Prologue: 2011 Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA)

The 2011 Annual Meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) was held in July 2011 in Naples, Italy, and attended by rheumatologists, dermatologists, and representatives of biopharmaceutical companies and patient groups from around the world. The meeting began with a trainee symposium, where 25 rheumatology fellows and dermatology residents presented their original research work. Presentations and discussions by GRAPPA members during the remaining 2-day meeting included a 2-part discussion of the status of psoriatic disease biomarker research, summaries of the GRAPPA Composite Exercise and the GRAPPA video projects, a contribution from Italian members on their psoriasis and PsA projects, a lengthy discussion of research and collaborative initiatives from GRAPPA dermatologists, updates on ultrasound imaging in psoriatic disease and on plans to define inflammatory musculoskeletal disease, a presentation of the results of a small study of psoriasis and PsA in aboriginal people of Peru, and a review of global education and partnering opportunities. Introductions to these discussions are included in this prologue. The Journal of Rheumatology