7th Council Meeting
held on 8–11 September 2005 in Sandbjerg (Denmark) Participants of the meeting were delegates from Austria, Belgium/Flanders, Canada/Ontario, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Turkey.
An opening lecture on  "How patient organizations make their voices heard" was held by Kjeld Møller-Pedersen, professor of health economics at the University of Southern Denmark.
Martine Roch, president of the AFS in France, gave a report on their activities against budgetary disparities, administrative pressures and medical strategic decisions.
René Bräm, director of the SVMB in Switzerland, gave a report on their aeareness campaign towards early diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis. Marjan Hudomald from Slovenia reported about a manifest for people with rheumatism in Europe.
Prof. Dr. Ernst Feldtkeller and Dr. Jon Erlendsson presented the results of an ASIF study on vertebral fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Prof. Dr. Ernst Feldtkeller from the DVMB in Germany also presented the results of a DVMB survey on the distribution of the disease activity and of different therapies of ankylosing spondylitis in Gernany, and the results of a pilot study on the Neurocognitive Therapy, at present the only therapy method under which ankylosing spondylitis has turned out to be not incurable.
The ankylosing spondylitis societies in Turkey and Taiwan were confirmed as new ASIF member societies.
It was agreed that ASIF is registered in future as a charity in Denmark.
Dr. Jon Erlendsson from Denmark was elected as new ASIF president. The vice president and secretary have been confirmed for the next three years. Torben Jørgensen from Denmark was elected as new treasurer of ASIF. Coby Otter from Belgium, Martine Roch from France and Seoirse Smith from Ireland were elected as additional members of the Executive Committee.
The program of the meeting included a visit to the King Christian X's Rheumatic hospital in Gråsten and an excursion to Augustenborg and the Dybbøl hills in southern Denmark. 

 

Participants of the 7th ASIF Council meeting in Sandbjerg Estate, Denmark

Participants of the 7th ASIF Council meeting in front of King Christian X's hospital for rheumatic diseases in Gråsten

	Back to ASIF History
	To the ASIF Homepage