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The Irish Society for Rheumatology is due to host one of its key gatherings later this month, which will be a must-attend event for anyone in the field
The Irish Society for Rheumatology (ISR) will hold its Autumn Meeting at the Europa Hotel in Belfast on 17 and 18 September 2026.
The meeting will bring together specialists in rheumatology for two days of presentations, discussion, and networking.
The Autumn Meeting begins with an opening address from ISR President Dr Andrew Cairns.
Dr Cairns is a Consultant Rheumatologist in the Belfast HSC Trust based at Musgrave Park Hospital, where he was appointed in 2004.
He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the RCPI, and a member of the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR).
Dr Cairns is a musculoskeletal ultrasound tutor with EFSUMB [European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology] certification. He has published on a wide range of rheumatic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the use of biologic drugs, and musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Dr Cairns also holds an MSc degree in Sport and Exercise Medicine.
Dr Nazia Chaudhuri
Opening talks
The opening address will be followed by a talk by Dr Nazia Chaudhuri, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Ulster University and Altnagelvin Area Hospital, who will present an update on interstitial lung disease (ILD) in rheumatic disease.
Dr Chaudhuri graduated from the University of Leeds, UK, with an honours degree in medicine and a BSc honours in genetics. She undertook a PhD and published her work looking at the cellular interactions and signalling pathways in response to infection and air pollution.
She was Clinical Lead of the ILD service at the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust from 2013 to 2022 and Deputy Clinical Director of the respiratory service from 2019 to 2022.
A recognised leader in the field, Dr Chaudhuri established and led the roll-out of the Northern Ireland regional ILD network.
The morning will also feature a presentation by Prof Susan Mollan, Professor of Ophthalmology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The title of Prof Mollan’s talk is ‘The eye of giant cell arteritis (GCA)’.
Prof Mollan has an established international reputation in neuro-ophthalmology. Her research interests include GCA, raised intracranial pressure, and eye imaging.
Prof Mollan has been actively involved in the development of European League Against Rheumatism GCA guidelines (2019) and BSR GCA guidelines (2020), among others.
After Prof Mollan’s talk, oral presentations and a poster round will provide an opportunity to showcase a variety of clinical research.
The afternoon programme will focus on some of the major challenges facing rheumatology.
Prof Ian Bruce, Consultant Rheumatologist and Professor of Rheumatology, University of Manchester and Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), will deliver a presentation titled ‘Health inequalities in SLE – A global challenge’.
Prof Bruce qualified in medicine from QUB in 1988 and gained his MRCP in 1991. His clinical training in medicine and rheumatology was in Northern Ireland and he completed his MD thesis on the pathogenesis of systemic vasculitis in 1995.
Prof Bruce moved to Manchester in 1998, initially as an NHS consultant, and transferred to the university in 2003. He was appointed Professor of Rheumatology in August 2010 and a National Institute for Health and Care Research Senior Investigator in April 2013.
His major research focus is on long-term outcomes in SLE and rheumatoid arthritis.
Prof Susan Mollan
“The meeting will bring together specialists in rheumatology for two days of presentations, discussion, and networking”
Prof Bruce will be followed by Dr Lihi Eder, Associate Professor of Medicine and Research Chair in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases, University of Toronto, Canada, who will examine existing gaps in the management of psoriatic arthritis.
Dr Eder has a broad background in rheumatology with specific training and expertise in psoriatic arthritis, musculoskeletal ultrasound, and cardio-metabolic diseases in people living with rheumatic diseases.
Her research efforts have resulted in over 210 peer-reviewed publications in medical journals, book chapters, and editorials.
Dr Eder was awarded the Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases (Tier 2) for studying the effects of sex and gender as determinants of rheumatic disease outcomes.
The day will conclude with the ISR AGM and a symposium, sponsored by UCB Pharma, led by Prof David Armstrong, Consultant Rheumatologist, Altnagelvin Area Hospital.
The title of the symposium is ‘Building bone first: Translating mechanistic differentiation into treatment decisions for postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis at imminent fracture risk’.
In the evening, the conference dinner will take place, along with the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr Madeleine Rooney, Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist, QUB.
Prof Ian Bruce
Second day
Friday begins with ‘The President’s run’, which will consist of a run, or walk, around Belfast City centre.
Dr Sarah Mackie, Associate Professor of Vascular Rheumatology, University of Leeds and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK, will open the academic programme with an update in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).
Along with GCA, PMR is one of Dr Mackie’s primary research interests. She was the co-author on the international clinical guidelines for the management of PMR and was involved with the revision of the BSR guidelines for GCA.
Next, Dr Gareth Lewis, Consultant Acute Physician, Antrim Area Hospital, will discuss artificial intelligence in medicine and medical education.
Prof Donal O’Shea, Consultant Endocrinologist, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, and University College Dublin (UCD), will then deliver a presentation titled ‘Obesity and GLP-1 – Lessons learned from patients’.
Prof O’Shea graduated from UCD’s School of Medicine in 1989.
He then worked in Hammersmith Hospital in London as a Registrar in General Medicine, Cardiology, and Endocrinology before being appointed as Senior Registrar in Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Since 1999, he has been the Lead Clinician for the multi-disciplinary obesity service in St Vincent’s University Hospital and St Columcille’s Hospital, Dublin, and is a leading figure in obesity research.
The final major session of the Autumn Meeting will consider the motion ‘The house believes all PMR patients should see a rheumatologist’.
Dr Patricia Harkins, Saint James’s Hospital, Dublin, will speak for the motion, while Dr John Ryan, Cork University Hospital, will argue against it. A panel discussion with Dr Mackie, Dr Harkins, and Dr Ryan will follow, moderated by Prof David Kane, Consultant Rheumatologist, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin.
The meeting will conclude with a short prize-giving ceremony, after which lunch will be served.
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