APLAR Young Rheumatologists
APLAR Young Rheumatologists (AYR) group was first conceptualized in 2016. The purpose of AYR has been to provide a conducive and nurturing environment within APLAR for young rheumatologists to network and collaborate in education, research, and social activities.
The AYR working group first met in October 2017, at the Dubai APLAR congress.
The current AYR Board Members are as follows:
| Convenor | Dr Priscilla Wong (Hong Kong) |
| Immediate-past Convenor | Dr Yew Kuang Cheng (Singapore) |
| Vice-Chairpersons | Dr Ghita Harifi (UAE) Dr Jiuliang Zhao (China) |
| Secretary General | Dr Babur Salim (Pakistan) |
| Treasurer | Dr Geraldine Zamora Racaza (Philippines) |
| Education Co-Chairpersons | Dr A T M Tanveer Hasan (Bangladesh) Dr Nishide Masayuki (Japan) |
| Social Media Co-Chairpersons | Dr Himantha Atukorale (Sri Lanka) Dr Lakita Gupta (India) |
| Co-Opted Member | Dr Binit Vaidiya (Nepal) |
The AYR board oversees tasks such as international collaboration, social media, membership recruitment drive, and educational activities including AYR symposia. Our organization has gradually grown, with a membership drive being initiated at the 2018 APLAR Congress in Taiwan.
The first APLAR Young Rheumatologists symposium and trainee preceptorship session was held at the 21st APLAR congress 2019 Brisbane with the participation of a large number of trainees and consultants. The second AYR symposium was held as a virtual meeting at the 22nd APLAR Virtual Congress 2020.