History
History
| 16–18 November 1984 in Trondheim (Norway) | Discussions on the idea of an umbrella organisation for the ankylosing spondylitis societies in different countries among Fergus Rogers (UK), Dr. Heinz Baumberger (Switzerland), Anita and Christer Berg (Sweden), and Roar Aspen (Norway) on the occasion of a patient symposium organised by Dr. Øistein Romberg |
| 19 March 1986 in London | Ernst Feldtkeller visited Fergus Rogers in London. Discussion on the reason and possibility of an international umbrella organisation |
| July 1987 | Fergus Rogers discussed the question with lawiers in the UK and distributed a draft constitution. |
| 19 March 1988 in Vienna (Austria) | On the occasion of the General Meeting of the Austrian AS society , ÖVMB chairman Franz Kaltenbrunner invited Fergus Rogers, Dr. Heinz Baumberger (Switzerland), Herbert Hümmer and Prof. Ernst Feldtkeller (Germany) and Alois Poglitsch (Austria) to discuss some questions concerning the intended organisation. |
| 10 April 1988 in Bath (England) | Inaugural Meeting in connection with a symposium of the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society. See details and photo. |
| June 1989 | ASIF registered as Charity No. 801 482 by the British Charity Commissioners |
| 7–10 July 1989 in Leukerbad (Switzerland) | 1st Council Meeting in connection with an excursion to Zermatt and the Gornergrat with view to the Monte Rosa glaciers. See details and photos. |
| 31 December 1989 | First "President's Report" distributed to all known AS societies, including a collection of data on each AS society prepared by Prof. Ernst Feldtkeller. |
| March 1991 | ASIF leaflet printed for distribution at rheumatology congresses,, with addresses of all ankylosing spondylitis societies worldwide on an exchangeable extra sheet |
| 14–17 October 1992 in Bad Gastein (Austria) | 2nd Council Meeting including a public symposium on ankylosing spondylitis and a visit to Gastein's "Heilstollen" gallery where AS is treated by the combination of heat, high air humidity and radon inhalation. See details and photo |
| 26 March 1994 in Estoril (Portugal) | Meeting of the Executive Committee for preparing the 3rd Council meeting. |
| 13–14 November 1994 in Estoril (Portugal) | 3rd Council meeting with agreements on two ASIF research projects. Excursions led to the Sintra mountains and to Cabo da Roca. See details and photo |
| 8–9 March 1996 in Oslo (Norway) | Meeting of the Executive Committee for preparing the 4th Council meeting. |
| 29 August – 1 September 1996 in Hafjell near Lillehammer (Norway) | 4th Council meeting with the presentation of preliminary results of the ASIF research projects on pregnancy with AS and on car driving with AS. See details and photos |
| 18–21 September 1996 in Bamberg (Germany) | ASIF web-site with information on all AS societies world-wide. Rheumatologists of the University of Düsseldorf presented their "RheumaNet" at the annual congress of the German Society of Rheumatology and offered memory space also for web-sites of national or international patient organisations of rheumatic diseases. The ASIF vice president immediately used this opportunity as a host for an ASIF web-site. |
| 1997 | Booklet on "Car Driving with Ankylosing spondylitis" by Dr. Jon Erlendsson published in Danish language. Translation into English language published in 1998, translations into Portuguese and Japanese language in 1999, into Czech language in 2002, and into German language in 2003.. |
| January 1998 | Under the title "Ankylosing spondylitis – the female aspect", a report on results of the ASIF survey on ankylosing spondylitis and pregnancy by Monika Østensen and Harald Østensen appeared in Journal of Rheumatology 25 (1998) 120–124 |
| 2–5 September 1999 in Orscholz (Germany) | 5th Council meeting with delegates from 17 countries with presentation of research results of a large survey on the situation of AS patients in Germany. See details and photos |
| 10–13 October 2002 in Portorose (Slovenia) | 6th Council meeting with delegates from 12 countries. Retirement of ASIF president Fergus Rogers and ASIF secretary Nils Linholm. Election of Soeirse Smith (Ireland) as new ASIF president and Ken Mulholland (Canada) as ASIF secretary. Presentation of results of ASIF project on differences between HLA-B27 positive and negative patients with AS. See details and photos |
| December 2003 | ASIF News No. 1 distributed, with reports on EULAR congress 2003 and ASIF research on HLA-B27 negative compared to positive patients with AS |
| December 2004 | ASIF News No. 2 distributed, with invitation to the 7th ASIF Council meeting, with reports on the EULAR Congress 2004 in Berlin (Germany), on an international AS symposium in Bad Gastein (Austria), on the new AS society in Turkey, on a Canadian Arthritis Research Forum, and on the 4th international SpA congress in Gent (Belgium), with the history of Apa Bane, a Koptic Saint with ankylosed spine in the 4th century AD, with an article on "Therapy of ankylosing spondylitis 4000 years ago", and with the results of the ASIF survey on "Vertebral fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis". |
| 8–11 September 2005 in Sandbjerg (Denmark) | 7th Council meeting with delegates from 16 countries. Retirement of Soeirse Smith as ASIF president. Election of. Dr. Jon Erlendsson (Denmark) as new ASIF president, of Torben Jørgensen as new treasurer, and of Martine Roch (France) as new member of the ASIF Executive Committee (See details and photos). |
| February 2006 | ASIF is accessible under the new Internet homepage address www.spondylitis-international.org |
| February 2006 | ASIF News No. 3distributed, with a report on the 7th Council meeting held in Sandbjerg (Denmark), with an obituary to Nils Linholm (past ASIF secretary), with a report on the AS society in Iran, with the ASAS/EULAR recommendations for the management of AS, with the results of a survey on the disease activity and treatment of AS in Germany, and the results of a pilot study on the Neurocognitive therapy of AS. |
| October 2006 | ASIF News No. 4 distributed, with announcement of the 8th ASIF Council meeting to be held in Czechia, with reports on the Social Leagues of EULAR, on the EULAR Congress 2006 in Amsterdam (Netherlands), on contacts to the Icelandic spondylitis branch, on contributions to easy diagnosis of early ankylosing spondylitis, and with a lecture on the goals of spondylitis patient organisations |
| March 2007 | ASIF News No. 5 distributed, with 2nd announcement of the 8th ASIF Council meeting to be held in Jáchymov, with contributions on Fergus Rogers remembered and an Obituary printed in The Times, with a profile of new NASS director Jane Skerrett, with a report on the ASIF vice president celebrating 75 years, with his experiences as a 75 years old AS patient, and reports on the SpA congress 2006 in Gent (Belgium) and the ASAS workshop 2007 in Bath (UK) |
| April 2007 | Meeting of ASIF president and vice president with the Organising Committee for the 8th ASIF Council meeting to be held in Jáchymov |
| 6–9 September 2007 in Jáchymov (Czechia) | 8th Council meeting with delegates from 17 countries. Proposal of a research prejects on recommendations for the management of AS, proposal of another research project on the influence of TNF-alpha blockers on the outcome of pregnancies, presentation of recent results of ASIF research and of copyright regulations for reprinting articles and artwork, and reports from member societies. Retirement of Soeirse Smith as member of the ASIF Executive Committee and election of Jane Skerrett as new member of the ASIF Executive Committee. (See details and photos).. |
| November 2007 | ASIF News No. 6 distributed, with Report on 8th ASIF Council meeting held in Jáchymov, with contribution on copyrith matters to be regarded by editord of AS membership journals, with a report on the EULAR congress 2007 in Barcelona, and a notice on the Kussmaul medal awarded to the ASIF vice president by the German Association of Rheumatology |
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