Dear Colleagues, 

I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve the Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) as its secretary for the next two years. I am grateful for the support and affection I have received from our rheumatology fraternity.

These are exciting times for rheumatology with rapid progress in all areas of clinical care and ever-expanding avenues of research. As a member of the IRA, you have plenty of opportunities to engage with the wider fraternity of Indian rheumatology.

The IRA provides generous funding for research to its members. Please visit GRANTS (indianrheumatology.org) for more details and to apply.Funding in the form of travel grants is also available for rheumatology trainees to present their papers at IRACONs and conferences abroad. To propagate the awareness of rheumatic diseases among UGs and postgraduate trainees, IRA’s support is available for our members wishing to organize educational programs in teaching institutions. Our many Special Interest Groups (SIGs) have shown robust growth in working for what our patients need. They offer our members a forum to collaborate in the area(s) of their choice.

The IRA has declared April month as Rheumatology Awareness Month and for the last two years many activities and events have been organised by our members.

As a stakeholder, your views are very important. Please mail me your suggestions and queries at secretary@indianrheumatology.org.

I wish you a very happy and prosperous new year 2024!

Best wishes