Members of the FSR team joined over 300 global experts, clinicians, researchers, and advocates for four days of learning, collaboration, and engagement at the World Association for Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (WASOG) 2025 Conference in Ottawa, Canada during August 24–27, 2025.
The conference featured keynote lectures, expert panels, and highly interactive workshops, allowing deep dives into topics such as emerging treatments, biomarker development, novel approaches to clinical care, and patient-reported outcomes. A special focus was placed on cardiac sarcoidosis, with dedicated session tracks for clinicians and researchers interested in the latest management strategies.
Dr. Thomas Weichhart and Dr. Paul Ettel (FSR grant awardees) with Elise Hoover (FSR’s VP of Research) and Ethan Fechter-Leggett (FSR’s Data Analyst).
A standout element was the one-day patient conference (August 25), which was freely accessible and encouraged open dialogue among patients, clinicians, and researchers. The event promoted patient advocacy, shared experiences, and input on future directions for research and clinical trial design.
FSR’s President and CEO, Mary McGowan, spoke at the Patient Conference to share details of FSR’s patient support programs and initiatives. She also moderated discussions on patient preferences for clinical trials in sarcoidosis. Also pictured, sarcoidosis clinician and researcher Dr. Michelle Sharp.
FSR was also thrilled to meet with many of our dedicated partners in person: ANI Pharmaceuticals (FSR Corporate Advisory Committee member), Avalyn Pharma, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals/Endo (FSR Corporate Advisory Committee member), PTC Therapeutics, and Xentria.
One of the most engaging aspects of a conference can be the research poster session. This year, a record number of submissions were received, with 100 researchers chosen to present posters on their work. Four posters were accepted on FSR initiatives or using FSR Patient Registry data.
Twelve of the 100 poster authors were invited to present broader presentations on the conference stage, one of which was Dr. Peter Sporn (Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and Global Sarcoidosis Clinic Alliance (GSCA) Founding Member) who shared preliminary results from the FSR-sponsored, multi-site PAPLAND cardiac sarcoidosis screening study, representing the work completed by the FSR Clinical Studies Network.
Tricha Shivas (FSR’s Chief of Staff and Strategy) sharing the development of FSR’s Research Agenda that will drive strategy to support sarcoidosis research over the next five years.
Drs. Denis Balaban, Jodie Roberts, and Brandon Moss (GSCA Founding Member) in front of their poster that used FSR Patient Registry data: Temporal Trends in Health-Related Quality of Life and Health Status in Individuals Living with Neurosarcoidosis: A Nationwide Registry Study.
Elise Hoover discussed the FSR Patient Registry with researchers as a rich source of patient-reported data. FSR’s poster revealed valuable insights about pain burden in over 5,000 individuals with sarcoidosis.
Mary McGowan, Elise Hoover and Ethan Fetcher-Leggett with Manuel Ribeiro-Neto (GSCA Founding Member) and Dr. Barney Stern (SAB member).
The FSR team also took advantage of the opportunity to discuss future international efforts to collaborate across sarcoidosis patient data registries.
Left to right: Lisa Maier (SAB and GSCA Founding Member), Elise Hoover, Tricha Shivas, Ethan Fechter-Leggett, Mridu Gulati (SAB and GSCA Founding Member), Francesco Bonella (GSCA International Member), and Jacobo Sellares.
Overall, the WASOG 2025 Conference provided key opportunities to share research ideas, challenge assumptions, identify unmet needs, and discuss patient priorities about sarcoidosis with the dedicated clinicians and researchers who gathered together in Ottawa.