ACR Award for Scientific Director

If rheumatology could be said to have something similar to the Hollywood Academy Awards, it would be the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).  This event — held in different cities each year — customarily brings over 12,000 attendees from all over the world to its sessions.  The ACR defines itself as “an organization of and for physicians, health professionals, and scientists that advances rheumatology through programs of education, research, advocacy, and practice support”. ACR meetings are stellar gatherings where the established “stars” of the rheumatology world gather to encounter up-and-coming researchers and clinicians—the future “stars”.  They constitute a forum where ideas about future directions for diagnosis and treatment are often unveiled and discussed before a global audience of dedicated and diverse scientists, all working at the leading edges of scientific rheumatology.  Each year, the organization recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology. To be the recipient of major ACR honours and ACR recognition is to capture an “Oscar” in rheumatology.

This year, the members of the Consumer Advisory Board are extremely proud to announce that Dr. John Esdaile, the Scientific Director of the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC) received the ACR’s Master Designation at the annual scientific meeting.  Recognition as a Master of the American College of Rheumatology is one of the highest honours the College bestows.

Our members see Dr. Esdaile as a passionate and dedicated leader in the field of arthritis.  His devotion to research has produced these notable outcomes:

• Founder of the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada
• Investigator of many significant published scientific research papers
• Prolific author of books and book chapters
• Mentor to future research scientists
• Recipient of the Canadian Rheumatology Association’s Distinguished Investigator Award, New York’s Kirkland Foundation’s Kirkland Scholar designation, and the Canadian Academy of Health and Sciences’ Fellow nomination

But Dr. Esdaile transcends a simple listing of achievements.  He is our “star”; he is our centre of gravity.  Above all, he is a well-spring of inspiration and a constant source of encouragement for the pursuit of excellence in research.  He lifts our burdens and lights our way as we struggle together to build a world free of arthritis.  The consumers of CAB join the researchers at ARC in saluting Dr. Esdaile’s remarkable ACR recognition!!