From 16 to 19 September 2026, the international paediatric rheumatology community will come together in Belgrade, Serbia, for the 33rd European Paediatric Rheumatology Congress, PReS 2026.
ENCA is very pleased to once again be part of the congress, bringing the voices and experiences of children, young people and families into discussions about research, healthcare and the future of paediatric rheumatology.
This year, ENCA will contribute to several sessions across the congress programme, with Friday, 18 September becoming a particularly important day for patient and family involvement.
ENCA programme at PReS 2026
Wednesday, 16 September
18:12 to 18:22
ENCA Welcome
Main Congress Hall A+B
As part of the official PReS 2026 Opening Ceremony, Christophe Normand will welcome the congress community on behalf of ENCA.
The Opening Ceremony begins at 18:00 and is followed by the PReS Welcome Reception.
Friday, 18 September, ENCA Day
Friday will be a particularly busy day for ENCA, with four ENCA and joint sessions taking place in Main Congress Hall C.
13:00 to 14:00
HP/ENCA Session: Building Patient Networks
Main Congress Hall C
Strong patient organisations and networks can help families access information, connect with others and make their voices heard.
This joint ENCA and Health Professionals session will explore the importance of building and strengthening patient networks and the different perspectives involved in creating supportive patient communities.
The session includes:
• 13:00 to 13:20, ENCA Patient & Family
Kaya & Nate Bourne, United Kingdom
• 13:20 to 13:40
Fitim Sadiku, Kosovo
• 13:40 to 14:00
Kyriaki Spanidou, Greece
14:15 to 15:15
ENCA Session: AI, Digital Health & Connected Care in Pediatric RMDs
Main Congress Hall C
Artificial intelligence, apps, wearables, remote monitoring and connected care are increasingly becoming part of healthcare. But how can we make sure these technologies are useful, ethical and shaped around what patients and families actually need?
This ENCA session brings together clinical, digital and lived experience perspectives to explore both what is already changing and what should come next.
The session includes:
• 14:15 to 14:30
AI & Digital Tools in Pediatric Rheumatology: What Is Already Changing Clinical Care?
Constantin Tamas, Hungary
• 14:30 to 14:45
Digital Health in Daily Life: Apps, Wearables & Remote Monitoring from the Patient & Family Perspective
Kabir Budlender, South Africa
• 14:45 to 15:00
Connected Care & Digitisation
Klaudia Kupiec, United Kingdom
• 15:00 to 15:15
Co-designing the Future: How Patients, Families & Professionals Can Shape Ethical & Useful Digital Health
Michael Poelzl, Austria
The session will explore not only what technology can do, but how patients, families and professionals can work together to make sure digital health develops in a way that genuinely benefits children and young people.
15:30 to 16:30
ENCA Session: From Diagnosis to Dreams, Empowering Young People with Rheumatic Diseases
Main Congress Hall C
One of the most important parts of patient involvement is creating space for people to tell their own stories. In this session, young people and patient representatives from Serbia will share their experiences with the international PReS community, from adolescence and living with rheumatic disease to the transition from paediatric to adult healthcare.
The session includes:
• 15:30 to 15:51
My Journey Through Adolescence
Sofija Savic, Serbia
• 15:51 to 16:10
How I Did It My Way
Nikola Lisicic, Serbia
• 16:10 to 16:30
From Pediatric to Adult Care: The Transition Journey of Young People with Rheumatic Diseases in Serbia
Jelena Jenic, Serbia
These personal perspectives will provide an opportunity for healthcare professionals and researchers to hear directly from people living with rheumatic disease in the congress host country.
18:00 to 19:30
PReS/ENCA Joint Session: Sexual Health
Main Congress Hall C
Sexual health is an important part of health and wellbeing, but it can also be a difficult subject for young people, families and healthcare professionals to discuss. This joint PReS and ENCA session will create space for an important conversation about sexual health in paediatric and young adult rheumatology.
The session includes:
• 18:00 to 18:30
Coziana Ciurtin, United Kingdom
• 18:30 to 19:00
Victoria Emmanouilidou, Greece
• 19:00 to 19:30
Mojca Zajc Avramovič, Slovenia
ENCA Patient Video Project
Not every child, young person or family affected by a rheumatic disease can travel to Belgrade, but their voices can still be part of the congress. Together with ENCA partner organisations, we are collecting short videos from children, young people and families across our network.
In these short interviews, participants share their own experiences and perspectives in their own words. Through the ENCA Patient Video Project, we hope to bring some of the human experiences behind paediatric rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases directly into PReS 2026.
More than a scientific congress
PReS brings together people working across paediatric rheumatology from many countries and backgrounds.
For ENCA, it is also an important opportunity to strengthen the connections between patients, families, patient organisations, healthcare professionals and researchers.
Paediatric rheumatology is a relatively small international community, and many people know each other across organisations, projects and countries. Bringing these different parts of the community together creates opportunities to share ideas, build collaborations and find new ways of supporting children and families.
We are looking forward to reconnecting with friends, meeting new people and representing the wider ENCA community in Belgrade.
PReS 2026 at a glance
PReS 2026
33rd European Paediatric Rheumatology Congress
📅 16 to 19 September 2026
📍 Sava Centar, Belgrade, Serbia
More information about the congress, registration and the full scientific programme can be found on the official PReS 2026 website:
We look forward to seeing you in Belgrade!
