ILAE Epigraph Newsletter

[Василий Генералов]

January 31, 2008




Information Officer Report
In this edition of Epigraph there are multiple examples of how the League continues to evolve to incorporate the changes that are taking place. President Wolf describes the true explosion of educational events as well as regional and cross-regional collaborations that took place in the last year. Secretary-General Moshé presents proposed changes to the League's constitution that would ensure truly broad international representation on the League's Executive Committee. Torbjörn Tomson, Chair of International European Registry of Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy, details the growth and challenges faced by the very important pregnancy and epilepsy registries, and Anne Berg, Chair of the Commission on Classification and Terminology describes the ongoing efforts to classify seizure types and syndromes properly. The invitation from Shichuo Li and Shih-Hui Lim to participate in the upcoming Asian and Oceanian Epilepsy Congress in Xiamen indicates how much the regional meetings have grown in size and quality over the years so that they are now attracting truly international participants. All of these are signs of a healthy and growing organization. More...



President's Message
Highlights of the year
The year is drawing toward its end, and this is a good opportunity to look back on 2007. The ILAE can do this with pleasure and pride. The year stands out by:



an explosion of our educational programs,

the establishment of North-South cooperation in the Americas,

another successful International Epilepsy Congress which took place in Singapore

the launch of a new prize, the Morris-Coole Prize for the best publication in one year in Epilepsia

a highly rewarding Strategic Planning Meeting with the Chairs of all our Commissions in Brussels. More...



Governance Restructuring Discussion
Since its founding as a small group of concerned professionals in Budapest almost a century ago, the ILAE has grown into a truly worldwide organization with members on all of the inhabited continents. The growth in the size of the League together with improved communication technology has led to an explosion of regional activities as well as collaboration among the different regions. Because much of the work now focuses on issues that are regional and global, it may be time for the structure of the League's leadership to evolve to reflect the new global membership of the League and to ensure that the leadership is always aware of the different perspectives that the regions have. To achieve this goal the League is considering amending its constitution to ensure participation of all regions in the Executive Committee.

At the moment the Executive Committee consists of the President, three Vice Presidents, Secretary-General, Treasurer, and the Immediate Past President as elected members. In addition there are five to six ex-officio non-voting members (The President, Secretary-General and Treasurer of the International Bureau for Epilepsy and the Editor(s)-in-Chief of Epilepsia and the Information Officer.

The proposed change is the addition of six regional Vice Presidents who will be elected by their respective regions and who will also serve as chairs of their regional commissions. These regional Vice Presidents will be voting members of the Executive Committee. This change will require a change in the League's constitution which must be ratified by the League's Chapters. Although the regional Vice Presidents will bring the perspectives of their regions to the Executive Committee it is expected that they will work on behalf of, and in the best interests of the ILAE globally. The new total number of Vice Presidents will be seven: one Vice President elected by world-wide vote and six regional Vice Presidents.

The Management Committee will now consist of the President, one Vice President, Secretary-General, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President, and it will continue to carry out the policies set by the Executive Committee to govern the League between meetings of the Executive Committee.

This brief description was written to inform the League's members of the proposed changes. A more complete description is on the ILAE's Web Site. As we prepare the final formal amendment, we invite comments from all our members to ensure that the constitutional changes accurately represent the wishes of our chapters and representatives. Please send the comments to my attention at smoshe@ilae.org. The documents will also be provided to allow discussion at the Chapter Conventions held in conjunction with the 2008 Regional Congresses.

We wish to have the constitutional amendments drafted and presented for ratification at the 2009 Budapest International Epilepsy Congress. If ratified, the new structure would then be implemented for the 2013 Executive Committee election.

We look forward to your thoughtful insights and suggestions.

I would like to thank the League's Vice President, Emilio Perucca, who worked closely with me in the preparation of these proposed constitutional changes. His insights and suggestions were essential to the creation of the proposal

Solomon L. Moshé
Secretary-General, ILAE



2006 Annual Report
The 2006 Annual Report has been published on the Web site. The report includes reports from the President, Secretary-General, Treasurer, Regional Commissions and Priority Project Commissions.


Workshops at The 2007 International Chapter Convention
Following are some photos from the Educational Workshop at the Chapter's Convention Day in Singapore. More...



Michael Prize 2009
The Michael Prize is an international award in epilepsy which reflects a body of work. Awarded by a jury of peers, the Prize emphasizes the importance of carrying out laboratory research that can be translated into the care for patients. It is awarded biennially and is designed to recognize younger scientists (up to 45 years of age). The Michael Prize, supported by Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB, carries with it a monetary award of EUR 15,000. Nominations and applications for the 2009 Michael Prize are based on manuscripts or publications which have appeared in 2007/2008 (in either English or German). Each nomination should include the CV of the nominated investigator along with the relevant manuscripts or publications. Submissions should be sent, before 31 December, 2008, to: Stiftung Michael, Muenzkamp 5, D22339 Hamburg, Germany. Further information is available at: stiftungmichael@t-online.de or http://www.stiftungmichael.de.



Morris-Coole Prize 2008
The Morris-Coole Prize is a new ILAE award that is given annually in recognition of an outstanding research paper published in Epilepsia the previous year on any field of epilepsy research, either clinical or basic. The prize was established through the generosity of Christopher and Sandra Morris-Coole with the intention of stimulating excellence in epilepsy research as well as rewarding young researchers for outstanding contributions to the field. More...



ILAE Oral History Collection
As many of you will know, the ILAE has been collecting audio-taped interviews of ILAE figures, as part of its centenary celebrations. These are being recorded for the ILAE historical archive, and edited highlights of some interviews will be placed on the website and be available at the Centenary conference in Budapest. The purpose is to collect an oral history covering the period of the whole of the career of the interviewee. The interviewees are invited to reminisce about the ILAE, epilepsy and their own careers. The interviews are conducted face-to-face with Ms Giselle Weiss.
Although English is the preferred language, interviews can be also conducted in French or German. We would now like to extend this project to any member of the ILAE, and if you would like to be interviewed as part of this project, please email Professor Simon Shorvon at s.shorvon@ion.ucl.ac.uk providing further details of the topics you would like the interview to cover.

Simon Shorvon


Patient Perspective - A Poem
Seizures

by Emily Allen


My mind possessed by seizures

They controlled my brain;

My speech, my emotions, my thoughts

Everyone talking, my brain stopping.

Life proved challenging

But I desired no special distinction.

I continued to study and play everyday

While doing homework and swimming

Hoping to avoid disarray.

Friends demonstrate love

With gifts, cards, calls, and e-mail

Life seems rough

In classes that are tough

But buddies, family, and prayer

Helped me stay strong

After brain surgery

Seizures seem like strangers

Therapy helps me relearn words and pictures

It's complex, but useful

Over all I give thanks,

For teachers, therapists, family, and friends

And look forward to the future.


Thank you Lord

Emily Allen is a teenager who underwent surgery for her epilepsy. She gave this poem to her surgeon to let him know how she was feeling after the surgery.


Name the Epileptologist Contest Winner Announced
Congratulations to Torbjörn Tomson of Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden for not only identifying all the faces in the photo but also identifying the venue. This contest was published in the Spring 2007 issue of Epigraph. Torbjörn gratefully enjoyed his bottle of champagne that was his prize. More...



Invitation to Xiamen, China for the 7th Asian & Oceanian Epilepsy Congress
On behalf of the International Organizing Committee and the Scientific Advisory Committee, it gives us great pleasure to invite you to the 7th Asian & Oceanian Epilepsy Congress (AOEC) which will take place in beautiful Xiamen on the southeast coast of China, from 15 to 18 May 2008. More....



Epilepsy and Pregnancy Registries
The risk that the medication can harm their children has been a major concern for all women with epilepsy considering pregnancy ever since the first reports on the possible teratogenic effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were published in the 1960s. Despite numerous studies since then, many of the major issues have remained unsolved, especially concerning to what extent AEDs differ in their teratogenic potential. This is explained by methodological shortcomings, and in particular small sample sizes of previous studies. More...


Report from the Commission on Classification and Terminology
The early formal efforts in classification resulted in tremendously useful systems for identifying specific diagnostic entities. Two ILAE reports provided separate classifications; the one from 1981 was specifically for seizures (1) whereas the 1989 report addressed types of epilepsy and syndromes (2). Both of these systems have become comfortable old friends. Yet, when we consider the advances that have been made in the years since these reports were issued, it is clear that these older schemes do not reflect much of the new information that is being generated and our expanded understanding of the epilepsies. More...


San Servolo Epilepsy Summer School
The next Summer School is scheduled for 27 July through 8 August, 2008 with a theme of "Bridging Basic with Clinical Epileptology 3". The directors will be Uwe Heinemann of Germany and Marco de Curtis of Italy. For more information contact Melella Paterlini at epilepsy-summercourse@univiu.org. Programs and organization details can be found on www.Univiu.org and www.ilaeepilepsy.org. More...



1st Pediatric Epilepsy Workshop, Kathmandu - A Report
The 1st Pediatric Epilepsy Workshop in Nepal was held in Kathmandu on Saturday, 29 September 2007. It was organized jointly by the Nepal Epilepsy Society and ASEPA, ILAE. More...



Epilepsy & Seizure - A New Online Journal
The Japan Epilepsy Society is pleased to announce the launch of Epilepsy & Seizure, the English language online journal. Epilepsy & Seizure is the new medical journal of Epilepsy with the first issue published in January of 2008. There is no subscription fee. All review articles are open-access. The Japan Epilepsy Society invites the submission of articles. For more information go to the Japan Epilepsy Society web site.


Upcoming Congresses
II Latin American Summer School on Epilepsy (LASSE II)
Sao Paulo, Brazil
7-17 February 2008


European Project on Development of Epilepsy Surgery Program (EPODES)
Brno, Czech Republic
18-23 March 2008


7th Asian & Oceanian Epilepsy Congress
Xiamen, China
15-18 May 2008


San Servolo Summer School - Bridging basic with clinical epileptology-3
International School of Neurological Sciences of Venice
27 July-8 August 2008


1st North American Regional Caribbean Congress on Epilepsy
Rose Hall Resort and Country Club, Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica
30-31 May 2008


8th European Congress on Epileptology
Berlin, Germany
21-25 September 2008

For more information on any of these meetings go to Upcoming Congresses.



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Acknowledgment

This publication is made possible in part by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer Inc.






Copyright © 2008 International League Against Epilepsy