PANLAR Presidency, First Self-Assessment Report 2014-2016: Challenges, Opportunities, and Results.

We present here the first PANLAR Presidency Self-Assessment Report 2014-2016, emphasizing the challenges, opportunities, and results achieved in terms of (1) governance, (2) education and scientific research, (3) finance, and (4) communications throughout this tenure. The main result must be understood as a strategic planning exercise that strengthened institutional responsibility in policies, decisions, and actions, thanks to the teamwork of Latin America's National Rheumatology Societies, the PANLAR Executive Committee, and PANLAR Board Members.

Report on the First PANLAR Rheumatology Review Course Rheumatoid Arthritis: Challenges and Solutions in Latin America.

The First PANLAR Rheumatology Review Course was held in Barranquilla, Colombia, in April 2015. Researchers, rheumatologists, epidemiologists, and a variety of allied professionals and patients attended the meeting. The scientific program included plenary sessions and symposia delivered by renowned experts in the field, followed by an interactive forum of discussion during 2 days.A broad spectrum of topics was discussed, reflecting the current challenges and opportunities for diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Latin America. The scientific program included not only traditional disease aspects, but also social implications, research projects, and educational characteristics, patient perspectives, and novel care models, emphasizing the need for training human resources and proposing unique approaches to RA health care in Latin America, therefore helping us to increase and improve the knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of this health condition in the region, thus promoting and encouraging equity, quality, and efficiency of RA health care.