ATLANTA – ACR Convergence 2023, the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the world’s premier rheumatology experience, will be held Nov. 10 – 15 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA. This year’s meeting includes the return of an in-person poster hall, five in-person networking lounges, CME for select plenary sessions, and an extra half day of scientific sessions.

“We are looking forward to a great meeting this fall in beautiful San Diego! This year, we will showcase a greater number and diversity of sessions with our return to the original meeting length,” said Sharon Kolasinski, MD, the ACR’s Annual Meeting Planning Committee chair and professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Penn Musculoskeletal Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. “The constraints of the last few years, including interruptions in laboratory work, the impact on clinical trial patient recruitment, and the demands of producing an entirely remote, then hybrid, meeting contributed to us shortening the meeting in the past. Returning to the traditional meeting length offers more flexibility for our attendees.”

Highlights of the meeting include:

The In-Person Poster Hall Returns

Another tradition returning this fall – the in-person poster hall.

“We are thrilled to have the return of the poster hall! It will feature work organized by topics, where the presenters can explain their research, field questions, and interact with interested attendees,” said Dr. Kolasinski.

“Not only is the poster hall a great way for our members to showcase their research, it’s also one of the primary ways people network during the meeting,” said Douglas White, MD, PhD, ACR president and chair of rheumatology with Gundersen Health System, Onalaska, WI. “The poster hall is a real benefit for all attendees, from those who are just starting out in this field to those who are seasoned veterans.” 

Attendees can view posters online on the ACR’s meeting website and app before, during, and after the meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, attendees will have one year to see the posters, along with recorded poster tours.

More Networking Opportunities

A new addition to this year’s meeting includes five in-person networking lounges for attendees to meet, socialize, and re-establish connections, without pre-programmed content. Dr. Kolasinski says the lounges are “comfortable on-site spaces to stop, sit, and talk.” The lounges are for groups interested in the following areas:

Business of rheumatology

Basic science

Interprofessional team

Pediatrics

Workforce and education

Returning CME for Plenary Sessions

The ACR will offer continuing medical education credits for three plenary sessions at the meeting, which was last offered to attendees in 2020.

The ACR will also introduce a new meeting website and app for Convergence 2023. Nearly every scientific session will be available on-demand in 24 hours or less after the session is held. Select livestreaming will be offered for the most popular sessions.

The call for abstracts is now open until June 8 at noon ET. Early registration for members will open in late June. More information on ACR Convergence 2023 can be found on the ACR’s annual meeting webpage.

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About ACR Convergence

ACR Convergence, the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, is where rheumatology meets to collaborate, celebrate, congregate, and learn. With about 250 sessions and thousands of abstracts, it offers a superior combination of basic science, clinical science, business, education and interactive discussions to improve patient care. For more information about the meeting, visit https://rheumatology.org/annual-meeting or join the conversation on Twitter by following the official hashtag (#ACR23).

About the American College of Rheumatology

Founded in 1934, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is a not-for-profit, professional association committed to advancing the specialty of rheumatology that serves nearly 8,500 physicians, health professionals, and scientists worldwide. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatology professionals are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. For more information, visit www.rheumatology.org.