IFPA, Slottsbacken 8, Stockholm (2026)

04/06/2026

We commend our member organization from Argentina—AEPSO (the Argentine Psoriasis Association)—and COLAPPIEL (the Latin American Coalition of Patient Organizations for Skin Diseases) for their participation in RADLA 2026 in Buenos Aires and for highlighting the patient perspective within the dermatology community.

RADLA (Reunión Anual de Dermatólogos Latinoamericanos) is one of the region’s leading dermatology congresses, bringing together dermatologists from across Latin America to exchange knowledge, discuss scientific advances, and improve patient care.

Silvia Barrio, IFPA's Board member and President of AEPSO, and Martin Petrocco, Executive Director of AEPSO, hosted a booth, engaging with dermatologists, researchers, and healthcare leaders from across the region.

They also organized a dedicated session, titled “The Latin American Data No One Has Seen Yet: Real-World Evidence and Collaborative Work in Immune-Mediated Diseases,” which showcased key findings from regional patient surveys and policy scorecards, highlighting gaps in diagnosis, treatment access, and care for people living with immune-mediated skin diseases.

The session attracted dermatologists from across Latin America, representatives of the Latin American Pediatric Dermatology Society, and presidents of six dermatology societies from three countries.

Participation in RADLA also provided an opportunity to discuss next steps for a new regional initiative bringing together clinical and patient organizations—including International Psoriasis Council, IFPA, PANLAR, Solapso, and COLAPPIEL—to improve psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis care across Latin America.

Big thanks to our Argentinian member organization, AEPSO, and its representatives, Silvia Barrio and Martin Petrocco, for organizing this important engagement at RADLA 2026 and for helping strengthen dialogue between patient organizations and the dermatology community across Latin America.

03/06/2026

It's June and time for (European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology), taking place in London on June 3–6.

Over the coming days, we look forward to connecting with rheumatologists, other clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, and partners from around the world to share knowledge and speak up for people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

📍If you are at EULAR these days, make sure to stop by and visit us at Booth 04 and catch up with IFPA's representative Raquel Vaz, Scientific Project Leader at IFPA, and Jaime Melancia, IFPA's Board Member.

02/06/2026

🌈 June is Pride Month.
This Pride Month —and throughout the year—we stand with LGBTQI+ people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Many LGBTQI+ people continue to face stigma, discrimination, and significant barriers to healthcare. In many parts of the world, it is still unsafe to openly express your gender identity or sexual orientation. As a result, many prefer to avoid healthcare services and other institutions altogether.

The reality of many people with psoriasis is, unfortunately, quite similar. Over 80% of people living with psoriasis experience stigma and discrimination and nearly half feel anxious every day.

For LGBTQI+ people living with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, these challenges can overlap, creating a double-burden of stigma, discrimination and health risks – both psoriasis-related and linked to sexual orientation or gender identity.

Research from the US found that sexual minority individuals with psoriasis have nearly four times higher odds of reporting symptoms of clinical depression, frequent distress, and poor overall health compared with heterosexuals living with psoriasis.

We still know too little about the experiences of LGBTQI+ people living with psoriasis, and especially about how psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis affect transgender and gender-diverse communities. Listening to these voices and closing these gaps is an important step toward a more inclusive world, where everyone can enjoy their full lives, free from stigma and discrimination, and able to access the care they need. 🌈💜

29/05/2026

What does impact for the global psoriatic community look like?
Our Annual Report 2025 highlights a year of leading global advocacy, uniting stakeholders, strengthening our members, and raising awareness of the links between psoriatic disease and conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and depression.

From the IFPA Forum in Bogotá and the special event we organized at , to our high-level meeting in Geneva and the global celebration of World Psoriasis Day, – together with our members and partners we strengthened recognition of psoriatic disease as a serious noncommunicable disease that must be addressed in global health policies and care approaches.

👉 Read about the milestones we, our members, and partners achieved in 2025:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vJVr10

28/05/2026

We are proud to announce the theme for the 2026 World Psoriasis Day campaign: Young people living with psoriasis – “Look Beyond My Skin.”

Why have we chosen to focus on youth this year? Over 30% of people living with psoriasis experienced their first symptoms in childhood or during their teenage years.

The years between 18 and 35 are critical for shaping the future — making friends, dating, building a family, choosing a field of study or a career path. Living with a condition that is not only physically painful but also highly visible can mean being stared at on the bus, avoided in school hallways, rejected by a potential date, or feeling the need to hide your skin under long sleeves even in the middle of summer.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, and as conversations around mental wellbeing take central stage globally, it is important to acknowledge the invisible emotional burden that often comes with visible conditions like psoriasis.

Many young people living with psoriasis feel embarrassed, left out, lonely, or constantly worried about what others think of them. The emotional toll of stigma and isolation can be even greater than the physical symptoms themselves.

Every young person deserves to experience youth positively — through friendships, romantic relationships, education, career opportunities, self-expression, and the freedom to pursue their dreams.

In this year’s campaign, we would like to give space to young psoriasis heroes to tell their stories and empower each other.

The slogan is a call for society to see the person beyond the disease — to embrace people for who they are and to take their experiences seriously.

So let’s be mindful when we meet someone with a visible condition. Let’s see the whole person, not just the disease. Let’s .

Learn more: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vJGGm0

27/05/2026

We are thrilled to see that in Africa helped bring psoriasis to the mainstream media conversation and highlight the voices of people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Read this powerful analytical article exploring the challenges faced by people living with psoriatic disease in Kenya and across the African region.

Many thanks to journalists from The Standard newspaper in Kenya, Maryann Muganda and Ryan Kerubo, for your thoughtful investigative work and for bringing these important stories to Kenyan audiences.

Together, we can shift narratives and mindsets and ensure that experiences of people living with psoriasis are no longer overlooked by the health systems and policymakers.

🔗 Link in first comment 👇

26/05/2026

🔬 As part of Clinical Trials Awareness Month, and following last week’s on May 20, we want to highlight the critical role clinical research plays in advancing medicine and improving patient care.

Behind every approved treatment is a clinical trial, driven by scientists and by the people willing to take part and help move medicine forward.

Clinical trials are essential to medical progress, and it is crucial that they represent the people they are intended to serve. That is why clinical trials should include the diverse populations the medicines and treatments are meant to help. However, in many countries, significant barriers still limit participation.

Today, nearly 90% of clinical trials take place in Europe and North America, while only 4% include participants from Africa and South America. The result is a global evidence gap that risks leaving entire populations underrepresented in medical research.

As part of our Breaking Barriers project, which explores the gaps and challenges in clinical trial inclusion, we have developed a series of practical brochures and booklets designed to raise awareness about clinical trials and promote more inclusive participation:
🔸 Breaking the Myths: Clinical Trials and Psoriatic Disease — this brochure aims to raise awareness about common misconceptions surrounding clinical trials and provide clear, factual information.
🔸 Before You Join a Study: A Practical Guide to Participation in Clinical Trials — designed to help you talk with your doctor about clinical studies and treatment options that may be available.
🔸 Glossary: Common Terms in Clinical Research — understanding the language of clinical trials can be tricky, especially if you are new to the world of clinical research, and this booklet is designed to help.
🔸 Design It Right: A Checklist for Diverse, Equitable, Patient-First Trials — this checklist provides a practical foundation for clinical trial organizers to address gaps in participation and inclusion.

👉 Check out our resources to learn more about clinical trials and inclusive participation:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vFbnG0

19/05/2026

We made it. Perhaps it won’t be exaggeration to say that, together with our members, partners and collaborators, we managed to put psoriasis on the health map in Africa. 🌍

IFPA Forum Africa, held in Nairobi on May 7–9, truly became a historic milestone that opens a new page for everyone living with psoriatic disease on the continent. We encouraged policymakers, experts, researchers, journalists and everyone else – to speak openly about the disease and how it affects lives, families, household economies and our common future.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who shared these three days with us – full of animated discussions, knowledge exchange and experience sharing – and who helped make this Forum so memorable.

Special thanks to:
🔹 PsorAfrica and Psoriasis Association of Kenya for co-hosting the event, for your tireless support and facilitation
🔹 Ambassador James Waweru – for your powerful opening remarks, unwavering support, and for honoring the legacy of Hoseah Waweru, whose advocacy and determination helped lay the foundation for psoriasis advocacy in Kenya and inspired many across the region.
🔹 International Psoriasis Council for organizing the insightful and solutions-focused workshop “From Clinic to Community: Collaborating for psoriatic disease research”
🔹 Our youth panel – Guuled Mohamed, Jente Plu, Abhinand Krishnashankar, Dev Hirani, Samantha Wood, Shrestha Tiwari and Hellen Wangui – for your boldness and eye-opening testimonies about why youth inclusion in health advocacy is essential
🔹 Janet Mbugua for being an incredible host for the Forum, and for your dedication and engagement throughout these days.

And thank you to our member organizations and ambassadors from all over the world for continuing to push this movement forward, year after year. We’ve come a long way together — and giving up has never been an option.

We are truly a global force – with the local strength of Africa combined with united action of our diverse and mighty movement.

This is not the end of the conversation. In the coming months, IFPA will publish a roadmap and a playbook based on the Forum discussions and recommendations.

Then comes the most important part – implementation.
🤝Join us as we continue building momentum for psoriasis advocacy in Africa.

12/05/2026

How do we engage the next generation, utilize AI for advocacy, and strengthen African-led clinical research?

These were some of the big questions explored during three hands-on workshops at the IFPA Africa Forum 2026 in Nairobi on May 7-9.

🔹 Tools and Tactics: Youth engagement

The workshop explored what meaningful youth engagement really looks like. Among strategies discussed were: creating safe youth-led spaces and forums, using platforms like Snapchat, TikTok and WhatsApp. An example from Ghana showed how school outreach campaigns are helping tackle stigma and how children writing articles about psoriasis can help to educate their peers.

🔹 Turning Experience into Evidence: Using AI tools to conduct real-world data studies for advocacy

The workshop explored how AI can support patient organizations with survey design, data analysis, identifying trends, and communicating Real-World Evidence more effectively for advocacy. Participants then tested AI tools in real time by creating survey questions together during the session. The workshop highlighted the importance of ethics, privacy, and critical thinking.

🔹 From Clinic to Community: Collaborating for psoriatic disease research

The workshop, organized by International Psoriasis Council (IPC), highlighted the urgent need for stronger African-led psoriasis research and better representation of diverse skin types in global data. Psoriasis prevalence in African populations is estimated at around 0.005–1%, compared to 2–3% in Caucasian populations, which may be linked to widespread misdiagnosis and limited access to specialists across the continent.

A major focus of the workshop was the Nigerian Psoriasis Registry, led by Prof. Ayanlowo, which aims to build a psoriasis patient database in Nigeria — the world’s most populous African country of over 242 million people. The workshop concluded with a call for more registries and stronger collaboration across Africa.

09/05/2026

🌍 IFPA Forum 2026 took place in Africa for the first time, focusing on tackling psoriasis on the continent under the theme: “Local Strength, United Action: Advancing Representation, Rights and Research.”

Day 3 of the Forum was dedicated to discussions and knowledge exchange among IFPA member organizations from all four regions. The day began with updates on IFPA’s global actions during 2025, presented by IFPA President Ingvar Ágúst Ingvarsson and Vice President Helen Crawford.

The annual updates demonstrated continued progress toward a future where psoriasis is better understood and where people with lived experience are meaningfully included.

This was followed by a networking session showcasing IFPA member benefits, including communications support, the upcoming World Psoriasis Day campaign, the Breaking Barriers project focusing on diversity and inclusion in clinical trials, the upcoming IFPA Conference – and Psoriatic Arthritis Conference taking place in 2027, and the future development of the IFPA Forum concept.

Regional meetings then took place for Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific, creating dedicated spaces for experience-sharing and highlighting successful initiatives from across each region.

The African regional meeting gathered participants from PsorAfrica, including representatives from Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and Gambia, as well as participants from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Uganda. The meeting focused on inspiring examples of success from South Africa, Ghana, Gambia, and beyond.

The Forum proved that despite many gaps and systemic challenges, there is strong local leadership and united action working to build the foundation for psoriatic care in Africa and to ensure that millions of people living with psoriasis receive timely diagnosis and care.

There was a shared sense among participants that the meeting was timely, unique, and full of hope and promise for the future.

The work continues — and more countries across Africa need to be brought into this growing movement. ✨📣

IFPA

04/06/2026

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02/06/2026

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28/05/2026

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26/05/2026

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12/05/2026

09/05/2026

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