.45 Opening address — Dr Andrew Cairns, ISR President

09.45–10.30 An update on interstitial lung disease in rheumatic disease
Dr Nazia Chaudhuri, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Ulster University and Altnagelvin Hospital

10.30–11.00 Coffee break and visit industry

11.00–11.45 The eye of giant cell arteritis
Prof Susan Mollan, Professor of Ophthalmology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

11.45–13.00 Oral presentations

13.00–13.45 Lunch

13.45–14.45 Poster round

14.45–15.30 Health inequalities in SLE – A global challenge
Prof Ian Bruce, Consultant Rheumatologist, and Professor of Rheumatology, University of Manchester and Queen’s University Belfast

15.30–16.15 Existing gaps in the management of psoriatic arthritis: Can we do better?
Dr Lihi Eder, Associate Professor of Medicine and Research Chair in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases, University of Toronto, Canada

16.15–16.45 Coffee break and visit industry

16.45–17.15 AGM

17.15–18.00 Building bone first: Translating mechanistic differentiation into treatment decisions for postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis at imminent fracture risk
Prof David Armstrong, Consultant Rheumatologist, Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Western Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland

This promotional symposium is organised and funded by UCB Pharma and is intended for healthcare professionals from the UK and Ireland only. UCB products will be discussed.

19.30 Reception and conference dinner, including Lifetime Achievement Award presentation to Dr Madeleine Rooney, Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist

Friday 18 September

07.00 The President’s run: Join the ISR President on a 5km run (or walk) around Belfast City centre

09.15–10.00 Update in polymyalgia rheumatica
Dr Sarah Mackie, Associate Professor of Vascular Rheumatology, University of Leeds, and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK

10.00–10.45 Artificial Intelligence in medicine and medical education
Dr Gareth Lewis, Consultant Acute Physician, Antrim Hospital

10.45–11.15 Coffee break and visit industry

11.15–12.00 Obesity and GLP-1 – Lessons learned from patients
Prof Donal O’Shea, Consultant Endocrinologist, St Vincent’s University Hospital/University College Dublin

12.00–12.50 The house believes all PMR patients should see a rheumatologist
Dr Patricia Harkins, Saint James’s Hospital, Dublin, for the motion.
Dr John Ryan, Cork University Hospital, against the motion.
Panel discussion to follow with Dr Sarah Mackie, Dr Patricia Harkins and Dr John Ryan, moderated by Professor David Kane.(Supported by an educational grant from Novartis Ireland Ltd.)

12.50 Prize-giving, close of meeting, and lunch