Welcome to your August newsletter from the World Muscle Society

I hope you are doing well and that those of you in regions affected by this summer's heatwaves are not (completely) melted. More seriously- this reminds us with our collective responsibility on sustainability. In the WMS, we have a very active sustainability committee chaired by Teresa Gerhalter – and all ideas and contributions are welcomed.

I'm pleased to be able to announce that registration for WMS 2026 is now closed. As expected, we have had a very positive response to our Japan Congress and we are now at capacity for our venue in Hiroshima. We will be 1,500 attendees gathered to celebrate outstanding progress in the field of myology. We are operating a waiting list, so if you were still hoping to register, please get in touch with our organising team in the coming days to have the best chance of securing a space. Then cross your fingers as we work to accommodate as many people as possible!

If you won't be joining us in Hiroshima, but still wish to access all the scientific content from WMS 2026 (including the short oral presentations, which we're streaming for the first time this year), you can still register to attend virtually and join the sessions live or access them on demand. There are no limits here!

For those of you that are joining us, please be aware that we are having to make some changes to our schedule for Thursday 1 October, which will have an impact on our group activities. Look out for a delegate email in the coming days with more information.

And don't forget, if you're planning on submitting a late-breaking abstract, the deadline is 31 August.

Another deadline that is coming up fast is our September Project Proposals deadline. All WMS members can submit proposals for funding for educational projects that help improve access to education and networking across the NMD field. Please submit your proposal by 7 September after carefully reading the guidance here.

Our Global Myology Outreach Committee (formerly called the Myology Developments Across the World Committee) is looking for new members and, in particular, an early to mid-career co-chair to work alongside Committee Chair, Rasha El Sherif. I have applied but was denied the status of early and mid-career!! Joking aside, increasing our global impact and reaching regions where Myology is still largely developing is a top priority – so this is a very exciting opportunity to be impactful at a very global level. Have a careful look at the story linked below if you think the role might be of interest.

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you in Hiroshima next month.

Kindest regards,