Abstracts from the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) Trainees Symposium

Abstract

On December 9, 2010, more than 20 fellows and trainees from around the world presented abstracts at the Trainees Symposium at the GRAPPA (Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis) Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida. The abstracts were of two types: (1) those that described the results of or progress on a primary research project in psoriatic arthritis or psoriasis and (2) summaries of an evidence-based literature review that included a proposal for a research project, scholarly in nature and with the methodology described. Cross-disciplinary interest among dermatology and rheumatology professionals was an important factor in ranking the abstracts. Before the meeting, senior GRAPPA members ranked the abstracts, and the top six were invited to discuss their findings with a 15-minute slide presentation. The others were invited to speak for 5 to 7 minutes from posters based on their findings. The 2010 GRAPPA trainees came from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, England, Italy, the United States, and Venezuela. Nineteen universities were represented, with the University of Leeds (England), the University of Toronto (Canada), Louisiana State University, and the University of Utah having two or more submissions each. Professor Christopher Ritchlin, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Rochester School of Medicine (New York) founded the GRAPPA Trainees Symposium in 2008. It has been a popular addition to the GRAPPA Annual Meeting ever since, with 15 trainees participating in 2008, 19 in 2009, and increasing to 26 trainees and fellows in 2010. Here we present the abstracts submitted by these trainees and fellows in 2010.