Guiding GRAPPA Forward: GRAPPA’s Co-Presidents in Conversation

In this special awards-edition episode of Inside GRAPPA, host Fabian Proft sits down with GRAPPA Co-Presidents Professor Joseph F. Merola and Professor Arthur Kavanaugh. Together they reflect on their first encounters with the organization, the origins and evolution of GRAPPA, and the collaborative culture that continues to shape psoriatic disease research worldwide.

Joe and Artie share candid stories from the early days of TNF inhibitor trials, discuss the growing impact of Young GRAPPA, highlight the essential role of patient partners, and look ahead to the next five years of scientific and clinical progress in psoriatic disease.

Highlights

• Joe and Artie share how they first became involved with GRAPPA and what drew them into psoriatic disease research.
• Artie reflects on GRAPPA’s early origins, shaped by global collaboration around the first TNF inhibitor studies.
• GRAPPA’s culture remains defined by openness, interdisciplinary exchange, and highly approachable leadership.
• Key unmet needs persist, including challenges in under-served psoriasis phenotypes and skin-to-joint progression.
• Personalized medicine in PsA is still an unmet priority, despite major therapeutic advances.
• GRAPPA’s future direction focuses on comorbidities, prevention, remission, and strengthening the next generation of leaders.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Welcome & introduction
• 00:52 - Joe's first encounter with GRAPPA
• 01:56 - Artie describes GRAPPA's origins and early collaborations
• 03:26 - What makes GRAPPA's culture unique
• 05:26 - The role of patient partners
• 07:56 - Why Joe and Artie stepped into co-presidency
• 09:52 - Current unmet needs in psoriatic disease
• 11:16 - Personalized medicine and future clinical direction
• 12:18 - GRAPPA's next five years
• 13:16 - How clinicians, researchers, and trainees can get involved

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