Bernardo A. Pons-Estel is head at the Regional Center for Autoimmune and Rheumatic Diseases (CREAR) of Rosario, Argentina. Professor Pons-Estel obtained his medical degree from the National University of Rosario, received a Rheumatology Scholarship from the Rosario University Medical Center and went on to complete a fellowship within the Division of Rheumatology at the Bellevue Hospital, New York University Medical Center in 1982. During 1983–1984 Professor Pons-Estel completed his MD at the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, University of Missouri Cancer Research Center, Columbia, Missouri and at Irvington House Institute, University Hospital, New York University Medical Center, New York. Professor Pons-Estel is main coordinator for the Latin American Group for the Study of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (GLADEL), the Genomic Study of Latin-American Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (GLA-GENLES) and the Latin American Group for the Study of Rheumatic Diseases in Indigenous People (GLADERPO). He was also President of the Argentine Rheumatology Society for 2011–2013, and Chair of the 10th International Congress on SLE, April 2013. He is an active member of the Science and Educational Committee of the Pan-American League of Association for Rheumatology (PANLAR), member of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC), member of the Lupus Academy and International Member of the ACR. Professor Pons-Estel has authored and co-authored more than 140 papers in international journals including Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis & Rheumatology, Arthritis Care & Research, Rheumatology, Lupus, Journal of Rheumatology, Seminars Arthritis Rheumatology, Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, Clinical Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology, Nature Genetics, American Journal of Human Genetics, Journal of Rheumatology, Genes & Immunity, PLoS One, among others.