Journal of IiME Volume 1 Issue 1 5 The IiME International ME/CFS Conference The idea of an international conference began shortly after Professor Malcolm Hooper and Bruce Carruthers gave presentations at a meeting by ME Support Norfolk, in England at the start of 2005. IiME came into being in September 2005 and the need for similar presentations brought about the proposal to host a conference with more ME experts. IiME decided London was the best place to hold the conference as it would allow easier access by politicians and prominent healthcare staff. The first IiME ME conference was held on ME Awareness Day, 12th May, 2006, with Professor Hooper, Dr. Bruce Carruthers, Dr. Byron Hyde, Dr. Jonathan Kerr, Jane Colby, and Professor Basant Puri and with Dr. Ian Gibson giving the key-note speech. The timing was prescient as Dr. Gibson would be soon embarking on his inquiry into ME by a group of parliamentarians – the Group for Scientific Research into ME (see later story). ME Story I remember asking my doctor one day when I would stop feeling so tired!!! ...... She said give it time - Robyn Speakers and delegates from eight countries were present and the presentations from the conference subsequently appeared in the Journal of Clinical Pathology. Invest in ME’s chairman was interviewed by the BBC and ITV and the conference was referred to in the New Scientist and several national newspapers. The DVD of the conference was distributed to over twenty countries and is now sold as an educational DVD for healthcare and education professionals. Those in ME Support Norfolk who initiated the presentations in 2005 and Professor Hooper planted a seed. From this grew the idea of the IiME International ME/CFS Conference. Facts About ME ME Research UK have a document (available also on the IiME website) which has references to a multitude of research publications collected by Dr. J. Gordon Parish concerning possible ME epidemics. The IiME Conference – the Future It is Invest in ME’s intention to continue with the London conference until a treatment and cure is found for ME. This will be our way of raising awareness by providing a platform for researchers, healthcare staff, support, educational professionals, ME support groups and people with ME and the media, to enable the most relevant science, research, information and news to be heard. The conference is now an annual event in May – ME Awareness Month. Invest in ME welcome the support of all ME groups, charities and individuals to make this an even better event next year. We shall be working with our UK regional and international contacts to enable this and, even as we are organising the 2007 conference, we are looking ahead to the conference in May 2008. Invest in ME Charity Nr 1114035 www.investinme.org
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