Introduction:

Gerd R. Burmester, MD is Professor of Medicine in the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at the Charité University Hospital, Free University and Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. Professor Burmester earned his medical degree from Hannover Medical School and completed a residency at the Medical School of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. He was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University in New York, and was a visiting scholar at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

Professor Burmester is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Jan van Breemen Medal of the Dutch Society of Rheumatology. He serves on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Rheumatology and Clinical Rheumatology, and he is the Associate Editor of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, official journal of EULAR. The author himself of more than 430 original and review articles.

Research interests:

Professor Burmester’s research interests include rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme borreliosis, immunotherapy, cellular activation mechanisms in inflammatory joint diseases, and tissue engineering.

Education:

? Since 2005:Director of the Center of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité University Hospital

? 1995-1997:Charité University Hospital, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Additional Appointment as Vice Dean

? Since 1993:Charité University Hospital, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany Full Professor of Medicine

? 1990:University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Professor of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Awards:

? 1998:Jan van Breemen Medal, Dutch Society for Rheumatology

? 1992:Bruno-Schuler-Award, German Society of Rheumatology

Memberships:

? Since 2017:President of the Board of Trustees of the FOREUM Foundation for Research in Rheumatology

? 2015-2017:President of EULAR

? 2011-2013:Treasurer of EULAR

? 2003-2004:2nd Vice President of the German Society of Rheumatology

? Since 2002:Chairman, EULAR Standing Committee of Investigative Rheumatology and Member of the Executive Committee of the European League against Rheumatism

? 2001-2002:President of the German Society of Rheumatology

Editorial board:

? ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATISM

? Journal of Rheumatology

? Journal: Clinical Rheumatology

? Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology

? Zeitschrift für Rheumatologie

? Arthritis Research and Therapy

? Current Opinion in Rheumatology

? Autoimmunity Reviews

? Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology