*UPDATE: August 19, 2019*

Dear DC Rheumatism Society Members,

Welcome to the seventy-third year of the Rheumatism Society of the District of Columbia. It is a great honor to serve as your President.

I want to take a moment to thank Dr. Daniel El-Bogdadi for his spectacular leadership over this past year, and for leaving the society in grand health. His, will be a tough act to follow. I am thrilled to be joined in the leadership of the society by Dr. Tahereh Jamshidi as Vice President and Dr. Florina Contantinescu as Treasurer. I would also like to thank the society’s dedicated secretary, Ethel Sauro, for her tireless efforts to assist with logistics and execution of the society’s work.

We are in the process of putting together our program for 2019-2020 (see meeting schedule). The meetings will be held at the Pooks Hill Marriott in Bethesda. Similar to last year, we will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a meet and greet with our sponsors. Please take a moment to interact with them, since without their support the DC Rheumatism Society could not continue its work. The dinner buffet will be served starting at 7:15 p.m. and presentations will begin at 7:30 p.m.

As in previous years, CME will be provided through MedStar using the same telephone text system as in prior years. The telephone is 202-796-7323. To enroll in the system, send a text to this number with the message 274. If you have registered previously then you will receive confirmation within seconds. You only need to register once. The system remembers your phone number.

The Ultrasound Course will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at Georgetown University School of Medicine and some world-renowned faculty will attend to provide their insights and expertise. The link to register will be posted on the website as soon as registration opens.

The Fellows Forum will be again held in the evening on May 20th, 2020 at the Pooks Hill Marriott in Bethesda. Society members will judge the posters during the meeting, and awards will be given. We will also hear podium presentations from some of the Fellows Forum Research winners. The Fellows Forum is one of the highlights of our calendar, enjoyed by trainees and the DC Rheumatism Community as we come together to see and hear about the fantastic research and cases presented by our fellows, residents, post-docs and medical students.

Our website is still located at https://www.dcrheumatism.com. Thank you again to Dr. Chris Collins, our Webmaster. Dues are $100.00 at the Basic Member Level; however, if you wish to contribute more your generosity will be noted in the Membership Directory with Partner Level ($250.00), Patron Level ($350.00) and Benefactor Level ($500.00). Fellow trainees may join without charge.

I am excited about this upcoming year. I look forward to seeing you at our meetings and please feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions or questions.

Sincerely,
Victoria Shanmugam, MD, MRCP