Patient Congress 2024

Congress report

With the 8th Systemic Sclerosis Patient World Congress now behind us, we want to thank all attendees, speakers, moderators, organisers and sponsors for their contributions to this incredible event! We are very pleased to share the report from the Congress which, we hope, will help to solidify the knowledge shared on site and relive the experience and atmosphere of being together in Prague.

Opening with a message from FESCA’s president and vice-president, through written session summaries and links to recordings, information on attendance and feedback from participants, we hope the report will serve as a useful overview for both attendees of the Congress as well as those who missed the event.

We hope to see you all in 2026 for the 9th Systemic Sclerosis Patient World Congress in Athens!

Latest update: 12. March 2024

Dear Participant,

FESCA is thrilled to once again team up with the World Scleroderma Foundation and deliver the Patient Congress taking place alongside the 8th Systemic Sclerosis World Congress. Since our first Congress in 2010, the event has gained significant international interest amongst scleroderma patients, providing a platform for patient education, networking, capacity building and exchange of ideas and experiences.

With a program designed by and for scleroderma patients, the attendees will hear from renowned scleroderma professionals and patient advocates in a friendly and open environment, with plenty of room for questions and discussions.

We hope you will join us to finally be all together in Prague in 2024 for a new and stimulating experience in the world of scleroderma!

Best regards,
the organising team of the patient congress

Patient World Congress Programme

The 8th Systemic Sclerosis Patient World Congress will take place on the 15th and 16th of March at the Prague Congress Centre.

The registration desk, where you will be able to pick up your name badge and welcome bag, will be on the first floor of the Congress Centre and will open at 8:00am on the 15th and at 8:30am on the 16th of March.

All sessions of the Patient Congress will take place on the 1st floor of the Prague Congress Centre, in the Panorama Hall and Club Rooms B, C, and D. Printed programme will be distributed on site. Sessions in the Panorama Hall will be simultaneously translated into Spanish, Czech, Hungarian, and German. Translation headsets will be available at the entrance to the Panorama Hall.

Medical World Congress Programme

The Patient Congress organised by FESCA is running alongside the Medical Congress organised by the World Scleroderma Foundation within the same venue. If you are already in Prague on 14th of March, you can attend the opening of the Medical Congress but please note that this will be in English only and the space is limited. Apart from the Opening on the 14th, attendees of the Patient Congress will not be able to enter the Medical Congress.

Below is the schedule for the Medical Congress opening, should you wish to attend.

17:45-19:00 Forum hall – Opening ceremony and awards
19:00-20:00 Forum hall – Opening lectures
Chairpersons: D Furst (USA), Y Allanore (FR) • 19:00-19:20 Basic Lecture: C Chizzolini (CH) • 19:20-19:40 Clinical Lecture: M Mayes (USA) • 19:40-20:00 Patient Lecture: is it time to implement patient care through patient education: S Farrington (UK)
20:00-21:30 Zoom room, first floor – Get together