Dear friends, it is a great honor to open the dialogue at the beginning of a new administrative period in PANLAR. I would like to start by thanking you all for the trust that you have placed in me for this position.

On my return to the Notes by the President I would like to share my objectives and some important points on which I will focus during this term, counting on your support for the years ahead.

• The importance of the annual congress. We currently have the annual Congress, and I would like to maintain that periodicity, bringing the best possible value to each new edition, to continue moving forward together and achieving high-level rheumatology in this side of the world, thus offering higher quality and accessibility for all those involved in rheumatology.

• The renovation of PANLAR. I want to work hard to increasingly involve young players and bring new outlooks to PANLAR. Young and senior members can work together to find a meeting point in our activities, promoting the transfer of knowledge and setting new goals.

• The research unit. Regarding the Research Unit, I am convinced that we must continue to promote it and support it every day, to have a greater culture of evidence in the region and generate products that have more conclusive results for society as a whole.

• Our scientific journal. A culture of research entails publishing and in PANLAR we will continue to promote our Global Rheumatology journal so it becomes the main platform to actively promote the scientific production of the Pan American community, whether educational or informative.  

• Patients. On the strategic line, I want to deepen and reinforce the concept of patient leader. The defense of patients’ rights is a key issue. Patients must know every day more about their disease, because only then will they be able to know how to evolve. Once again, a joint work between us and the patients is essential for a responsible care and a better development of the treatment, always looking for the latest source of knowledge and available medicines. 

• Education. This is one of the most important thematic axes to cover. We seek to provide programs of study for all levels through the PANLAR Edu program, where we offer various educational and training tools for physicians and professionals related to rheumatology. These programs are also extended to patients through the Juntos program and the congress for patients that aims to promote an empowered rheumatic patient population that contributes to the development of the specialty.

• The work force of the specialty. Finally, I want to work every day to have elements to awaken the interest of general physicians in rheumatology. It is known that in Latin America there are not enough rheumatologists and thus that is also part of our work: to generate interest, to stimulate young people to join this way of living medical science. 

To end this note, I do not want to, nor can I, forget the work of Dr. Carlo Vinicio Caballero with whom we are united by the passion for the deep Pan-American feeling, Dr. Enrique Soriano for his deep love for research and science and Dr. Carlos Lozada, our former president whom I want to recognize for his great work as well as the solidarity shown in the training plans in rheumatology where his participation was fundamental, besides his sense of fellow feeling towards others and the professionalism he showed at all times. 

I would also like to acknowledge PANLARs work in the past eight decades, and to honor each and every one of those who preceded me for the legacy I receive today.

There is obviously a long way to go. Everyone willing to join us is welcome to do so. Following PANLARs activities is very easy, just go to our website or visit our social networks so you don’t miss any of our calls to become a member of the different groups of our community. 

 

Thanks once again to all of you.

 

WE ARE ALL PANLAR