Per Fink awarded the "Civil Courage" prize, Sept 2019

Is the prize awarded to PF the same prize?

That the prize was inspired by Alexander Solzhenitzyn -- oh the irony.
 
The prize awarded to by the Jutlandic Medical Society for "Civil Courage" is not the same as the "Civil Courage Prize" awarded by the Train Foundation at http://www.civilcourageprize.org/.

The former comes with a $3,700 dollar prize; the latter with a $50,000 prize.

The Train Foundation holds the U.S. trademark on "The Civil Courage Prize," but encourages others to use the term "civil courage," and welcomes the use by others of the term "Civil Courage Prize®."

We particularly encourage any use of the term "civil courage." The term "Civil Courage Prize" is registered under United States Trademark Law, but we welcome its use by others along with the identifying registration symbol, Civil Courage Prize®.

This may not mean that they welcome others to bestow their own "Civil Courage Prize," which may explain why the article refers to the Jydsk Medical Society's "Prize for Civil Courage," rather than their "Civil Courage Prize."
 
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According to the article in the Danish Medical Journal (post #29) this is the second time Jydsk Medicinsk Selskab (a local medical association) in their 106 year long history gives the prize for Civil Courage. First time was in 2015 when the prize was given to professor Hans Jørn Kolmos as a recognition of his work on multiresistent bacteria.

Jydsk Medicinsk Selskab have 7 board members, 3 of them from Aarhus where Per Fink is located. http://jydskmedicinskselskab.org/?page_id=57
 
Article from Danish Medical Journal. I think it's inconceivable of the journalist to repeat the attacks on ME patients without covering anything about the patient's side of the story.
Ugeskriftet: Per Fink hædres for at stå fast, når fagligheten står for skud
google translation: Per Fink is honoured for standing firm, men the profession is attacked


The highly activist ME Association (ME = myalgic encephalomyelitis) has for years harassed and discredited Per Fink and the center in Aarhus, where the association and its supporters have filmed patients and demonstrated in front of the research clinic at Nørrebrogade with banners, megaphones and calls from the bottom drawer. They have been angered that chronic fatigue syndrome is not categorized as a somatic disorder, and they do not believe that neither cognitive therapy nor graduated training is widely used as treatment. Yes, that can be downright harmful.

...

- Could you have wished that voices other than your own rose in favor of professionalism when it comes to the treatment of functional disorders?

“Many colleagues have refrained from interfering in the debate, which I can understand with the harsh tone there can be. But yes, I have missed that more people signed up on the track. It would be nice not to be the only one. But I think it's about to turn. That more voice their agreement, 'says Per Fink.

...

“Diseases do not disappear because they are reclassified. It should be left to the professionals how a given disease should be understood and treated. Professionalism should always be at the forefront. As a stand we must constantly fight for, ”says Peter Vestergaard.



Translation of tweet from the Danish ME Association:
The ME Association is not behind harassment towards Per Fink. The ME Association has today sent an open letter to the Danish Medical Journal as a reply to Per Fink's statements in the Danish Medical Journal sept. 20th. Read the letter (tagging politicians)

The open letter is to chief editor Bo Hasseriis, the Danish Medical Journal.
It refutes the article's statement that the Danish ME Association has harassed Per Fink and reminds the editor that it's good practice to let the other part give their version. The ME Association does not believe that threats and insults increase understanding and is working for information and communication in a factual matter.

The ME Association can't take the responsibility for individual communication from patients or other citizens. They encourage members to keep a good tone.

The misinformed and discrediting statements from the article, which were unchallenged, are destroying for a patient organisation.

Further the ME Association would like to know if the Danish Medical Journal is a member of the Danish Press Council.

Here is the letter in full in Danish:
https://me-foreningen.dk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Åbent-brev-til-Ugeskrift-for-Læger_sept-2019.pdf
 


Translation of tweet from the Danish ME Association:
The ME Association is not behind harassment towards Per Fink. The ME Association has today sent an open letter to the Danish Medical Journal as a reply to Per Fink's statements in the Danish Medical Journal sept. 20th. Read the letter (tagging politicians)

The open letter is to chief editor Bo Hasseriis, the Danish Medical Journal.
It refutes the article's statement that the Danish ME Association has harassed Per Fink and reminds the editor that it's good practice to let the other part give their version. The ME Association does not believe that threats and insults increase understanding and is working for information and communication in a factual matter.

The ME Association can't take the responsibility for individual communication from patients or other citizens. They encourage members to keep a good tone.

The misinformed and discrediting statements from the article, which were unchallenged, are destroying for a patient organisation.

Further the ME Association would like to know if the Danish Medical Journal is a member of the Danish Press Council.

Here is the letter in full in Danish:
https://me-foreningen.dk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Åbent-brev-til-Ugeskrift-for-Læger_sept-2019.pdf

There's an ongoing debate about the article on the Facebook page to the Danish Medical Journal where the editor Bo Hasseriis has joined saying that one are welcome to disagree with Per Fink, but the article was about the prize Per Fink received by his colleagues, and not a research article. Therefore it is arbitrary and irrelevant to discuss the content of Per Fink's work in this connection.

 
There's an ongoing debate about the article on the Facebook page to the Danish Medical Journal where the editor Bo Hasseriis has joined saying that one are welcome to disagree with Per Fink, but the article was about the prize Per Fink received by his colleagues, and not a research article. Therefore it is arbitrary and irrelevant to discuss the content of Per Fink's work in this connection.



[via facebook's translate option]
Bo Hasseriis You are welcome to disagree with per fink. But the article is about the price per fink got from his colleagues and is not a forskningsartikel. Therefore, it is both invalid and irrelevant to discuss the content of per finks's work in this connection. Your Bo Hasseriis, Editor-in-Chief, weekly for doctors

If that translation is close to correct, that is an absurd thing to say. If Fink's work is of poor quality and legitimate patient concerns have been dismissed then that is an important thing to investigate in the context of this prize.
 
I agree @Esther12
Even more strange to suddenly start bashing on a patient organisation if it was supposed to be an article only about a price given by some colleagues.

But the Danish Medical Journal has now at least added a link to the open letter towards the end of the article.

It's added as a comment:
The Danish Medical Journal has received an open letter from the ME Association as a reaction on this article. The Danish Medical Journal has changed the wording in question from "The Danish ME Association" to "ME-patients and their supporters" (link to open letter).

The section in the article now goes as follows (google translated):

The highly activistic ME patients (ME = myalgic encephalomyelitis) have for years harassed and discredited Per Fink and the center in Aarhus. The patients and their supporters have filmed patients and demonstrated in front of the research clinic at Nørrebrogade with banners, megaphones and calls from the bottom drawer. They have been angered that chronic fatigue syndrome is not categorized as a somatic disorder, and they do not believe that neither cognitive therapy nor graduated training is widely used as treatment. Yes, that it can be downright harmful. [Text corrected - read comment at bottom of article. Ed.]
 
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I agree @Esther12
Even more strange to suddenly start bashing on a patient organisation if it was supposed to be an article only about a price given by some colleagues.

But the Danish Medical Journal has now at least added a link to the open letter towards the end of the article.

It's added as a comment:
The Danish Medical Journal has received an open letter from the ME Association as a reaction on this article. The Danish Medical Journal has changed the wording in question from "The Danish ME Association" to "ME-patients and their supporters" (link to open letter).

The section in the article now goes as follows (google translated):

The highly activistic ME patients (ME = myalgic encephalomyelitis) have for years harassed and discredited Per Fink and the center in Aarhus. The patients and their supporters have filmed patients and demonstrated in front of the research clinic at Nørrebrogade with banners, megaphones and calls from the bottom drawer. They have been angered that chronic fatigue syndrome is not categorized as a somatic disorder, and they do not believe that neither cognitive therapy nor graduated training is widely used as treatment. Yes, that it can be downright harmful. [Text corrected - read comment at bottom of article. Ed.]
Do no harm is nothing but a cheap slogan when consistent testimonies of harm are dismissed as the whinings and ravings of lunatics. All because there is no official process to make such complaints, leaving no choice to otherwise express it.

Bullies attacking sick people so discriminated they are mostly ostracized from their communities and families, insult on top of injury. Like aristocrats attacking the destitute poor for their horrible unwashed stench offending the sensibilities of passersby they are begging from.

This will all look completely insane in hindsight, so absurd.
 
The google translate is difficult for me to understand, but I think this article is saying that the journal just updated the article to change the claim that the "ME Association" was harassing Per Fink to a claim that actually "ME patients and their supporters" are harassing him instead.

Have I read that right?
 
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