Musculoskeletal researchers to showcase the city’s expertise at national rheumatology society conference
Researchers from the NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) are set to present and host sessions at the British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology (BSPAR) annual conference.
The three-day event is taking place at The Midland Hotel in Manchester next month.
BSPAR is a specialist society linked to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, with membership open to all health care professionals involved in the care of children and adolescents in paediatric rheumatology departments. The group aims to advance paediatric rheumatology care in the UK and Ireland by raising the standards of clinical care; enhancing the quality of training; promoting research and raising awareness of conditions.
Kimme Hyrich, Professor of Epidemiology will discuss lessons from the registry before Wendy Thomson, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology, talks about the Prospective Study of Childhood Onset Inflammatory Arthritis (Childhood Arthritis Prospective Study – CAPS).
Dr Tracy Briggs, NIHR Clinical Lecturer from the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, will speak about rare genetic disorders affecting the immune system, called type I interferonopathies.
To finish day one of the conference, young people who are part of the Young People’s Opinions Underpinning Rheumatology Research (YOURR project); will give a presentation to delegates about the scheme and its on-going success. The project, which is being run by a number of organisations including the BRU, aims to determine what young people with rheumatic disease consider important to research, and will help to make sure that their views influence the work of rheumatology researchers and health professionals.
William Dixon, Professor of Digital Epidemiology, will be a guest speaker during day two of the event. He will be discussing data collection on the move and the potential of technology .
Ian Bruce, Professor of Rheumatology and Honorary Consultant at The Kellgren Centre, is also set to take to the podium, to talk about vascular health in rheumatic disease and what we can learn from adult rheumatology.
Professor Bruce, who is Director of the BRU, said:
I am delighted that the BSPAR annual conference is coming to Manchester. The conference will include a number of cutting-edge researchers from partner organisations across the city, to celebrate and showcase our strong rheumatology research presence here in Manchester.
“It is set to be a great event and I look forward to meeting scientists from across the UK and Ireland focussed on improving the care of children and young people with arthritis and related conditions.”
Other Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University of Manchester colleagues are also set to present during the conference including:
- William Newman, Professor of Translational Genomic Medicine at Saint Mary’s Hospital, hosting a parallel session on the 100,000 Genome Project.
- Matt Nixon, Consultant Hand and Upper Limb Surgeon at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) discussing the instability and pathology of shoulders.
- Professor Zulf Mughal, Consultant in Paediatric Bone Disorders at RMCH, talking about how to investigate secondary osteoporosis and new treatment evidence.
