The format of continuing medical education events are not typically a locus for innovation, choosing instead to leave that to the content itself. But the long-running Iowa Rheumatology Symposium delivered on both fronts late last month. For this year’s “Updates in Vasculitis” focus, the planning committee from the Division of Immunology scheduled a greater variety of presentations both in content and in form.

Conference Director Bharat Kumar, MD, MME, FACP, RhMUS, and the other committee members—Rhonda Dunn, ARNP; Kyle Zerbach, MBA; and Emily Wash, PharmD, BCACP—invited the patients’ perspective, solicited greater audience participation, and scattered 10-minute “thieves market” case-based presentations from rheumatology fellows throughout the day, rather than leaving them for the end.

Though conferences and symposia have invited patients before, mother and son Barbara and Kyle Green, share similar conditions and a physician in Kumar. They shared some of their health journey and then Kyle was invited to demonstrate the martial arts that have aided in his progression from constant pain to a broad range of motion.

The rest of the conference followed more traditional patterns with presentations from invited experts, former Hawkeyes, and current faculty. Attendees took advantage of the interactive elements and engaged with the speakers and each other throughout the day.