The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2025 convenes in Chicago from October 24, 2025 to October 29, 2025 at McCormick Place. With nearly 3,100 abstracts accepted, the meeting showcases advances across basic science, translational research, and clinical practice.
Advance programming on October 24-25 includes the Fellow-in-Training (FIT) Program, Global Summit, Basic and Clinical Research Conference, Radiology Bootcamp, and Review Course. The Practice Innovation Summit is also part of early programming and will address critical topics for establishing successful rheumatology practices, including building and managing infusion services, optimizing patient access, exploring ancillary revenue streams, advanced insurance strategies, and workforce development.
The main scientific sessions run October 26-29, with the opening session and awards ceremony on October 25. During the opening session, attendees will not only hear from ACR President, Dr. Timothy Swan, but also from Keynote Speaker Dr. Tait Shanafelt, Chief Wellness Officer, Associate Dean, and Jeanie and Stewart Ritchie Professor at Stanford University. Programming notes that “Dr. Shanafelt will offer thought-provoking insights into the current state of clinician well-being, highlight key drivers that impact it, and explore both individual and organizational strategies to promote a healthier, more sustainable clinical workforce.”
The three main plenary sessions of the conference will feature top tier research including redefining kidney biopsy criteria in SLE patients, defining safe hydroxychloroquine blood levels for lupus care, mortality and cardiovascular events with GLP-1 receptor agonists in psoriatic arthritis, and much more. Themed sessions address major disease areas including systemic lupus erythematosus with dedicated sessions on nephritis advances and morbidity outcomes; rheumatoid arthritis covering interstitial lung disease, predictive modeling, and personalized treatment approaches; spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis spanning basic science to therapeutic interventions; and vasculitis featuring ANCA-associated disease and giant cell arteritis bench-to-bedside research.
Additional programming includes sessions on myositis and muscle disease, osteoarthritis, pediatric rheumatology, and basic science topics including B cell targets in lupus, neuroimmune pain mechanisms, and T cell biology.
Frieda Wiley has no conflicts of interest to report.
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