Being a Country Liaison requires ongoing commitment and dedication to amplify EMEUNET’s voice at national level. We have been fortunate to work with many outstanding individuals in this role over the past few years.
This year, we bid farewell to the CLs from Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. These colleagues have played a vital role in strengthening our network, promoting EMEUNET activities at national level, and inspiring the next generation of rheumatologists and rheumatology researchers. Their hard work, creativity, and enthusiasm have left a lasting mark on our community.
As they step down to pursue new opportunities, we would like to sincerely thank them for their invaluable contributions. If you are interested in becoming a Country Liaison, keep an eye out for our upcoming official call for applications!
Ayten Ishchenko
Belgium
Ayten is a young rheumatologist and PhD fellow working in KU Leuven, Belgium.
Her main research interests are spondylarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, imaging, musculoskeletal ultrasound.
alla.ishchenko@telenet.be
Mirna Reihl
Croatia
Mirna graduated as Medical Doctor in Zagreb Medical School, University of Zagreb, Croatia November 2015. She started Rheumatology residency at the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb and University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb.
Her main interests are Adult Onset Still’s Disease and Ultrasonography.
Liis Puis
Estonia
Liis has been working as a rheumatologist in several outpatient care institutions having finished her rheumatology residency in Tartu University Clinics in 2022.
Her major interests include chronic pain and different connective tissue disorders.
Anne Kerola
Finland
Anne graduated from the medical faculty of University of Helsinki in 2016. She is a soon-to graduate rheumatologist working currently in Lahti, Finland. She defended her thesis on epidemiology of comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis in 2015. In 2021, she was a post doctoral researcher at Preventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Diakonhjemmet hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Her major research interests include cardiovascular comorbidities in rheumatic diseases.
anne.kerola@helsinki.fi
Nino Gobejishvili
Georgia
Nino is the Head of the Georgian young rheumatologists union (SARG) and currently works at the Aversi and Medical House Clinic in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Her professional and scientific interests focus on immune tolerance, especially in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and vasculitides.
Johanna Mucke
Germany
Johanna received her MD from Heidelberg University. She is currently working as a clinical and research fellow in training in rheumatology at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf.
Her interests are systemic lupus erythematosus with focus on treat-to-target and health-related quality of life, synovial inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and connective tissue diseases. Johanna is an active member of the German Society of Young Rheumatologists (“AGJR”).
Dóra Sárvári
Hungary
Dóra Sárvári is a medical doctor since 2016, currently working at the Immunology Department of Rheumatology Centrum, Budai IrgalmasrendiKórház, Budapest, Hungary.
She teaches medical students and prepares presentations for immunology and rheumatology conferences. Her major interests include scleroderma and lupus, ultrasonography of joints and teaching medical students.
Santiago Rodrigues Manica
Portugal
Heidi Kokkonen
Sweden
Heidi Kokkonen is currently working as a Resident Physician at the Rheumatolgy Department, Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Norrlands University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden. She has recently been selected as a board member of the Swedish Rheumatology Association.
Her research area is risk factors for the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and is also currently studying the associations of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prior to diagnosis of RA in relation to later development of RA and CVD.
Ufuk İlgen
Turkey
Ufuk İlgen is a consultant rheumatologist and clinical researcher in Turkey. Dr. İlgen is one of the cofounders of the Turkish Society for Rheumatology-Young (TSR-Young) and leader of the Peer and Field Relations Subgroup.
His main interests are autoimmunity, SLE, systemic sclerosis, FMF, and amyloidosis.
Andrew Melville
United Kingdom
Andrew Melville is a rheumatology clinical research fellow and PhD candidate at the School of Infection & Immunity, University of Glasgow. Prior to this, he spent two years in Leeds as a rheumatology registrar and academic clinical fellow. He studied medicine in Cambridge and London, then completed foundation and core medical training in London. During this time he also undertook an MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences at NDORMs, Oxford University.
He has a strong clinical interest in musculoskeletal ultrasound. His current research focus is around prediction and mechanisms of flare in rheumatoid arthritis.