What happens at one of the world's largest rheumatology conferences, and why should patients care?

In this special episode of The Health Advocates, Steven Newmark is joined by Dr. Shilpa Venkatachalam, Director of Patient-Centered Research at the Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF), to discuss the biggest takeaways from EULAR 2026, the annual congress of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology.

The conversation explores why conferences like EULAR are so important for advancing patient care, how researchers, physicians, and patient advocates work together to shape the future of rheumatology, and why the patient voice has become an essential part of medical research.

Steven and Shilpa also highlight GHLF's contributions to this year's conference, including two original research posters examining barriers to the early recognition of hidradenitis suppurativa and the unmet informational and support needs of people living with Sjögren's disease. Along the way, they discuss exciting emerging trends in rheumatology and clinical care, especially the increasing emphasis on patient-reported outcomes.

Whether you're living with a rheumatic disease, caring for someone who is, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this episode offers an inside look at how today's research is helping shape tomorrow's treatments—and why patient perspectives are more important than ever.

Access the GHLF HS Diagnosis Accelerator: https://ghlf.org/hscheck/

Contact Our Host

Steven Newmark, Chief of Policy at GHLF: snewmark@ghlf.org

A podcast episode produced by Amelia Violet Prouse, Associate Podcast & Video Producer at GHLF.

We want to hear what you think. Send your comments in the form of an email, video, or audio clip of yourself to podcasts@ghlf.org

Listen to all episodes of The Health Advocates on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.