PRESIDENT'S REPORT
June 16, 2006

It is my pleasure to provide a final report of the activities of this organization during my tenure.  I consider it a privilege to have been able to hold this office during the last three years and I would like the opportunity to highlight some of the developments that took place during that time.

First, I would like to note that the CLAE, thanks to the continued involvement of its members, is growing in strength, dynamism and relevance to its membership.  New directions for growth and development will certainly continue in the years to come.  Some aspects that were developed during the outgoing Board's tenure include:

1.         By-Laws.  There was a consolidation of the by-laws, and formal translation into French.  This task, started by previous boards, was finalized during the early stages of our tenure.  The by-laws will undoubtedly be revised in the future as needed by the changes demanded by our dynamic organization.

2.         CLAE Website.  This seemingly small aspect of our activities required a substantial amount of discussion and work and it is still ongoing.  One of the reasons is the lack of devoted funds for developing and maintaining a state-of-the art website.  With the assistance of Ante Padjen and his team, as well as some funds that were secured through various sources, we now have a website with initial functionality and much more promising functions in the future.

3.         Growth in Membership.  One of the main initiatives of the outgoing board was to open our membership policy such that other professionals working in the area of epilepsy could join.  We therefore invited individuals in the areas of allied health, clinical trainees, all other clinicians, and epilepsy neuroscientists, to join the organization.

4.         Interaction with Other Epilepsy Organizations in Canada.  Our board created a new permanent, voting position for the Director/President of the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance, who is now a CLAE Board member.  In this manner all major Canadian epilepsy organizations are represented on the Board of the Canadian League Against Epilepsy, namely the Canadian Epilepsy Consortium, Epilepsy Canada, Canadian Epilepsy Research Initiative, Canadian Epilepsy Alliance, and Canadian Pediatric Epilepsy Network.  This development builds on previous efforts aiming at having the CLAE provide a common ground for all epilepsy organizations, foster collaboration, avoid duplication of efforts, and initiate and sustain dialogue where needed.  Progress has been rapid in some areas and less forthcoming in others.  Yet, this represents a crucial aspect of CLAE activities and one that has continued to evolve and grow.  I am very optimistic that collaboration and dialogue will only become stronger over the coming years.

5.         International Conferences.  Under the tireless leadership of CLAE members, one workshop on intractable epilepsies was organized (Warren Blume and collaborators).  This very successful enterprise culminated in the publication of an "Advances in Neurology" volume on intractable epilepsies, and no doubt in opportunities for research collaborations in this area.  A major conference is being planned now, under the leadership of Warren Blume and Lionel Carmant and CLAE members.  This is to take place in Vancouver.

6.         CLAE Research Awards.  Through generous donations from CEDaR and some existing funds, we were able to increase the number of research awards.  The original Mary Anne Lee award for students has now grown to become the Mary Anne Lee/CEDaR awards and includes four main categories (students, fellows, allied health, and basic research students).  There is a formal peer review process involving CLAE members across the country.  The awards consist of a diploma and a $1,000 prize to be applied towards attending an epilepsy conference of the awardee's choice.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank our reviewers, without whose thoughtful and timely assessments this process would not be possible.

7.         Annual Courses.  Dr Neelan Pillay has been the board member in charge of education.  Under his leadership we have held very successful annual courses on epilepsy and EEG at the CCNS every year. (see the pictures from this year's Course)

8.         International Activities.  This is one of the most salient aspects of growth in the CLAE over the last few years.  Early during this board's tenure, conversations began with the American Epilepsy Society to create means by which our two organizations could have a more formal collaboration.  This process was fostered by the International League Against Epilepsy's mandate to organize the American chapters into regional organizations.  An initial result was the creation of the first American/Canadian AES conference, now officially termed the "First North American Region Epilepsy Conference", to take place in San Diego in December this year.  This North American Conference will now occur every other year in place of the AES annual meeting.  Planning for the inaugural conference explored many possibilities for involvement of CLAE members.  As an initial step, we settled on involvement of CLAE members at various executive and organizational levels within the meeting.  This includes ex officio membership of the CLAE president in the AES Executive Board, involvement of CLAE members in a number of important planning committees, including investigator's workshop, annual course, council on education, as well as an invitation for the outgoing president to serve as Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee, and the election of a large number of CLAE members to the AES Scientific Programme Committee for this year.  In a similar vein, the CLAE now has representation at the level of the Executive Board in the Epilepsy Foundation of America, through the outgoing President.  As this interaction evolves, I foresee a richer interaction between these two organizations, and a more prominent role of the CLAE in the North American region activities.

9.         Creation of the North American Region Commission on Epilepsy.  During the last American Epilepsy Society meeting (December 2005), the International League Against Epilepsy formalized the creation of the North American Region in Epilepsy, which includes Canada, the United States, and the English speaking Caribbean countries.  The CLAE figures prominently in this regional commission, which is chaired by the outgoing CLAE President, and whose Board members include the incoming CLAE President and one other Canadian.  The North American Region Commission will work in concert with individual national chapters and with the ILAE Board to achieve common goals and objectives.  Initial projects of the North American Region Commission include fostering quality of epilepsy care and education in the Caribbean countries, creating educational initiatives that are widely available, and assessing diversity and disparities in epilepsy care and education within our own countries.  An inaugural North American Region Commission Symposium will be held in San Diego during the first North American Region Epilepsy Conference in December 2006.

10.       Representation at the International League Against Epilepsy.  A new Commission on Epilepsy Care and Education has been created by the executive of the International League Against Epilepsy.  The CLAE is represented in this commission by its outgoing President who serves as secretary of this Commission.  CLAE members will be increasingly called upon to contribute to these worthwhile endeavours.  This will be an important opportunity for the CLAE to have an impact on improving epilepsy care and knowledge and education about epilepsy worldwide.

11.       Varia.  A number of smaller scale activities took place during this Board's tenure including clarification of the legal status of our organization with regards to its not-for-profit versus charity categorization; creation of new logo; collaboration in the CERI research conferences; advocacy for reinstitution of sodium amobarbital during the time of international shortage; institution of a web-based publication (CLAE Reviews) with CME credits, an initiative which is currently on hold; collaboration to the CBANHC (Canadian Brain and Nerve Health Coalition) study on the impact of neurological diseases, disorders and injuries in Canada, a document soon to be published; collaboration in the creation of a North American white paper on epilepsy, a joint initiative with the American Epilepsy Society, soon to be published in Epilepsia; formalization of a partnership with the French League Against Epilepsy and availability, at a discounted price, of the French Journal Epilepsies, which was done in collaboration with the incoming CLAE president and the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance Executive Director.

I have been extremely fortunate to have such a strong group of board members that have tirelessly collaborated in all of these initiatives.  I owe them a debt of gratitude for their collegiality, creativity and efforts.  I particularly wish to thank our outgoing board members.  Dr Elaine Wirrell has served as secretary/treasurer for an extended period and has done so with outstanding performance; Dr Neelan Pillay has provided exemplary service as board member on education; Dr Phillippe Major has faithfully served as the trainee representative on our board; and Dr Lionel Carmant has been an outstanding President Elect, who now takes over the leadership of the CLAE.

It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve the CLAE during this time, and I look forward to continued service and growth in this organization.

Sincerely,

S Wiebe, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Outgoing President, Canadian League Against Epilepsy 

SW/pjm