President Message

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As we embark on this term together, I am filled with a deep sense of purpose and optimism for what our community can achieve. Our Vision, Mission, and Core Values — displayed prominently on every edition of this newsletter and on our website — are not merely aspirational words. They are the shared commitments that bind us as an organisation and the standards against which we measure every action we take. I invite each of you to be guided by them, not only for this term, but for the future of APLAR.

Your Board is actively and purposefully working to bring this vision to life. We are calling on all APLAR committees to reflect on their roles and engage more actively with our collective goals. Likewise, we extend a warm and earnest invitation to all Member National Organisations to participate fully in APLAR’s growing range of activities — which now extend well beyond our annual congress and midterm symposium. At the same time, we are strengthening our regional and international collaborations, deepening ties with our valued global partners to ensure that APLAR’s voice is heard and respected on the world stage. APLAR is strongest when every voice across Asia Pacific is present and engaged.

We are investing significantly in education and scientific leadership. The APLAR Academy — supported by our Special Interest Groups and our APLAR Young Rheumatologists — continues to expand its portfolio of webinars, short courses, and grand rounds. We are especially heartened by the growing enthusiasm and involvement of our young rheumatologists, and we deeply appreciate their energy and commitment to our community. In parallel, we are strengthening our Scientific Committee to advance clinical guidelines and determine meaningful next steps for our regional registries, blending scientific rigour with clinical excellence.

Securing APLAR’s long-term sustainability is equally central to our agenda. We have activated our Finance Committee and are actively exploring ways to diversify our income and manage our resources responsibly. We warmly welcome philanthropic support from individuals and organisations who share our mission. We are also refreshing our website to make it more vibrant, current, and reflective of a forward-looking organisation.

In the months ahead, we will be reaching out to all MNOs directly. When we do, I sincerely hope you will heed our call and join us more actively. There is truly something in APLAR for each of us — and it is only together, united in our diversity, that we can advance rheumatology across Asia Pacific and beyond.

With warm regards,

A/Prof Paulo Lorenzo

President

Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR)