The Country Liaison Award
From Fer Montero
The Country Liaison Award is a new EMEUNET initiative aimed at recognising and highlighting the valuable work carried out by Country Liaisons (CLs) across their countries.
The initiative was created to acknowledge the effort and exceptional commitment shown by CLs, foster engagement in activities that strengthen collaboration between countries, EMEUNET and EULAR, and inspire new and creative ideas while learning from one another, ultimately promoting excellence and innovation.
All activities carried out by the CLs throughout the year were taken into account. To support this process, the “Survival Kit” was created — a document prepared by the subcommittee (SC) and sent to all CLs at the beginning of the term. It included guidance on what to expect, the resources available to them, and suggested activities categorised by experience level, helping to guide both the planning and assessment of key contributions.
Country Liaisons have worked tirelessly throughout the year, and their activities were recorded in a shared document that allowed the subcommittee to follow their progress. Beyond the number of activities performed, the evaluation also considered each country’s context and the overall impact of the contributions, the time and effort invested in organisation and planning, promotion and visibility through collaboration with our Social Media SC, and peer support provided to help other CLs replicate successful initiatives.
After a year of hard work, the CL Subcommittee met virtually to review all activities and conduct a vote, selecting the three most outstanding Country Liaisons, whom we are pleased to present here.
Third Place – Aleksandra (Poland)
Aleksandra is a rheumatologist at the University Clinical Hospital No. 2 in Lodz and a research and teaching assistant at the Department of Rheumatology at the Medical University of Lodz, Poland. Her main interests include idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. In 2022, she completed her PhD on cardiovascular involvement in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.
In her fourth year as a CL, her most notable work included, among other activities, co-chairing an EMEUNET clinical webinar on inborn errors of immunity with a national expert, contributing to the joint translation project, coordinating the national selection for RheumaVision, and publishing an article in her national media.
Second Place – Marc (France)
Marc is a rheumatologist and translational researcher committed to advancing the understanding of autoimmune disease pathogenesis, particularly systemic lupus. His work also focuses on translational and clinical research into intensive immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and T-cell engagers, in the context of autoimmune disorders.
In his second year as a CL, his most notable work included, among other activities, organising an EMEUNET session at the national rheumatology congress, co-chairing an EMEUNET clinical webinar on CAR-T cells with a national expert, conducting a CL survey, mentoring a new CL member, and coordinating the national selection for RheumaVision.
First Place – Daliya (Bulgaria)
Daliya is a rheumatologist at the Clinic of Rheumatology, University Hospital “St. Ivan Rilski” in Sofia, Bulgaria. She earned her PhD from the Medical University of Sofia, focusing on the management of systemic lupus erythematosus, and recently completed a three-year term within the EMEUNET subcommittee network.
During her first year as a Country Liaison, her most notable contributions included organising an EMEUNET session at the national rheumatology congress, hosting a webinar, coordinating the national selection process for RheumaVision, and contributing content to EMEUNEWS, among other activities.
Through this announcement, we would like to warmly congratulate the winners of this edition, as well as all Country Liaisons, whose work is invaluable to the growth and strength of our community.
EMEUNET Inspires Young Rheumatologists at the 19th Anatolian Rheumatology Days in Türkiye
From Tugba Izci Duran
EMEUNET was proudly represented at the 19th Anatolian Rheumatology Days, one of the largest national rheumatology meetings in Türkiye, through a dedicated EMEUNET & Young Rheumatologists Session.
The session opened with a presentation by Tugba Izci Duran, EMEUNET Country Liaison for Türkiye, introducing EMEUNET and the opportunities it offers to young rheumatologists. This was followed by an interactive discussion with Cristiana Sieiro Santos, Chair of the EMEUNET Country Liaison Subcommittee, who shared her EMEUNET journey and encouraged participants to engage in international collaboration and leadership opportunities.
The session also featured contributions from Gizem Ayan, Advisory Country Liaison for Türkiye.
The session attracted considerable interest from young rheumatologists and further strengthened EMEUNET’s visibility and engagement within the Turkish rheumatology community. The enthusiastic participation and discussions throughout the congress reflected a growing interest in EMEUNET and its opportunities among early-career rheumatologists in Türkiye.
