View this email in your browser

Welcome to your June newsletter from the World Muscle Society

It is now just three months until we meet in Vienna, Austria to celebrate our 30th annual international Congress. As you may have seen on our social media channels, we have already had more than 1,000 people register to attend. It is the earliest we have ever reached that threshold for a WMS Congress and I am looking forward to seeing many of you there. 

If you haven't already registered, it's not too late. We are continuing to accept registrations, though some of our networking events are already full and we have opened waiting lists. 

We have also been busy sending out fellowship notifications. It's always gratifying to receive responses to these emails. I wanted to share one with you that said: "I am overwhelmed with gratitude! The fellowship has made my attendance at WMS 2025 a reality! Thank you so much for this incredible news."

If you have missed out on the first round of fellowships, we will be awarding additional funds to people who successfully submit a sustainability abstract or a late-breaking news abstract. The deadline for both of these is 31st August. The portal will open on 1st August for late-breaking news and will remain open from now until the deadline for sustainability abstracts.

Away from our Congress news, I hope you have seen our recent recruitment calls. Firstly, Neuromuscular Disorders is seeking a new Editor-in-Chief. You can read more about the vacancy on our website. The deadline for applications is next Monday (30th June). 

Secondly, our 2025 Executive Board election is now open for nominations. The first few nominations have come through already and we're hoping for many more. WMS members have until 22nd August to nominate themselves and voting will take place in September in time to introduce our newly elected Executive Board at WMS 2025. We have published our full election guidelines on the website, so take a look and watch the video below.

For more ways to get involved, look out for our Sustainability Committee and Programme Committee recruitment calls below.

As always, we value your feedback, so don't hesitate to get in touch.

With best wishes,

Volker Straub
WMS President
 
2025 Executive Board election

We are now accepting nominations for our Executive Board election. To be eligible for election, you need to be a WMS member and have had an active membership since October 2024. You also need to be registered to attend WMS 2025 in person. 

If you would like to nominate yourself, you have until 22nd August to submit your nomination. Please make sure your WMS member profile is up to date as this will form the basis of your candidate summary. 

For more information and to start your nomination, please visit the WMS website.
Meet some of our current Executive Board members and hear them talk about their experiences on the Executive Board and why you should consider nominating yourself.
 
NMD journal seeks new Editor-in-Chief

The deadline for applications to become the new Editor-in-Chief of the WMS partner journal, Neuromuscular Disorders, is Monday 30th June. 

The WMS works closely with the journal to make sure it reflects the needs and interests of our members and the Congress edition of NMD each year is an invaluable resource, enabling us to share the scientific content from the Congress with all our members, not just those able to attend.

Find out more, including how to apply, on our website.
 
Committee Chair interview - Hernán Gonorazky 

In our latest committee chair interview, we caught up with Hernán Gonorazky about his role as Chair of the Education and Development Opportunities Committee and as a member of the Myology Developments Across the World Committee. 

In the interview, Hernán talks about his commitment to building a globally connected and sustainable educational framework that supports the growth of neuromuscular expertise in every region.

You can read the full interview on our website.
 
Our WMS 2024 legacy in Prague 

When we met in Prague, Czechia, for WMS 2024, we asked delegates to vote for one of four nominated charities to receive a share of our £10,000 Legacy Tokens donation. We have now made all the financial awards and can share updates from each of the charities we supported. 

You can read the full article on our website. 

Look out for upcoming announcements to find out how we will be extending our Congress legacy at WMS 2025 in Vienna.
 
EAN - Helsinki

WMS President, Volker Straub, represented the WMS at the recent EAN Congress in Helsinki.  

His presentation, titled The impact of new treatments and AI on diagnostics, discussed the value of newborn screening for genetic diseases and the application of AI in accelerating the diagnostic workup of patients with genetic neuromuscular and other rare neurological diseases.

In addition, fellow WMS Executive Board member, Benedikt Schoser, presented a WMS-supported session titled New therapeutic roads for neuromuscular disease.
 
Committee recruitment

We are still accepting applicants to join our Programme Committee. We are looking for two new WMS members to help shape the Congress Programme for WMS 2026, WMS 2027 and WMS 2028. 

You can read more about what's involved in the role and how to express your interest on our website. 

We are also looking for new members to join our Sustainability Committee. Having worked with a consultancy to develop a strategy, the Committee is welcoming applications from enthusiastic people to help us achieve our sustainability aims.
 
 
Introducing Hani Kushlaf

Our latest committee recruit is Hani Kushlaf, Professor of Neurology and Pathology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Hani has joined our Guidelines Committee and says "By leveraging my expertise in clinical and translational research, I can help develop guidelines that enhance patient outcomes and accommodate diverse healthcare settings."

If you are interested in joining one of our committees, please email [email protected]
 

Published on 27 June 2025.

Related

06 May 2026 May newsletter from the World Muscle Society

29 Apr 2026 Heart-rate guided at-home cycling reveals moderate aerobic exercise is safe and feasible for individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

24 Mar 2026 March newsletter from the World Muscle Society

WMS Facebook Feed
World Muscle Society