УКРАЇНСЬКА ПРОТИЕПІЛЕПТИЧНА ЛІГА

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The League is OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

The unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly slowed down or brought to a halt many of the League’s normal activities, as it has the entire world.

However, I am proud to say that thanks to the resourcefulness and energy of the ILAE community, this crisis has not stopped us. To be sure, functioning effectively in this restrictive environment requires agile processes, creative minds, and vigorous work, and this is how the ILAE teams are operating throughout the world. We learn, we adapt, and we move forward towards our mission.

Please read through, as I point out some concrete actions the League is taking to support you at this time:

1. The COVID-19 Task Force

The League is privileged to have a true International perspective.  Led by Dr Helen Cross, professionals representing all areas of the world and diverse disciplines have come together to share and discuss information about COVID-19 and epilepsy. Their work is assembled in a webpage containing up-to-date resources related to COVID-19 for people with epilepsy, and for clinicians and researchers dealing with epilepsy. Frequently asked questions, practical clinical information, mental health guidance, relevant scientific papers, useful links and other offerings can be found here. I encourage you to visit the ILAE COVID-19 web page often, as new material is added continuously

2. The COVID-19 Forum

Up-to-date communication is crucial in a crisis like the one we are living. Accordingly, using the Slack® platform, the ILAE has created a COVID-19 forum where clinicians can ask questions, report experiences, and exchange information. This is only open to ILAE members who can sign up and make use of this resource here.

3. ILAE Congresses

We recognize the important role that Regional Congresses have in education, knowledge sharing, and not least, in community building. Accordingly, we continue to work with all our Regional Boards to re-organize Congresses that cannot take place in 2020, paying close attention to the needs of each Region and to the viability of the Congresses. New methods are being explored including the possibility of virtual or hybrid Congresses. Once again, I am proud to see the resilience and the creativity or our Regional Boards and Organizing Committees, and the great support and flexibility from our Congress office. It is a brave new world, and I am confident that the new tools and experiences will prepare us well for the Congresses of the future.

Please stay tuned as we provide additional updates.

I wish all of us good health and good spirits.

Samuel Wiebe

ILAE President