Annual Conference Roundup 2024

The Psoriasis Association hosted another successful annual conference earlier this summer in Manchester.

The 'Psoriasis Update: What You Need to Know' conference was attended by healthcare professionals, Psoriasis Association members, non-members as well as the association's trustees and officers including our new vice-chair Russ Cowper.

Russ attended the event as a delegate but also took part in a fireside chat segment on Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in research and its importance.

The day has received lots of positive feedback from attendees. Here's what Russ had to say about how it went:

Russ' Roundup - Annual Conference 2024

This year's Psoriasis Association AGM and Conference was held for the very first time at the very well-appointed Pendulum Hotel (Manchester Conference Centre) in the city of Manchester. The conference room was a decent size and a good-sized audience attended.

Outgoing Chairman, Nick Evans, opened the meeting thanking everyone for attending and we quickly moved on to the opening presentation delivered by Dr Helen Young who informed the conference about her research study into exercise and psoriasis. It was beautifully delivered, and the audience were encouraged to take part in one of her interventions.

We ‘danced’ (if that is the word) along with her exercise instructions which were very simple and easy to follow and of course lots of fun. Dr Young concluded with her plans for a new follow-up piece of research called Move Smart, which I am sure we will hear more of in the future.

Next up was Dr Zenas Yiu, who gave an update on the work of BADBIR and increasing the understanding of biologic treatments. As ever, Zenas' work is very impressive and vital for patients' understanding of the various biologics available.

Next followed two presentations from PhD students who, we as an association, helped fund. Binh Phan gave us insights into his work on TNF inhibitor biosimilars and Heber Bright presented his findings on serious infection risk for biologics used to treat moderate to severe psoriasis. Both were well received by the appreciative attendees.

After a short break for refreshments, I delivered a fireside chat segment about the importance of public patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) with Tass Miah, Communications Lead.

Tass led the short session by asking questions and I used my experience of PPIE work to give answers. The role of the Psoriasis Association in PPIE was explained and the NIHR (National Institute of Health Research) was mentioned as a way of becoming involved through the NHS app. I finished the session with a poem titled ‘Autumn’ which went down very well.

Professor Darren Ashcroft followed and gave us a report into the very valuable work of The Global Psoriasis Atlas which the association helps to fund. It really is a fascinating piece of research, and you can find more details online at Global Psoriasis Atlas.

Conference then halted for lunch and the AGM was held for members. I am sure there will be a report on the developments at the AGM. The AGM concluded with Dr Julia Schofield awarding outgoing Chairman Nick Evans, an Honorary Life Vice President role on behalf of the trustees in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the work of The Psoriasis Association.

Whilst looking surprised, I think Nick was genuinely delighted with the award which he accepted with his usual humility. It has been a pleasure to be a trustee under Nick's leadership and he promised to attend our conference next year and heckle from the back.

Lunch was excellent, I had the chicken katsu curry and rice which was superb and very welcome. There were other dishes available as well and a selection of cakes and pastries.

After lunch, Dr Catherine O'Leary gave a quite emotional presentation about how she coped with psoriasis from a psychologist’s and patient’s perspective.

I think her story resonated with many in attendance and it was always extremely valuable in giving coping mechanisms. I believe personal stories always add a dose of reality to the day and Catherine delivered it beautifully.

Dr Julia Schofield was up next and delivered a superb presentation on second line treatments for Psoriasis, and then she engaged with other dermatologists in the room including the eminent Professor Chris Griffiths for further insight.

Our new trustee, Dr Manisha Panchal who is a distinguished Consultant Dermatologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, was also involved in the fascinating conservation.

Dr Claire Reed then gave an overview of Psoriasis Rapid Access Clinics (PRAC), which was highly informative as to how they work.

The work of mySkin, was the final presentation of the day, given by Dr Satveer Mahil. Our very own Helen McAteer represents The Psoriasis Association on the mySkin research team. Satveer gave an overview of how the study was progressing which was informative and gives us all hope for the future. It was nice to end conference on such a positive note.

Nick brought the conference to a close with a short summation of the day and thanked the whole team at The Psoriasis Association for helping to deliver an outstanding conference.

Although I cannot comment for everyone who attended, I believe it was a superb conference, with a great mix of presenters and topics covered. As a proud Mancunian myself, I was extremely happy to see the conference in my city and as we left, amazingly, for my city, the sun was shining.

Words: Russ Cowper - The Psoriasis Association - Vice-Chair