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Welcome to your March update from the World Muscle Society

This month's big news is that registration is now open for WMS 2024! We're very much looking forward to welcoming attendees from all over the world to Prague in October. Our Local Organising Committee has been busy visiting the venues and finalising the logistics while our Programme Committee has invited a spectacular selection of speakers. You can view the programme on the Congress website.

This month's newsletter showcases some of the breadth of work the WMS is doing. We have an update on our WMS 2023 Legacy Tokens scheme, two illuminating and insightful interviews, information about upcoming events and a link to an article describing our efforts to make the WMS more environmentally sustainable.


 

 

Last month, I shared the sustainability sub-topics that feature in our abstract submission process for WMS 2024 and it's brilliant to see that so much is going on across the whole Society. We have ambitions to do more and our Sustainability Committee is working on what this looks like.

As always, we rely on members, to share news about what you're working on so we can tell others. Please do contact us. And if you have a colleague who could benefit from our Membership Grant, please encourage them to apply. We don't want finances to be a barrier to those who could benefit from WMS membership.

I wish you the very best.

Volker Straub
WMS President 
 
News

At our 2023 Congress in Charleston, South Carolina, we launched our Legacy Tokens scheme to replace single use delegate gifts and support local good causes. 

Katherine Ruzhansky from our 2023 Local Organising Committee has visited all three charities who are benefitting from our donations and has reported back on how the money will help.

Visit our website for the full story. 
 

We have been taking steps to make both the WMS and our Congresses more environmentally friendly. These steps have benefits beyond our carbon footprint, with initiatives such as our Legacy Tokens scheme and our virtual Congress platform helping us reach more people. 

While we are at the beginning of our journey, we are proud of the progress we are making and encourage WMS members to  get involved.

Visit our website for the full story. 
 

In the latest in our series of long-form interviews with members of the WMS community, Ruchee Patel from our Social Media Committee has spoken to Professor Francesco Muntoni about his career, his motivations and what he does in his spare time. 

Professor Muntoni is one of only a handful of people to have attended every single WMS Congress since the first one in London in 1995!

Visit our website for the full interview.
 
Our Myology Developments Across the World interview series takes us to Cincinnati, Ohio to meet Pitchamol Vilaisaktipakorn. Originally from Thailand, "Peach", as she is known, looks forward to returning to Thailand after completing her fellowship to support patients with neuromuscular disorders there. 

You can find the full interview on our website.
 

The Duchenne Parent Project Netherlands is excited to announce the opening of the 2024 research call. This international call aims to fund promising innovative research projects and fellowships for young talented researchers with a budget of up to EUR 80,000-100,000.

For full details, including how to apply, please see the news story on our website.
 

To continue developing the field of neuromuscular disorders through clinical research and patient care, the WMS proudly provides funding and broader support for projects around the world.

Pictured are attendees of SMAfrica, which was supported in this way. 

WMS members can submit project proposals to the Executive Board for review according to this timetable:

  • Applications by 19th August 2024. Notification by 1st November 2024
  • Application by 21st February 2025. Notification by 11th April 2025 
  • Application by 22nd August 2025. Notification by 7th November 2025
 
Could you host WMS 2028? We are now welcoming proposals for WMS Congress host cities. 

Our 2028 Congress will follow visits to Prague this year, Vienna in 2025, Hiroshima in 2026 and Helsinki in 2027. 

For full details on how to apply to be a host city, visit the Request for Proposals page of our website.
 
Dates For Your Diary
The next Myology Café will take place virtually on Thursday 28th March at 2pm BST. Register now!

Matthew Alexander from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, will give an overview of the Highlights of the MDA Conference 2024.

Myology Café dates for the rest of the year are available on the events page of the website and we'll add details of guest speakers as they are confirmed. 
 
The Australasian Neuromuscular Network (ANN) is

Published on 31 March 2024.

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