This issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics focuses on Genetics. Article topics cover: Genetic Influences on Susceptibility and Severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis; HLA-disease associations in rheumatoid arthritis; Autoinflammatory Syndromes as a Model of Monogenic Diseases; Genomic Influences on Hyperuricaemia and Gout; Genetics of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Genetics of Ankylosing Spondylitis;Genetics of Scleroderma; Genetics of Osteoarthritis; Genetics of Juvenile Inflammatory Arthritis; Genetic Influences on Treatment Response in Rheumatic Diseases; Integrative approaches/computational biology; Future directions of genetic research in rheumatic diseases; and Population genetics and natural selection in rheumatic disease.