Presidential Round Table: A Report from the GRAPPA Annual Meeting

Proceedings of the GRAPPA 2016 Retreat

In advance of its 2016 annual meeting, members of the steering committee of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) convened for a strategic planning meeting. The purpose of this advance meeting was to review the work of GRAPPA since its inception in 2003, ascertain and review the current priorities of the group, and devise a strategy for proceeding. The key accomplishments of GRAPPA to date, priorities and objectives for the next 5 years, and goals and opportunities for the GRAPPA committees were discussed. GRAPPA has a responsibility and commitment to patients, its members, and partners to innovate, inspire, and improve knowledge and the ability to care for people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Prologue: 2015 Annual Meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA)

The 2015 Annual Meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) was held in Stockholm, Sweden, and attended by rheumatologists, dermatologists, and representatives of biopharmaceutical companies and patient groups. In this prologue, we introduce the articles that summarize that meeting. As in previous years, GRAPPA members held a Trainees Symposium, providing an opportunity for trainees to discuss their research in psoriatic disease with experts in the field. Two dermatology sessions were held: an update on the International Dermatology Outcome Measures group; and a description of a new tool, the Comprehensive Assessment of the Psoriasis Patient, to more accurately assess the full burden of plaque psoriasis and its subtypes. Four distinct plenary sessions were held to update members on the status of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) initiative. GRAPPA's patient research partners discussed their 2 years of involvement in GRAPPA activities and were active in several sessions before and during the 2015 annual meeting. New work was presented toward developing a patient-reported instrument to measure flare in psoriatic disease, and the status of GRAPPA's multiple research and continuing education programs in psoriasis and PsA was summarized. Finally, a Presidential Round Table was held in which the past, current, and incoming presidents reflected on GRAPPA's history and provided insights about its future.