Meetings and Workshops
All Sponsor Symposia - Complimentary
If you're registering for the main ARA ASM, you can add these Symposia to your registration during the online registration process.
Platinum Sponsor Symposium
PLATINUM SPONSOR - UCB
Topic: “Beyond the Joint: Whole-Patient Care in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease”
Date: Saturday 16th May 2026
Time: 4.45 pm - 6.00 pm
Venue: Arena 1B
Included in full registration fees.
Gold Sponsor Lunch Symposia
Sunday 17th May -
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
“Predicting PsA and Preserving Function”
Chair: Prof Paul Bird
How to best predict PsA before it happens - Dr Sharmayne Brady
From structural damage to functional disability: focusing on what matters for patients - A/Prof Andrew Östör
Date: Sunday 17th May 2026
Venue: Central Room C
Time: 12.50 pm - 1.50 pm
Included in full registration fees.
Monday 18th May - ABBVIE
Topic: Where to next? The art and science of navigating ‘switch’
Speakers: Dr Andrew Foote, Dr Roberto Russo and Dr Michelle Tellus
Date: Monday 18th May 2026
Venue: Central Room C
Time: 12.50 pm - 1.50 pm
Included in full registration fees.
Silver Sponsor Breakfast Symposia
Sunday 17th May -
ARROTEX
Date: Sunday 17th May 2026
Venue: Room 5
Time: 7.30 am for 7.40 am - 8.25 am
Topic: “Dual biologics therapy - what does the future look like and what do we need to consider?”
Chair : Professor Michelle Leech
Speaker: Professor Paul Bird
Sunday 17th May -
BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM
Topic: “Should we Screen RA Pateints for ILD? A Debate at ARA 2026”
Date: Sunday 17th May 2026
Venue: Room 6
Time: 7.30 am for 7.40 am - 8.25 am
Included in full registration fees.
International guidelines increasingly recommend risk‑based ILD screening for patients with RA; however, there remains no standardised method for implementing these guidelines within Australian rheumatology practice. This session will address the ongoing debate: early and systematic screening versus selective and pragmatic screening, with particular emphasis on practical feasibility in Australian clinics. Moderated by Wendy Stevens, Susanna Proudman and Paul Kubler will present arguments both for and against routine screening, while Mandana Nikpour and ILD specialist John Mackintosh will offer practical insights to inform a clinically relevant discussion.
Monday 18th May -
ASTRA ZENECA
Topic: ‘From Steroid Sparing to Damage Prevention: Optimising SLE Management’
Speakers: Professor Eric Morand and Associate Professor Sean O’Neill
Topic: Join us for a breakfast symposium where you’ll hear the latest evidence on preventing organ damage and reducing glucocorticoids in SLE. Prof. Eric Morand will present the most recent evidence for minimising organ damage in lupus and its relevance to clinical practice, and A/Prof Sean O’Neill will present on the importance of glucocorticoid-sparing treatment pathways to minimise cumulative steroid toxicity while maintaining disease control.
Date: Monday 18th May 2026
Venue: Room 5
Time: 7.30 am for 7.40 am - 8.25 am
Included in full registration fees.
Monday 18th May - NOVARTIS
Topic: "PMR: Updates in Clinical Management"
Date: Monday 18th May 2026
Venue: Room 6
Time: 7.30 am for 7.40 am - 8.25 am
Included in full registration fees.