EiR Schools
On Wednesday 25 January, 25 bursary awardees from 13 countries had the chance to present their research work on arthritis and systemic autoimmunity in front of the School internationally renowned faculty, led by Chairman Professor George Tsokos, Head of the Rheumatology Division of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, USA, and Schools Chairpersons Professor Betty Diamond, Head of the Centre of Autoimmune and Muscoskeletal Diseases, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, USA, and Professor Raashid Luqmani, Senior Lecturer, Rheumatology Department of Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, University of Oxford, UK.
The fellows were selected from rheumatology and immunology centres in: Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, India, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Nepal, Russia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain.
Their work was also included in the Abstract Book as a supplement to ‘Rheumatology’ published by Oxford University Press.
All fellows received full support to attend the Schools, including complimentary registration, round trip travel and hotel accommodation in Madrid, to attend both the Schools and the Excellence in Rheumatology 2012 conference.
An in depth analysis of each case study from oral presentations and posters was completed by discussion and feedback. Moreover, each fellow enjoyed the opportunity to receive specific, one-to-one career mentoring consultancy by the Faculty who offered their expertise for reviewing and assisting in the fellows’ careers choices and next steps. As a typical feature of Excellence in Rheumatology conferences, this unique exchange of resources and networking opportunity resulted in real engagement of professionals, with joint projects being started, and fellows being connected with their mentors even after the end of the conference.
Testimonials from Schools fellows:
• "This was very nice meeting I had ever attended so far. This conference provides a platform for the budding scientist to interact and learn from those who already excel the current scenario of science with their experience and hard work. This was a great experience for me to share my views during the school and learn how to do things better than before this meeting." (Schools bursary awardee, India).
• "It is a pleasure for me to present in front of internationally renowned experts. I’m thankful for their comments to improve my further study." (Schools bursary awardee, India)
• "Thank you very much for the support and my congratulations for organizing such a grand successful event." (Schools bursary awardee, India)
• "I appreciate the opportunity to present my work, thank you."
(Schools bursary awardee, South Africa)
• "Thank you for the opportunity to meet and share experience."
(Schools bursary awardee, South Sudan)
• "Everything was perfectly fine, the best I can think…Thank you very much for the support and my congratulations for organizing such a grand successful event." (Schools bursary awardee, India)
• "This is to thank you very...very much for providing me with a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with the most eminent of personalities in Rheumatology. Kindly forward my heartfelt gratitude the entire team that made it possible for me to attend the conference and EiR schools. This unique opportunity shall certainly serve as an anchor to me as i search for opportunities to undertake a formal training in paediatric rheumatology…Special thanks too to go to the EiR faculty for accepting me in their class despite the glaring distance between me and the rest of the school team. May EiR schools continue to grow and to offer people like me from the developing countries the chance to make a break into the world of rheumatology. The networking opportunity was also a gem whose real value is unquantifiable. Words can not express my appreciation; let me just summarize it in two words....Thank You." (School bursary awardee, South Sudan)
