An insight into the important learnings of the Lupus Academy 2017 is brought to you in this special Lupus Science & Medicine podcast.

The Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ronald van Vollenhoven, a founding member of the Lupus Academy, spoke with several of the faculty and the delegates during the meeting held in Lisbon, Portugal, between the 5th and the 7th of May.

The Lupus Academy is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing high-quality education to medical specialists and trainees regarding Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The 5th annual conference was attended by around 140 delegates from many different, mostly European countries, and the large international faculty produced an educational program.

Highlights of the meeting include a debate session on the topic of "Mixed connective tissue disease - is the term archaic and should it be abandoned" where the side in favor of this proposal won a narrow victory; plenary lectures on a wide range of topics from the immunopathology of SLE to the latest in treatment; case discussion workshops on selected features of SLE; and "breakfast with the professor" sessions for informal discussions with the faculty.

Ronald van Vollenhoven talked to:

• Professor Roger Levy (The State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil);

• Professor Sandra Navarra (University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines);

• Professor Anisur Rahman (University College London, London, UK);

• Professor Andrea Doria (Padova University School of Medicine, Italy);

• Sara Badreh (Lupus Europe) representing the patients from 24 European countries.