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In 2027: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, from diagnosis beyond ILAR to remission, complex forms and growing up with JIA.
10 years covering the full spectrum of pediatric rheumatology
Past topics since 2017:
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Autoinflammatory diseases & Still’s disease: 2017 · 2019 · 2023 · 2024
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Lupus & connective tissue diseases: 2018 · 2022 · 2025
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Vasculitis: 2021 · 2026
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Treatment & dilemmas: 2020
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JIA: 2027
New venue: from the Alps to Lake Geneva. About 30 minutes from Geneva Airport, for easier international travel.
One course, a new topic every year
Why the Winter School ?
The Winter School brings together junior and senior physicians from around the world, with direct access to internationally recognised experts in pediatric rheumatology.

Complex clinical case discussions
Discuss challenging, complicated and unresolved cases directly with experts and fellow participants.
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Small group. Direct access to experts
A focused format with time to ask questions and exchange directly with internationally recognised experts.
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International perspectives
Hear how colleagues from different countries approach the same clinical challenges, and bring new perspectives back to your own practice.
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International exchange
Meet junior and senior physicians from different countries, share experiences and build connections across the JIR community.
More than the programme
The Winter School is designed to bring participants and experts together beyond the sessions.
With everyone staying at the same venue, there are plenty of opportunities for informal discussion — breakfasts with experts, coffee breaks, networking dinners and conversations between sessions.
These informal moments are an important part of the Winter School: they make it easier to approach experts, exchange with colleagues and build connections that often continue after the event.

2027 programme
Six sessions over two afternoons, 13:00–18:30 on Friday and 13:00–18:15 on Saturday (CET)
Preliminary programme, subject to change.
Detailed timings and speakers are in the full programme.
Day | Time (CET) | Session |
|---|---|---|
Friday 12 March | 13h20-14h50 | Diagnosis beyond ILAR criteria |
Friday 12 March | 15h10-16h40 | Therapeutic Strategies and Access to Care |
Friday 12 March | 17h00-18h30 | Follow-up: Towards Remission and Treatment
Withdrawal |
Saturday 13 March | 13h00-14h30 | Specific Themes – Focus on Complex Forms |
Saturday 13 March | 14h50-16h20 | Growing up with JIA |
Saturday 13 March | 16h40-17h55 | Cases from around the world |
Onsite Experts

Pr Fabrizio de Benedetti
Italy

Pr Dirk Foell
Germany

Pr Wafa Hamdi
Tunisia

Dr Véronique Hentgen
France

Pr Michael Hofer
Switzerland

Dr Raju Khubchandani
India

Pr Daniel Lovell
USA

Pr Filipa Oliveira Ramos
Portugal

Dr Philippe Mertz
France

Pr Claudia Saad Magalahaes
Brazil

Dr Katerina Theodoropoulou
Switzerland

Dr Pamela Weiss
USA

Dr Helmut Wittkowski
Germany
Fees & registration
The 2023–2026 editions of the JIR Winter School were supported by COST Action funding, which allowed free online and onsite participation. That funding cycle has now ended.
To keep offering the same quality — expert faculty, live case discussions, and full online access — registration fees now apply for both onsite and online attendance in 2027.
Three fee tiers keep the school accessible, including a reduced Supported rate.
Rate | Who is it for ? | Online | Onsite |
|---|---|---|---|
Supporter | Solidarity rate — helps sustain the school | 250 Euros | 250 Euros |
Standard | Regular registration | 150 Euros | 150 Euros |
Supported | Trainees, fellows & participants from limited-resource countries | 25 Euros | 100 Euros |
Registration fees cover the Winter School only. Accommodation and networking dinners are not included.
Networking dinners: CHF 59/person, paid directly at the hotel. All participants who have booked a room will be contacted at the end of February for registration. Registration is required.
Breakfast with an Expert: Small groups with limited places. Registration is required.
How to register
2. Onsite participants: book your room
Once your onsite ticket is purchased, you will receive an email with a discount code to book your room at Everness Hotel & Resort at a negotiated rate.
The code is valid until 10 February 2027 (30 days before the course), so we recommend booking early. When booking, you can also request the free airport shuttle
Dinners and breakfasts. with experts :
One month before the course, you will receive a form to book the networking dinners (paid directly at the hotel) and to register for the breakfast-with-an-expert sessions (free).
Venue & getting there
A change from the Alpine venues of past editions — chosen this year for easy access from Geneva Airport.
Everness Hotel & Resort
Ch. des Champs-Blancs 70B, 1279 Chavannes-de-Bogis, Switzerland
Set between Geneva and Lausanne on the shore side of Lake Geneva, Everness offers comfortable rooms just minutes from the airport — convenient for international travel to and from the course.

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By air : Geneva Airport (GVA) — about 30 min with free shuttle (request when you book your room (subject to availability).
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By train : from Geneva Cornavin, take a train to Coppet (about 15 minutes, roughly 4 trains per hour). Then take bus 813 or 814 to the "Champs-Blancs" stop, or use the hotel shuttle on request. Timetables and tickets: www.sbb.ch/en or the SBB Mobile app.
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By car : Direct access from the A1 motorway (Geneva–Lausanne).

