Category: Directors’ Messages

Time Is Running Out! Register Today for the G-CAN 2026 12th Annual Research Symposium and Workshops October 22, 2026 November 4–5, 2026 Secure your place at the 12th Annual G-CAN Symposium and Workshops, November 4–5 at the Caribe Royale Orlando, Florida, USA. Space is limited, so register by October 12 to take advantage of Early Bird rates for both virtual and in-person attendance. Joining us in Orlando? Reserve one of the limited hotel rooms available at the reduced rate through October 12 on the meeting registration site. Join us from wherever you are—or meet us in Orlando—to connect, exchange ideas, and discover exciting developments in gout and crystal-associated diseases. More than 60 speakers will share their insights across two inspiring days, and we want you to be part of the…

Registration is Now Open for the G-CAN 2026 12th Annual Research Symposium and Workshops; November 4–5, 2026, Caribe Royale Orlando. This eagerly anticipated event will showcase the latest advancements and breakthroughs in the field, while providing exceptional opportunities for networking and mentorship among experts, seasoned professionals, and emerging investigators. By registering, you’ll join a vibrant community driving innovation in the study and care of gout and related diseases, while gaining fresh insights and practical strategies to enhance patient outcomes. Whether you will be traveling to Orlando or joining us virtually, our hybrid platform provides opportunities to connect with experts, colleagues, and emerging voices from around the world. In-person sessions will be held at the Caribe Royale Orlando, located near the area's numerous attractions. However, those who are unable to travel…

A Message from G-CAN Directors December 2025 Dear G-CAN Members and Associates, As G-CAN approaches its 12th year, we reflect on a period of sustained growth and achievement. Our membership now comprises nearly 350 professionals from over 30 countries, representing a broad spectrum of expertise in rheumatology and related fields. Our award initiatives continue to honor outstanding contributions; this marks the second year of the Jr. Faculty Award — generously sponsored by SOBI — which provides grant support for early career researchers, and the seventh awarding of the Gold Medal Award, which recognizes groundbreaking research achievement and mentoring in the field, as well as high-level engagement and service to G-CAN. Our society journal GUCDD, now in its third year, has quickly become an influential publication, illustrating the progress and impact…

A Message from G-CAN Directors August 2025 As we end the second quarter of our second decade, the directors of G-CAN are pleased to share some exciting news and updates with you. Planning is well underway for the G-CAN Annual Research Symposium and Workshops, scheduled for October 22-23, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. For more information on our agenda and to register, please refer to the article below. The event will once again offer both in-person and virtual attendance options, providing flexibility for attendees’ travel plans. In other developments, our societal journal, Gout, Urate and Crystal-Deposition Diseases (GUCDD), now in its second year, has been assigned its first CiteScore. The number of submissions of high-quality articles and reviews from members and other experts in the field have grown steadily since…

It's official! The 11th Annual Gout, Hyperuricemia and Crystal-Associated Disease Network (G-CAN) International Research Symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22 to Thursday, October 23, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Face-to-face sessions and accommodations will be at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago close to McCormick place and other major attractions. Those who are unable to travel will again have the option of attending and presenting virtually, as in the past years; live webcasts will once again be employed, and speakers will be able to answer questions and participate in breakout sessions either in-person or via Zoom. All general sessions will be streamed live, via a conference website.  Agenda Highlights include: The Year in Review         Five Lectures:         - Gout Clinical Research Including Clinical Trials - Edoardo Cipolletta, Milan…

Registration is now open for the 10th Annual G-CAN International Research Symposium! Whether you will be traveling to the Washington, D.C. area or joining us virtually, the leadership of G-CAN invites you to join us November 13 and 14 as we celebrate a decade of supporting and sharing research in the field of gout, hyperuricemia and crystal-associated diseases. In-person sessions will be at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia. However, those who are unable to travel have the option of attending virtually as in the past four years; presentations will be live-streamed, and speakers will be able to answer questions and participate in breakout sessions either in person or via the internet. This year's meeting has an exciting line-up of speakers and presentations on the most recent gout…

The directorship of G-CAN is pleased to congratulate Natalie McCormick, PhD, recipient of the first G-CAN Junior Faculty Research Prize. An instructor in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Dr. McCormick has been an active member of G-CAN for more than 5 years, starting as an Early Career Investigator poster presenter at the 2019 G-CAN Annual Symposium. The award review committee selected Dr. McCormick's proposal from a group of 7 highly competitive finalists who submitted proposals for the award's first cycle in 2024. “The competition among the top candidates was very close. After careful deliberation and discussion, the G-CAN Board’s review subcommittee concluded that Dr. McCormick, an exceptional early-career researcher, possesses the track record of high impact publications in the field, a high level of engagement in G-CAN, and many…

Directors' Message January 2024 Welcome to 2024! A new year brings a fresh opportunity to reflect on the past and plan for the future. For the G-CAN leadership, 2024 is an especially appropriate time for reflection and planning as we mark our 10-year anniversary, and a decade of advancing research in the field of gout and crystal-associated diseases. Looking Back In 2014 James Mackay, then CEO of Ardea Biosciences, suggested the creation of a scientific society to advance research in gout and crystal disease. His generous support in the form of an unrestricted grant made this possible and, in the fall of 2015, the Gout, Hyperuricemia and Crystal Associated Disease Network held its first meeting in San Francisco. Seventy researchers and industry representatives attended the half day of scientific sessions, laying…

Registration is now open for the 9th Annual G-CAN International Research Symposium! Once again, our hybrid version of our annual meeting will allow members to participate either in person or virtually. Face-to-face sessions are to be held at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, located less than 30 minutes from San Diego International Airport. This will allow those who would like to travel the opportunity to attend in person. However, those who are unable to travel have the option of attending virtually as in the past three years; presentations will be live-streamed and speakers will be able to answer questions and participate in breakout sessions either in person or via the internet. This year's meeting has an exciting line-up of speakers and presentations on the most recent gout and crystal-associated diseases research. A full…

Plans are coming together for G-CAN’s Ninth Annual Symposium, and we are ready to announce a full slate of speakers on a range of gout and crystal-associated disease topics. We also have finalized the topics and leaders for two content-rich workshops: Clinical Study and Trial Design for Hyperuricemia, Gout, and Crystal Deposition Disease, and Calcific Crystalline Arthritis. A full, updated agenda can be found here. Our meeting will again be in a hybrid format, allowing in-person attendance in La Jolla California, November 7 and 8 or virtually via live streaming. For members who are able to travel, face-to-face sessions will be held at the Estancia Resort and Spa in La Jolla, CA, just 20 minutes from the San Diego International Airport and the San Diego Convention Center. Those who are not traveling…

A Message from the G-CAN Directors Date and Location for 2023 Annual Research Sympsosium The 9th Annual G-CAN Research Symposium will be held Tuesday November 7 and Wednesday November 8, 2023 in La Jolla, California with arrival November 6 and checkout November 9. For members who are able to travel, face-to-face sessions will be held at the Estancia Resort and Spa  in La Jolla, just 20 minutes from the San Diego International Airport and the San Diego Convention Center. Those who are not traveling have the option of attending virtually as in the past two years via our hybrid platform. Pre-recorded webcasts will be combined with live presentations, and all streamed seamlessly via a conference website. Plans are underway for a full agenda which will include four Year in Review…

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one G-CAN’s valued members, Philip Robinson, PhD, MBChB, FRACP, AAICD. A native of New Zealand, and an internationally-respected gout researcher, Dr. Robinson was also a catalyst for the formation of the Global COVID-19 Rheumatology Alliance, in which he championed gout as an important rheumatic disease. Dr. Robinson first became involved with G-CAN as a young investigator, presenting his abstract on the systematic review of adverse events from colchicine use at the annual G-CAN research symposium, and returning the following year as an invited speaker on the value of using social media in communicating with gout and crystal arthritis patients. Dr. Robinson completed his undergraduate medical studies and post-graduate rheumatology training in Dunedin New Zealand, where he developed an interest…

Annual G-CAN Research Symposium After two years of “virtual-only meetings,” G-CAN leadership was pleased to welcome back in-person – as well as virtual – attendees to the 8th Annual Research Symposium in Alexandria Virginia in October. The 2022 hybrid meeting was attended by 158 members, researchers, physicians and industry representatives from 30 different countries and covered a full agenda of presentations and focus group discussions. This year’s symposium had 20 Early Career Investigator abstracts, 24 topic speakers, and eight award presentations. As our organization continues to grow, we added additional content to our annual meeting, expanding it to two days and covering even more topics such as hyperuricemia and gout epigenomics and hyperuricemia-independent gout phenotypes. Our in-person networking and social events were also popular and well-attended, especially the optional post-meeting banquet…

Autumn is almost upon us and that mean it is time for the Annual G-CAN International Research Symposium! The 8th Annual Symposium will be held October 21-22, 2022. With travel restrictions lifting and more venues opening to live events, we have decided on a “hybrid” version of our annual meeting this year that allows members to participate either in person or virtually. Face-to-face sessions are to be held at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, minutes from Reagan International Airport and Washington D.C.. This will allow those who would like to travel the opportunity to attend in person. However, those who are unable to travel have the option of attending virtually as in the past two years; presentations will be live-streamed and speakers will be able to answer questions and participate…

Dear members, The past four months have been busy ones for the G-CAN leadership as we look forward not only to a return to in-person meetings, but to new initiatives and projects. Along with setting a date and location for our hybrid face-to-face and virtual 2022 annual meeting, we have many exciting updates to share with you! Please read on to learn more, and watch your email for more announcements in the coming months. 8th Annual Research Symposium With travel restrictions lifting and more venues opening to live events, we have decided to hold this year’s symposium both virtually and in person on a “hybrid” platform, Friday, October 21, and Saturday October 22, 2022. For members who are able to travel, face-to-face sessions will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Old…

Thank you for attending the G-CAN Seventh Annual Virtual Research Symposium. Once again, we had a record number (188 in all) of registrants and attendees, with participants from G-CAN members, researchers, physicians and Pharma. We appreciate everyone’s participation and thoughtful comments in both the pre-recorded and live sessions, as well as the special networking sessions. Presentations from the 2021 Symposium – including a recording of the October 22 Live Session – will be available for viewing until December 31 using your symposium login credentials. After that, the Year in Review and Special Lecture by Heiyoung Park, National Institutes of Health, will be available on the G-CAN website indefinitely. We would especially like to thank our speakers and moderators for their time and commitment, and our sponsors Horizon Therapeutics, LG Chem and Allena Pharmaceuticals,…

Dear Members, In less than two months we will be convening our seventh annual G-CAN Research Symposium and Early Career Investigator Awards. Although the current situation with Covid requires us once again to meet virtually, we have a robust agenda planned, with an excellent panel of speakers from across the globe who will be presenting a diverse list of topics in gout, hyperuricemia and crystal-associated diseases. Additionally, we have provided several opportunities for networking in smaller groups, and although we will miss the face-to-face conversations that an in-person event offers, we hope this will allow for some productive conversations and idea sharing. The symposium will start October 18, with on-demand, pre-recorded video/audio webcasts made available online. The live, virtual general session will be held Friday, October 22 and features Early Career Investigator Award…

Dear Members, From a small side meeting of 50 researchers at the 2015 ACR annual meeting, to a respected resource for advances in gout and crystal-associated diseases research (220 members strong!) G-CAN has seen substantial growth in the past 7 years. Our annual meeting has grown in attendance every year, with record numbers of more than 180 attendees in 2020, despite the challenges of COVID-19. This year’s meeting – which will again be primarily virtual – is expected to have even more attendees and will include new opportunities for networking among members, early career investigators and sponsors. Initiated in 2016, our Early Career Investigators program has continued to expand with close to 30 research abstracts submitted last year. Of these, six are accepted for oral presentations at the annual symposium…

Dear G-CAN membership and community, We are so pleased, under the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, to have successfully hosted the live virtual, and on-demand G-CAN 2020 Sixth annual research symposium. The meeting was attended by a record-shattering 182 participants, with 27 Early Career Investigator abstracts. Attendee feedback on the new “Year in Review” sessions, the abstracts (posters) and live virtual presentations, the special awards lectures, and the gout and CPPD/apatite arthropathy clinical and translational mini-symposia was outstanding. We also heeded comments from the surveyed attendees to augment several features of the meeting format to allow for greater interaction between attendees and presenters. We are pleased to announce the G-CAN 2021 Seventh Annual Research symposium, which at this point is planned again as an all-virtual event, with live and on-demand…