Registration is Open for 2021 Virtual National Scleroderma Conference

Connect and Thrive Together, July 17 & 18, 2021

You can now register online for the virtual 2021 National Scleroderma Conference. There are three categories:

• Person Living with Scleroderma $30
• General Admission $50
• Business/Academia $125

Caregivers and spouses/partners should register as General Admission.

To make the online experience a great one, the Foundation contracted with an experienced online event platform, HUBB. You will enter a virtual lobby as if you were in a hotel, and there will be meeting rooms and more, all with the idea of making the online experience simple so you can focus on the educational experience and the opportunity to connect with others who have scleroderma.

REGISTER

Apply for a Conference Scholarship

Thanks to the generous support of many donors and chapters, conference scholarships have made it possible for hundreds of individuals affected by scleroderma to attend conference over the years. Scholarship recipients receive one full virtual conference registration pass. Available only to adults living with scleroderma, who are residents of the United States, scholarship applications are limited to one per family. Application criteria:

• Financial need
• Thoroughness and thoughtfulness of answers to the application questions.
• Consideration is given to applicants actively involved in Scleroderma Foundation activities.
• Priority is given to applicants attending their first Scleroderma Foundation conference.

APPLICATION DEADLINE is Tuesday, June 1, 2021, 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

APPLY

Mengqi Huang, Ph.D.

2021 Research Grant Awards

The Scleroderma Foundation awards research grants in two categories, Established Investigator, to provide an opportunity to pursue innovative ideas, and New Investigator, to provide funding to gather sufficient data to warrant funding on a larger scale from the National Institutes of Health.

One of four New Investigator grants was awarded to Mengqi Huang, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh. Her project is titled "Investigation of Disease Associated Skin Endothelial Cells in Systemic Sclerosis Using Single-Cell Transcriptomics and Epigenomes." Learn more about this project and the other 2021 research grant recipients on the Foundation's website.

RESEARCH

How Scleroderma can Affect the Lungs: The Role of the Pulmonologist

VIDEO: YouTube

Scleroderma can affect individuals differently and in different parts of the body. Watch a webinar recorded by the Foundation's Michigan Chapter to see how scleroderma can affect the lungs, and to understand the role that a pulmonologist plays in treatment. Review how the lungs work, potential lung symptoms, prescriptions for these diagnoses, side effects, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Pulmonary Hypertension, and more. Featuring Reda E. Girgis, M.D., Medical Director, Lung Transplantation; Director, Pulmonary Hypertension; Richard DeVos Heart & Lung Transplant Program, Spectrum Health; Professor of Medicine, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

WATCH

ILD Frequency, Cardiac Symptoms Distinguish Diffuse, Limited Juvenile Scleroderma Subtypes

An April 29, 2021 article published in Healio Rheumatology reports on a study by Ivan Foeldvari, M.D., of the Hamburg Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology in Germany, and colleagues, that shows the classically defined diffuse subtype of juvenile systemic sclerosis demonstrates more globally severe disease and higher interstitial lung disease frequency, whereas the limited cutaneous subtype has more frequent cardiac symptoms. Read the full article for details.

READ

Meet the Experts: Going Virtual with Patients and Families

ZOOM: Saturday, May 15, 2021, 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) Public Advisory Roundtable (PAR) is pleased to invite you to its 15th annual free patient and family forum. This year's talk will focus on patients and families and how they navigate health care access in a post-pandemic world. The panel includes Jaspal Singh, M.D., Samantha Connolly, Ph.D., Justin Ortiz, M.D., Neeta Thakur, M.D., Charles A. Powell, M.D., and DorAnne Donesky, Ph.D. This live virtual patient education event is being held in conjunction with the ATS 2021 International Conference. Morning talks will go from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Afternoon breakouts will go from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

REGISTER

Showcase Your Business at Conference

Do you work for a company or nonprofit striving to help people living with scleroderma? You're invited to showcase your organization's programs, products, or services at the 2021 National Scleroderma Conference, "Connect and Thrive Together." This all-virtual event is July 17-18, 2021, attracting hundreds of people living with scleroderma, their family members and caregivers, and the world's leading scleroderma healthcare professionals and researchers. Visit the exhibitor page on the Conference website today to learn how to claim your virtual booth in the exhibit hall!

EXHIBITORS

COVID‑19 Information & Recommendations

Updated April 28, 2021

Please note an update to vaccine guidance. You should not receive any other vaccine 14 days prior to receiving your first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The American College of Rheumatology released clinical guidance on the COVID-19 vaccines. This information is available on the ACR website and has been added to the Foundation's website. Additional information and frequently asked questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccines have been addressed by the Scleroderma Foundation's Medical & Scientific Advisory Board, to be used in consultation with your rheumatologist or other health care provider.

These guidelines, along with more information and recommendations for individuals affected by scleroderma about COVID-19 are posted at scleroderma.org/covid19. Please check this page from time to time for updates.

COVID‑19

Gold Corporate Sponsor

Silver Corporate Sponsor