ASessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) international working group: a model for psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis?

STRUCTURE OF ASAS ASAS began in 1995 as an informal group. However, during the ensuing years there was a growing interest in the field of AS and in the work done by ASAS. This necessitated a more formal structure. At present, ASAS consists of an executive steering committee, an advisory board, members, and corporate partners. The following persons form the steering committee: Désirée van der Heijde (president), Maxime Dougados (vice-president), Jochen Sieper (treasurer), John Davis (secretary), Jürgen Braun, and Sjef van der Linden. Persons with a dedicated interest in AS, as evident from past or present performance in clinical care, research, teaching, or the conduction of studies in the field of spondyloarthritides, can apply for membership. Members are expected to be active participants taking part in a workshop or in one of the questionnaires at least once every calender year. Meetings are organised in concurrence with the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual meetings. In addition, there is one separate workshop per year, often in conjunction with the International Congress on Spondylarthropathies. ASAS has a website listing all the members (70 at the beginning of 2004), corporate partners, and activities of the group (www.asas-group.org).