Meet the four lucky individuals who received scholarships to attend the recent ACR Convergence in Washington.
The latest batch of Phil Robinson Global Scholars has been announced.
The Phil Robinson Global Scholars program was established last year in memory of the Queensland-based rheumatologist and his passion for global collaboration and mentoring trainees.
The program provides scholarships that cover registration, travel and accommodation costs for the ACR Convergence. Recipients also participate in specially designed workshops and networking mentoring activities during the meeting to encourage collaboration and interaction between trainees, professionals and patient advocates across the globe.
The 2024 Phil Robinson Global Scholars are:
- Faleye Ayodele, MBBS, FWACPead, PgDip Paed Rheum, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
- Siddharth Jain, MD, DM, MRCP, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India
- Svitlana Samsonenko, MD, PhD, Dnipro State Medical University, Ukraine
- Gurveen Soin, MBChB, FCP, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dr Ayodele pioneered paediatric rheumatology in Nigeria, establishing the country’s first clinic at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in February 2022 after completing general paediatric, adult rheumatology and then paediatric rheumatology training.
Assistant Professor Jain has spent the last decade working as a rheumatologist in India and has a strong research interest in RA, SLE, inflammatory myopathies and Sjogren’s syndrome.
Dr Soin is currently a rheumatology fellow completing her training. Her clinical interests include connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease, while outside of work she enjoys hockey and following rally car driving.
Funding for the Phil Robinson Global Scholars is provided through contributions from the American College of Rheumatology and the Covid-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance.
Other awards handed out at the 2024 ACR Convergence included:
- The Association of Rheumatology Professionals’ Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Professor Janet Poole (University of New Mexico), for her outstanding and sustained contribution to the rheumatology field. Professor Poole was described as a “trailblazer in the field of occupational therapy and a dedicated advocate for individuals living with scleroderma” by ARP President Aileen Ledingham.
- The ACR’s Presidential Gold Medal – the highest award the ACR can bestow to an individual for their career of outstanding achievements in rheumatology – was awarded to V. Michael Holers MD from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “Dr Holers is a distinguished rheumatologist whose contributions to the field have been nothing short of transformative,” said ACR president Deborah Dyett Desir MD.
