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United Kingdom: ME Research Collaborative (MERC) [was CMRC] news

Discussion in 'News from organisations' started by Andy, Mar 6, 2018.

  1. Daisy

    Daisy Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Location:
    Suffolk
    I wonder if the substantial funding received by the LSHTM Biobank from the NIH last year has helped to bring about this change. Especially given the failure of the MEGA projects to secure funding.
     
    Moosie, janice, Awol and 11 others like this.
  2. Esther12

    Esther12 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    4,393
    Sounds probably positive. Although, I'd wrongly thought that five years ago when the CMRC was first set up.

    Wouldn't they want to see how things pan out first? They can't be oblivious to the concerns about her work. Promoting her to a position like that at this point seems a needless risk.
     
  3. adambeyoncelowe

    adambeyoncelowe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Bristol must be so embarrassed by her already. Surely they can't have promoted her? :p

    I'm cautiously optimistic. But could/would they get involved with NICE? If they have significant clout and truly want to promote biomedical approaches, they can start by asking for a warning against GET in the current guideline and for a total removal of the same from the future guideline. It's a barrier if they don't want funding to continue to be swallowed up by cheap and easy biopsychosocial studies.
     
    janice, Missense, Melanie and 12 others like this.
  4. Simon M

    Simon M Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Location:
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    Do you have a list of UK researchers? Neil Harrison is a new CMRC board member.
     
  5. MEMarge

    MEMarge Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    2,735
    Location:
    UK
  6. MEMarge

    MEMarge Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    2,735
    Location:
    UK
    Woolie, janice, Awol and 7 others like this.
  7. MEMarge

    MEMarge Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Location:
    UK
    So, Chris Ponting will be deputy Chair from April

    They are talking about the BACME conference and BACME joining forces with CMRC, do they know that Per Fink is talking at BACME/
     
  8. Cheshire

    Cheshire Moderator Staff Member

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    4,675
    While I'm delighted to see Crawley out, and being replaced by Ponting, I believe for a true biomedical approach to be set up, there are still numerous obstacles to be overcome (like for example the worrying study led by Mark Edwards)

    Ex from the minutes:
    GM: Gabrielle Murphy*
    Edit: cross post with MeMarge
     
    Woolie, lycaena, Valentijn and 11 others like this.
  9. Jonathan Edwards

    Jonathan Edwards Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    13,274
    Location:
    London, UK
    The people who need to be brought in, having previously been told to get stuffed, are the Biobank and CureME at LSHTM. They have by far the best people in the field in the UK. Eleanor Riley has moved but there are other good people for the team to mix with there and they know exactly what they are doing. The biggest mistake from CMRC was to try to duplicate what the Biobank had already achieved.
     
  10. Nellie

    Nellie Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    247
    Location:
    UK
     
  11. Esther12

    Esther12 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    4,393
    The CMRC minutes often feel really evasive to me. The rest of what I've seen today looks good, but reading the minutes always makes me think 'why are you telling us what you're doing?'

    eg:

    What narrative? To what individual?

    Are those minutes getting Ponting and Pariante mixed up [as @Nellie just pointed out]?

    Quite big difference there!

    eg:

    "A new Deputy is required and, at SH’s invite, CP agreed to take on the role from April."

    Carmine Pariante (CP) Chris Ponting (CPP)

    "GM stated that BACME has a conference on 14-15 March and there will be a vote at the conference about joining forces with the CMRC for a joint conference. Should this be positive, discussion would be needed with the CMRC membership."

    I don't see much to be gained from the CMRC joining with BACME - unless BACME wanted to offer some grovelling apologies.
     
  12. dangermouse

    dangermouse Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    791
    Cautiously optimistic :)

    Chris Ponting looks good!

    Wow, can’t believe EC has gone!
     
    Woolie, janice, Melanie and 5 others like this.
  13. MEMarge

    MEMarge Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,735
    Location:
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    Oh NO!

    But CP was not at the meeting
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2018
  14. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    Location:
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    It says Chris Ponting will replace her on the Board. I don't think it says he will be vice chair. It looks like that may be Carmen Pariante, which is not such good news if I remember correctly.
     
    TiredSam, Awol, Melanie and 5 others like this.
  15. adambeyoncelowe

    adambeyoncelowe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Well his bio talks about the 'common mental illness' he calls 'chronic fatigue'. I doubt he got top marks at school for accuracy or thoroughness... It's not a great indication of his intentions (or capabilities).
     
    Esperanza, Awol, pteropus and 5 others like this.
  16. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

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    Hampshire, UK
    Language is a bit vague. From AfME's article
    So Chris Ponting is replacing Crawley while the others are joining the board. Suggests that he is vice-chair but doesn't explicitly say so.
     
    Simon M, janice, Awol and 5 others like this.
  17. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

    Messages:
    21,810
    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    Apparently AfME apply their own rules on Facebook and I'm not sure why they are still so keen to protect Crawley either.
    Screen Shot 2018-03-06 at 17.46.38.png
     
  18. Russell Fleming

    Russell Fleming Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    120
    Prof. Chris Ponting will be deputy chair. The minutes confirm this - although as has been pointed out the initials should have been CPP for Chris Ponting and not CP.
     
    Valentijn, janice, Missense and 21 others like this.
  19. Esther12

    Esther12 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    4,393
    That, and other comments from people who should know who the deputy chair is, makes me think (hope) it's just an error in the minutes. [edit - as has just been confirmed above].
     
  20. Esther12

    Esther12 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    4,393
    They don't want you to post things that will have a harmful impact on someone's reputation? What a weird idea.
     

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