2022 Conference - Register Now! - International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (IACFS/ME)

IACFS/ME 2022 Virtual Medical and Scientific Conference

July 27 - 30, 2022

9 AM - 5 PM EDT (New York City time)

(Click to check date/ time in your local area)

pexels-pavel-danilyuk-8761559 - Science meeting

Registration for the Conference is now CLOSED. Video recordings of the Conference will be made available for purchase 1-2 weeks after the Conference. Look for announcements or visit this webpage again in the near future.

Visit our Sponsors by clicking on their logos!

US National Institutes of Health

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

This will be IACFS/ME's 15th Medical/ Scientific Conference. Our exciting, informative program includes:

Workshops covering research- and clinic-oriented topics
Oral presentations of unpublished, peer-reviewed research
Poster presentations of unpublished, peer-reviewed research
Special Session - Provocative maneuvers: methods to induce symptomatic features of ME/CFS
Clinical Cases interactive session
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Akiko Iwasaki (Yale University, USA)
Plenary Session Speaker: Dr. David Systrom (Harvard Medical School, USA)
Special Speaker: Lauren Stiles, JD (Dysautonomia International/ Stony Brook University, USA)
Awards Ceremony: Honoring Staci Stevens, MA, and celebrating promising ME/CFS researchers

The conference will focus on the biomedical, behavioral, and public health aspects of ME/CFS and associated comorbidities. A portion of the meeting will also be devoted to COVID-19 and its relevance to ME/CFS research and clinical care.

Schedule

Click the "+" sign next to each date to see conference schedule. Click "-" to close it and see another date.

July 27 - Workshops

Time	Presentation Track 1	Speaker Track 1	Organization Track 1	Presentation Track 2	Speaker Track 2	Organization Track 2
9:00 AM	Introduction - Ground Rules	Fred Friedberg, PhD	IACFS/ME	Introduction - Ground Rules	Lily Chu, MD, MSHS	IACFS/ME
9:15 AM	NIH Grant Writing Workshop: For Students, Fellows, Early Stage Investigators and Established Investigators	Vicky Whittemore, PhD	US National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, USA	Caring for Long COVID Patients: Vancouver, BC, Canada and Palo Alto, CA, USA	Hector Bonilla, MD	Stanford University, USA
		Timothy Gondré-Lewis, PhD	US National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, USA		R. Jane McKay, BSP, MD, FRCPC, FACP	British Columbia Womens Hospital/ University of British Columbia, Canada
11:15 AM	Break (15 minutes)			Break (15 minutes)
11:30 AM	Patient/ Caregiver Perspectives on Research - Participation and Priorities	Rochelle Joslyn, PhD	US National Institutes of Health ME/CFS Collaborative Research Centers Community Advisory Committee, USA	Dysautonomia	Lauren Stiles, JD	Dysautonomia International/ Stony Brook University, USA

1:30 PM	Lunch (90 minutes)	Poster Session 2 - 3 PM		Lunch (90 minutes)	Poster Session 2 - 3 PM
3:00 PM	ME/CFS and Long COVID Federal Advocacy Update	Emily Taylor, MA	Solve ME/CFS Initiative, USA	Occupational and physical therapy: increasing function and quality of life for ME/CFS patients	Amy Mooney, MS, OTR/L	Independent Consultant
		BG Wright, MA Shea McCarthy, BA	Thorn Run Partners, USA		Sallie Rediske, MPT, WCS Melinda Maxwell, PT, MA	ME/CFS PT/OT Facebook Group, USA PT/OT Resources for Treating ME/CFS, USA
5:00 PM	Wrap-up			Wrap-up

July 28 - Research Presentations 1

Time	Presentation Title	Speaker	Organization
9:00 AM	Introduction	Fred Friedberg, PhD	IACFS/ME
9:15 AM	Keynote: Pathophysiology of exercise intolerance in ME/CFS & long COVID	David Systrom, MD	Harvard Medical School, USA
10:15 AM	Break (15 minutes)
10:30 AM	Provocative Maneuvers: Methods to Induce Symptomatic Features of ME/CFS	Rochelle Joslyn, PhD - Moderator	IACFS/ME
		J. Mark VanNess, PhD	University of the Pacific, USA
		Peter Rowe, MD	Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
		Lucinda Bateman, MD	Bateman Horne Center, USA
		Dane B. Cook, PhD	University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA
		Alain Moreau, PhD	Université de Montréal, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Canada
		Luis Nacul, MD, MSc, PhD	University of British Columbia, Canada
12:30 PM	Lunch (60 minutes)	Poster Session
1:30 PM	Immunology 1	Theresa Dowell, DNP, PT	IACFS/ME
	Inhibition of autophagy induces chronic fatigue in mice: a potential mouse model to study ME/CFS	Avik Roy, PhD	Simmaron Research Inc., USA
	Investigating T cell populations for immune cell exhaustion in ME/CFS using flow cytometry	Jessica Maya, PhD candidate	Cornell University, USA
	Immune comparison of male and female ME/CFS patients	Kristina K Aenlle, PhD	Miami VA Healthcare System, USA
2:30 PM	Metabolism
	Feasibility of investigating oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate variability, blood pressure and lactic acid levels of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis during normal daily activities.	Nicola Clague-Baker, PhD	University of Liverpool, England
	Pre-Illness metabolomics data among college students following mononuclosis and ME/CFS reveals differences in multiple metabolites and metabolic pathways	Leonard A. Jason, PhD	DePaul University, USA
	Urine metabolomics exposes anomalous recovery after maximal exertion in ME/CFS female patients	Katherine A Glass, PhD	Cornell University, USA
3:30 PM	Break (15 minutes)
3:45 PM	Metabolism/ Co-morbid Conditions
	Dysfunctional cerebrospinal fluid metabolites and lipids infer white matter dysfunction in ME/CFS and mitochondrial dysfunction in Gulf War Illness (GWI)	James Baraniuk, MD	Georgetown University, USA
	Gender matters: perceived burdensomeness increased in males with chronic invisible illness	Cathy Pederson, PhD	Wittenberg University, USA
	Do people with joint hypermobility represent a subgroup of myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome?	Kathleen Mudie, MSc	Solve ME/CFS Initiative, USA
4:45 PM	Wrap-Up

July 29 - Research Presentations 2

Time	Presentation Title	Speaker	Organization
9:00 AM	Infectious Diseases 1	Lily Chu, MD, MSHS	IACFS/ME
	Dysbiosis in the gut microbiome accompanies skewed immunological and clinical parameters in patients with ME/CFS	Midori Horiuchi, MD	National Institute of Neuroscience, Japan
	Phage borrelia qPCR in ME/CFS patients	Kenny L. De Meirleir, MD, PhD	Whittemore Peterson Institute/ University of Nevada, Reno/ Himmunitas Foundation, USA & Belgium
9:40 AM	Clinical Cases Presentation
	A severe illness for the long-haul: patient experience, novel treatments, and current state.	Melissa Siller, BA	Susan Levine, MD - Private Practice
	Can discordant identical twins become concordant for ME/CFS?	Lucinda Bateman, MD, MS	Bateman Horne Center, USA
	Insights for the provision of long COVID psychotherapeutic care: a case report	Leigh Jerome, PhD	University of Hawaii, USA
10:45 AM	Break (15 minutes)
11:00 AM	Provocation Studies 1
	Recovery from 2-day cardiopulmonary exercise testing in persons with ME/CFS	Geoffrey E. Moore, MD	Ithaca College/ Cornell University, USA
	Physical activity levels in ME/CFS before and after a 2-Day Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test Protocol	Candace N. Receno, PhD	Ithaca College, USA
11:40 AM	Lunch (60 minutes)
12:40 PM	Keynote Session	Fred Friedberg, PhD	IACFS/ME
	Immunology of long COVID	Akiko Iwasaki, PhD	Yale University, USA
1:40 PM	COVID-19 1	Luis Nacul, MD, MSc, PhD	IACFS/ME
	Identifying prevalence of a ME/CFS diagnosis post-COVID and pre-existing conditions that may increase the likelihood of a positive ME/CFS diagnosis	Ali Boolani, PhD	Clarkson University, USA
	Immune dysregulation in ME/CFS and long COVID-19 syndromes: tracking of CD8 T-cell over activation and exhaustion with therapy	Anna Gil, PhD	University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA
	Stellate ganglion block (SGB) improves symptoms of long COVID/Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC)	Deborah Duricka, PhD	Neuroversion Inc, USA
2:40 PM	Break (20 minutes)
3:00 PM	Public Health 1
	How to ensure the voice of the severely affected ME/CFS patient is heard in research	Helen Baxter	25% ME Group, United Kingdom
	Identifying healthcare system barriers impacting the care of Canadians with myalgic encephalomyelitis	Rosie Twomey, PhD	University of Calgary, Canada
	ME/CFS: limitations of vocabulary and language	Geoffrey Hallman, LLB, DipLegPrac, DipFinPlan, LLM, MClinEpid, MPubHlth	Southern Cross University, Australia
4:00 PM	Provocation Studies 2
	Plasma proteomics reveals a distinct response to maximal exercise and recovery pattern between females and males ME/CFS subjects	Arnaud Germain, PhD	Cornell University, USA
	Comprehensive gene expression profiling of the immune system in ME/CFS	Andrew Grimson, PhD	Cornell University, USA
4:40 PM	Wrap-Up

July 30 - Research Presentations 3

Time	Presentation Title	Speaker	Organization
9:00 AM	Announcements	Irina Rozenfeld, DNP, MSHS, APRN, ANP-BC	IACFS/ME
9:15 AM	Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Research Update & Review of Autonomic Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome	Lauren Stiles, JD	Dysautonomia International/ Stony Brook University, USA
9:45 AM	Immunology/ Infectious Diseases 2
	Immune-related profiles of long COVID patients in the Japanese population	Wakiro Sato, MD, PhD	National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psych, Japan
	Elevated ATG13 in serum of patients with ME/CFS stimulates oxidative stress response in microglial cells via activation of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)	Gunnar Gottschalk, PhD	Simmaron Research Inc., USA

	EBV and HHV-6A dUTPases Contribute to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Exacerbating TFH Cell Differentiation and Extrafollicular Antibody Responses	Brandon Cox, PhD Candidate	The Ohio State University, USA
10:45 AM	Break (15 minutes)
11:00 AM	Treatment
	An international survey of experiences and attitudes towards pacing using a heart rate monitor for people with ME/CFS	Nicola Clague-Baker, PhD	University of Liverpool, England
	Stellate ganglion block (SGB) improves symptoms of ME/CFS: a case series	Luke Liu, MD	Neuroversion, Inc., USA
	BREATHE: A mixed-methods evaluation of a virtual self-management program for people living with long COVID	Rosie Twomey, PhD	University of Calgary, Canada
	Oxaloacetate improves physical and mental fatigue in ME/CFS and long-COVID	David Kaufman, MD	Center for Complex Diseases, USA
12:15 PM	Lunch (75 minutes)	Awards Ceremony (12:15 PM - 1:00 PM)
1:30 PM	Public Health 2	Charles Lapp, MBME, MD	IACFS/ME
	Engaging patients and caregivers in teaching health professional students about ME/CFS: A workshop model	Cathy Kline, MA Gloria Gray, ECE	University of British Columbia, Canada
	Chronic Absenteeism and ME/CFS: A Nurse-Led Approach to Establish the School-Based Active Surveillance Process	Erin D. Maughan, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FAAN	George Mason University School of Nursing, USA
	COVID-19: Understanding recruitment strategies in a community-based assessment of fatigue, cognitive and functional impairments among those after SARS-CoV-2 infection	Nancy Klimas, MD	Nova Southeastern University, USA
2:30 PM	COVID-19 2
	Covid-19 infection in patients with ME/CFS– an update	John Chia, MD	EV Med Research, USA
	A classification system for post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection	Leonard Jason, PhD	DePaul University, USA
	Prevalence, clinical correlations and predictors of fatigue and severe fatigue 3 and 6 months following confirmed infection by SARS-CoV-2 in The BC Respiratory Cohort	Luis Nacul, MD, MSc, PhD	University of British Columbia/ BC Womens Hospital, Canada
3:30 PM	Wrap-Up	Lily Chu, MD, MSHS	IACFS/ME

Target Audience

Attendees at IACFS/ME conferences are primarily biomedical and behavioral professionals, including clinicians, researchers, and educators. We especially encourage participation by professionals from outside the United States. People affected by ME/CFS and their supporters are also welcomed. Anyone interested in ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, related conditions (e.g. mass cell activation syndrome, dysautonomia), COVID-19, and sequelae of COVID-19 (e.g. long COVID) is invited to participate.

IACFS/ME Members received discounted registration fees: considering joining us today for this and other benefits! For a taste of our meetings, see our 2021 Virtual Conference Summaries and Past Conference Programs.

Continuing Medical Education

Continuing Medical Education credits will be available for eligible program components. The School of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education to physicians and will designate the number of AMA PRA Category 1 credit (s) TM awarded for physician participation.

Please note that CME credit is available only to people registering as Professionals and for live attendance of the meeting. Attendees will receive access to 1 month's online access to video recordings to watch at their convenience but recordings are not accredited for CME.

Online Format

Similar to our virtual conferences in 2020 and 2021, attendees will be able to view presentations and ask questions via Zoom Webinar. We also hope to use the virtual meeting platform Gather. Gather not only can be integrated with Zoom but allows virtual poster presentations and spontaneous interactions among attendees between talks, which is a valuable part of conferences. For a preview of how Gather works, please see this 2-minute company demo and this 8-minute demo from the Molecular and Cellular Biology program at the University of Washington. Attendees will receive information about how to access/ use Zoom and Gather spaces.

Registration open: June 7, 12 AM EDT to July 26, 5:00 PM EDT (New York City time).

(Click here to convert dates and times to your geographic area.)

Please plan to register early. This will allow you to a) receive an Early Bird discount and b) receive information in a timely manner about how to access/ participate in the meeting. All registration types include all 4 days of the meeting, a conference e-program, and 1 month's online access to video recordings

Early Bird registration: Receive 25% off the Regular Price if you register by July 4, 11:59 PM EDT.
Regular registration lasts from July 5, 12:00 AM to July 25, 11:59 PM EDT.
Last-day registration is from July 26, 12:00 AM to July 26, 5:00 PM EDT. Please note there will be additional $50 fee to process last-day registrations. IACFS/ME is a mostly volunteer-run organization and late registration means we have to hire extra help along with additional pressure on our volunteers.
You will NOT be able to register after July 26, 5:00 PM EDT. Our focus at that time will be on assisting conference presenters and people who have already registered.
To obtain an additional discount, join IACFS/ME as a Professional or Associate Member!
IACFS/ME Members are each entitled to one discounted registration fee, i.e. you cannot register for the Member discounted price for another person.
If you are registering under the Early Career Professional or Students/ Trainees categories, please provide proof by sending a copy of organization identification card, online profile, or letter from our program to iacfsmeorg@gmail.com.
If your organization is paying your registration fee directly, on the registration form, choose "Pay by Invoice." You will be e-mailed an invoice that you can forward to the purchaser. They can use the hyperlink on the invoice to pay via organization credit card. Please assure your organization has paid by July 25 at 11:59 PM or we will have to cancel your registration.
If your organization will be reimbursing you later instead, select "Pay" and complete credit card information. You will receive a receipt.

Registration Fees

Category	Early Bird - Until 7/ 4/ 22, 11:59 PM EDT	Regular - Until 7/25/22, 11:59 PM EDT	Last Day - Until 7/26/22, 5:00 PM EDT
Professional: Non-Member	$400	$500	$550
Professional: IACFS/ME Member	$325	$400	$450
Professional: Early Career (Post-doctoral researchers, Medical residents/ fellows)	$290	$365	$415
Professional: Students/ Trainees (Undergraduates, Graduate students, Medical/ Nursing/ Pharmacy/ Law/ Public Health, etc. students)	$175	$220	$270

Patient/ Caregiver/ Public: Non-Member	$230	$290	$340
Patient/ Caregiver/ Public: IACFS/ME Member	$175	$220	$270

Registration Fee Refunds

To cancel your registration, complete our Contact Us form. We will process requests up to 2 weeks before the conference: after July 13, 2022, 11:59 PM EDT, refunds will no longer be given. You may also choose to transfer or donate your registration fee to someone else. Inform us of who (first & last name/ e-mail address) OR permit IACFS/ME to select someone.

Funding for this conference was also made possible in part by Grant# 1R13NS115399-01 from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health (NIH). The views expressed in written conference materials and publications or by speakers and moderators do not reflect the policies of the NIH; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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