Zaher Nahle leaves Solve Me/cfs

This one is a shocker. What a huge loss. i wonder whether he will remain in the field or not.

https://solvecfs.org/dr-zaher-nahle-leaves-smci/

 

Oh no Why? What happened?

 

Will they tell us i wonder?

 

I wonder why. No hint of him planning to leave in this profile from a couple of weeks ago: https://jaxmecfs.com/2018/02/06/adv...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

I've donated to SMCI because of him...damn. I hope he sticks with ME/CFS...and I hope he knows how individually admired he is by patients.

 

A real shock and a real blow. No information given as to why or where he's going. Maybe the field was too frustrating but I thought he was making a real personal difference

 

Nooooooooooooooo!

 

Hmm.

 

He strikes me as someone who is ambitious. I wonder if he just felt he had set up some initiatives and that was as far as he could get. Sometimes different skills (and interests) are needed to set things up and to keep them running.

 

I agree, @Adrian, I don't think a job like this, vital though it is to us, would be seen as the pinnacle of an ambitious scientist's career. I imagine he has found something new to move on to, and I wish him well and thank him for all he has done.

 

From what I've been hearing behind the scenes it's pretty much this, another opportunity opened up for him and so he moved on. It's disappointing of course but, in my opinion, he did a lot of good in his time with Solve.

 

I was thinking he probably got a better offer.
At least as the field is changing and getting more interest etc, others with lots to offer should be looking to apply. I expect the ME docs and scientists in US have already put out feelers.

 

I rate Zaher Nahle very highly. I hope he is moving on to something else in ME/CFS.

 

Perhaps , and I include myself in this, we should get behind SMCI a bit more as a community too. I tend to focus on changing the negatives, especially as in uk there's so many, rather than supporting the positives, but that charity has become a fantastic thing due in large part to Dr Z N.

 

I agree. I really don't think they get the credit they deserve in the ME/CFS community.

 

My opinion is that they don't get the same level of visible support from patients due to them doing a lot of the essential work which doesn't have the wow factor of big research efforts that others engage in. Rather than fund fewer, larger studies they have looked to fund more but smaller studies, in part to increase the number of researchers working on ME, which is likely to be what we need more than just funding a few high profile researchers.

 

I agree individuals can make a huge difference. Zaher Nahle has done a great job at Solve, and their approach of seed funding small pilot projects to develop research and researchers is great, along with their educational and political role.

Similarly but differently Charles Shepherd with the MEA in the UK has worked hard and effectively as a volunteer at promoting ME research through the MEA research fund, helping establish the UK ME biobank, and working to get political and medical education change.

I hope Solve find someone equally effective to carry on the work. I get the impression the organisation is strong enough to cope with a change of Research leader.

 

True but they're also strong on the infrastructure, info and advocacy side too but often their posts on Facebook just get a handful of comments, & when you consider the size of America. Maybe, as you say others get attention, unrest more on that front. They're not a support group like uk charities are, but they deserve support themselves, they have mine, I'm not a fan of the long view/collaborate with establishment rather than confront approach of uk charities ((sorry Trish)

Anyway I wish Dr ZN well and thank him.

 

So I contacted Dr Nahle direct and he's allowed me to pass the following on.

He's limited as to what he can announce for the moment solely as the person currently in post hasn't announced their retirement yet.

So disappointing for Solve but it looks like he will be able to expand the number of researchers looking at ME.