The IIMEC13 conference programme has a distinct USA influence this year with a large section of the agenda given over to developments in research that have been occurring in USA over the last two years.

We would like to think that Invest in ME Research events might have helped facilitate some of these devlopments via our Colloquiums and the resulting collaborative atmosphere and projects created.
Our Centre of Excellence for ME proposal, conceived in 2010 and developing ever since, has been matched by a new strategy in USA which has seen the funding for four similar Centres.

Currently we have eight USA researchers presenting at IIMEC13 - and more at our 8th Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium which takes place over the preceding two days.

With NIH and CDC returning again to London for the Invest in ME Research events it is an important time for ME research.

Also it is interesting to hear about the continuing work of advocates and those organisations who are, like Invest in ME Research, raising awareness and funding biomedical research into ME.

In previous years we have had Hillary Johnson and Linda Tannenbaum and David Tuller presenting the pre-conference dinner lecture.

For 2018 we continue with another USA presenter for the dinner.

This year we are very pleased to announce that Carol Head, President of the USA organisation Solve ME/CFS Initiative (SMCI), will be giving the pre-conference dinner lecture.

Carol has worked at the Los Angeles Times in a variety of marketing and strategy roles; she served as associate vice president of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee; she has been active in community affairs with an emphasis on human rights for women and girls and amelioration of extreme poverty, serving on three national nonprofit boards, including service as a board chair.

Carol is also a founder of Project Redwood, a venture philanthropy fund that supports creative approaches to alleviating extreme global poverty. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Wellesley College, and earned an MBA from Stanford University.

Solve ME/CFS have, in recent years,established the Ramsay Award Program which provides awards for research teams around the world.

Amongst the successful recipients of the Ramsay grants are research groups which are performing research funded by Invest in ME Research - and this has enabled the research funded by the charity to be extended.

These awards were made in 2016 and 2017 - see http://www.investinme.org/ce-projoverview.shtml

Carol will be discussing on SMCI’s research and advocacy programs and looking at the recent changes in the landscape of ME/CFS in the United States.

This event will be hosted by Invest in ME Research and will mark the thirteenth international ME conference that the charity has organised.

The pre-conference dinner will include invited researchers, clinicians and ME patient group representatives from many different countries.

The evening includes a drinks reception, 3 course dinner and allows networking with a range of people responsible for ME research, treatment and patient support.

This has been one of the charity's additional features that has been developed to encourage international collaboration in research into ME, and to thank some of the friends of the charity.

The dinner precedes IIMEC13 - 13th Invest in ME Research International ME Conference 2018 which occurs in Westminster on the following day.