Unity Through Rheumatic Diseases: A Youth-Led Model of Community, Connection, and Change
On May 31, 2025, I stood at the entrance of the InterContinental Toronto Centre as over 150 individuals streamed through the doors. Some were patients who had never met another person with a rheumatic disease (RD), and others were caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and advocates. Despite their diverse perspectives, what united this community was a desire for connection, understanding, and progress in the field of rheumatology.
Authors
- Natalia Trehan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0821-4201)
- Michelle Batthish (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6412-1029)
- Rae S. M. Yeung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2361-725X)
- Natasha Trehan
- Deborah A. Marshall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8467-8008)
- Cheryl Barnabé (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3761-237X)
- Nicholas Blanchette
- Nadia Luca
- Cristina Montoya
- Andrea Knight
- Cheryl Crow
- Mark Matsos
- Zac Spinosa
- Yan Yeung
- Reine Hodroj
- Isabel Dukes
- Andrea Ou-Hingwan
- Maggie Douglas
- Brianne Chou
- Yaneisy-Nynoska Tremblay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0234-8725)
Institutions
- Medical University of South Carolina (US)
- McMaster Divinity College (CA)
- University of Calgary (CA)
- Georgian College (CA)
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CA)
- Trillium Health Centre (CA)
- McMaster University Medical Centre (CA)
- Hospital for Sick Children (CA)
- Laidlaw Foundation (CA)
- Ontario Tech University (CA)
- Arthritis Society (CA)
- Metropolitan University (RS)
- Research Canada (CA)
- SickKids Foundation (CA)
- Check Point (Israel) (IL)
- Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (CA)
- Arthritis Northwest (US)
- Research Network (United States) (US)
- Université Laval (CA)
- McMaster University (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Rheumatology
- Published
- 2026-09-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.2026-0017
- Primary Topic
- Musculoskeletal Disorders and Rehabilitation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00