Professor Martin J Brodie
Director, Epilepsy Unit
10th March 2008
Dear Colleague
re:
Election for Presidency
I am writing to inform you of my intention to stand for the presidency of ILAE. My
participation in the League’s international agenda began when I was appointed as secretary in
1993 and then chair in 1997 of the Commission on European Affairs. My twin focus at that time
was to improve the scientific quality of the European epilepsy congresses and to help Peter Wolf
develop the European Epilepsy Academy (EUREPA). As a member of the Executive Committee
over the past seven years, I have been involved in the League’s activities in arguably its most
exciting time as we approach the centenary year of 2009. When first elected in 2001, I was
appointed chair of the taskforce set up by Guiliano Avanzini to coordinate the development of
the regional commissions. This afforded me the opportunity of understanding the various
challenges facing clinicians and scientists working in epilepsy across a wide range of countries
and continents. My current role as treasurer has given me an insight into the complexities of our
increasingly successful organisation and has provided useful experience in guiding the day to
day running of its finances.
The twin planks of my campaign will be consolidation and modernisation. The current Executive
Committee has identified three important areas of activity - education, epilepsy care and
translational research. Substantial improvements in these wide spheres of epileptology cannot be
accomplished in just four years. Hence, together with colleagues in the Executive Committee,
Commissions and Chapters, I hope to pursue further progress with these important initiatives,
while identifying a range of new projects and programmes. The League is not about individuals,
but about teams and teamwork. We need to involve more people from every chapter in the
League’s increasingly ambitious global programme. If elected, I pledge to help each region help
itself and each other. In order to encourage better global integration, all regional vice-presidents
would be co-opted onto the Executive Committee for the tenure of my presidency. There is
also a specific need to push forward with the establishment of an African commission.
Over the past decade, I have helped to devise the rules and structures governing the European
congresses. These are now regarded as increasingly successful, particularly in terms of their
support for basic science. I have more recently been involved in running meetings in the Latin
American, Asian and Oceanian, and Eastern Mediterranean regions. These congresses, together
Epilepsy Unit
Clinical Pharmacology Section
DIVISION OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
Western Infirmary, Glasgow G11 6NT, Scotland, UK
Telephone: 0141-211 2572 Secretary: 0141-211 2534 Fax: 0141-334 9329
E-mail: [email protected]
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with the biannual international meetings, bind together our chapters and their members. I would
like to strengthen them further by increasing their educational content and supporting actively
the attendance of more young scientists and clinicians, who represent the future of our
organisation.
ILAE needs to do more for people with epilepsy across the world and so needs to generate more
funds. We must augment our two main revenue sources i.e. Epilepsia and the pharmaceutical
industry, neither of which can now be regarded as entirely secure. This will require an ambitious
fund-raising campaign coupled with a detailed strategic plan with clearly defined goals that will
help raise the League’s international profile with philanthropists, corporations, foundations and
governments. All this effort should be linked with the work of the Global Campaign against
Epilepsy, whose political status and financial security needs to be strengthened.
My second objective as president, therefore, will be to modernise the administrative structure of
ILAE and, thereby, substantially widen its potential range of activities. One important
development will be the setting up of an educational reserve fund to attract outside support for
our global teaching and training programmes. The time has come too to attempt to reduce the
treatment gap in the developing world and elsewhere. The biggest challenge, Africa, demands a
realistic programme supported by an appropriate financial plan.
We live in exciting and challenging times. There is much to do and the League has the potential
to make great strides over the next few years. I hereby submit my vision of the future of our
organisation and respectfully request your chapter’s support. I believe that I have the energy,
enthusiasm, experience and vision to take ILAE forward into its second century. If you and your
colleagues feel able to give me your backing, please nominate me for president in the first ballot
and vote for me in the second.
Yours sincerely
Professor Martin J Brodie
Director, Epilepsy Unit