August 21, 2020 IACFS/ME Virtual Conference

I usually follow conferences as best I can, but there was no way I could find $50.

 

@hope123 answered on PR. The videos will be made available to watch for registered attendees.They will not be on YouTube.
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...21-2020-virtual-conference.80697/post-2287463

 

According to @hope123 post earlier in this thread that is the plan

 

I attended. I missed the first block due to sleeping in (it was after all only 7 AM on the west coast). There were no major revelations, and because i missed the beginning i am not sure what is embargoed-

Due to brain fog i will need to watch again to make sure i didn’t misunderstand any information or got the numbers wrong.

The conference webcast was good, and i must admit very convenient for those of us sick- we could ask questions in a chat box but not discuss between each other- most questions were answered if they were relevant.

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/936252
https://twitter.com/user/status/1298239567158489089

 

Small-Fiber Polyneuropathy May Underlie Dysautonomia in ME/CFS
Article by Miriam Tucker on Ryan Whelan's presentation at the conference

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/936745

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1303307150001926149

 

$40 is (approx) £30 or €34, not sure how many takers there will be for that.

 

'attendees' had to pay to register in the first place; I'm guessing that maybe there were'nt enough. Maybe if the registration fees hadn't been so high there might have been more.

eta: looks like I was wrong
"The half-day (Zoom) conference was held on 21 August 2020 and attracted 274 attendees from around the world"
(from Toms post below)
so access to the recordings could be made more affordable.

 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21641846.2020.1816879
https://twitter.com/user/status/1303670689719869440

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1304067970138808320

 

I guess the MERUK report will be one of Cort's first pieces.

 

As in our prior meetings, IACFS/ME invited several members of the media like Miriam Tucker and writers like Cort Johnson to cover the meeting. Thus, if you are not able to watch the video, you can read their reports in the following weeks ahead. We may also compile the reports together and place it on the IACFS/ME website or send it out to our e-mail list members. This is our way of making the meeting available to people who cannot afford to attend.

Meetings take time, effort, and resources to organize. Yes, even virtual conferences. In fact, virtual conferences have challenges of their own and are not easier to organize than in-person meetings. We also vet all work submitted for scientific quality, conflict of interest, and qualification for medical education credits, something other ME/CFS meetings do not do. That process takes months and funding.

We have tried to make the meetings as affordable as possible. In fact, it would be even more expensive if it were not for our sponsors and the hundreds of hours people volunteered to make the meeting happen. If anyone would like to volunteer or help us raise funds for the next meeting, that can allow us to decrease the price of attendence. Visit the IACFS/ME website and complete the Contact Us form.

Conferences are a major source of financial support for IACFS/ME. IACFS/ME is almost entirely run by volunteer scientists, physicians and professionals so we do not have the time/ energy to fundraise in the same way as other groups. (Some non-profits have paid staff whose only job is to raise funds.) Without adequate funds, the organization will not survive and be unable to organize future conferences.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1305449739882725376

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1305869275182268419