Committees

IMACS Committees

IMACS Scientific Committee:

This committee will review research proposals of studies that would involve the participation of IMACS members, as well as publications involving IMACS/its members prior to their submission (including appropriate authorship). This committee will also suggest future scientific directions and new studies for IMACS to embark upon.

Current Scientific Committee members are:

Rohit Aggarwal
Mazen Dimachkie
Thomas Griffin
David Isenberg
Neil McHugh
Frederick Miller
Ann Reed

IMACS Meeting Planning Committee:

This committee will plan and organize the annual IMACS meetings and will also suggest proposals for other meetings, such as presentations at the American College of Rheumatology Myositis Study Group.

Current Meeting Planning Committee members are:

Christina Charles-Schoeman
Anna Jansen
Ignacio Garcia de la Torre
Patrick Gordon
Adam Huber
Bianca Lang
Carol Lindsley
Andrew Mammen
Clarissa Pilkington
Lisa Rider

IMACS Committee Procedures:

New committee members will be solicited from the entire IMACS Group and the entire IMACS Group will vote on the selection of new committee members. Members of committees may serve a term of up to 3 years duration that may be renewed one time, provided that the majority of committee members agree to the renewal. Following formation of a new committee, 1/3 of the members will rotate off after 2 years of service, 1/3 after 3 years of service and 1/3 after 4 years of service, to provided a staggered rotation of committee members. At least one IMACS Coordinator or Administrator will be permanently assigned to each IMACS Committee, but they may rotate between committees periodically. A committee member may be asked to resign for failure to meet deadlines or if not actively participating in the committee's work for more than 6 months.

Rehabilitation and Exercise Special Interest Group

This group is devoted to studying the effect of exercise therapy and rehabilitation on the disease and vice versa in juvenile and adult myositis. To this end, the group is currently focused on developing and validating measures for fatigue and endurance, muscle strength testing, and functional testing for juvenile and adult myositis that can be used as endpoints in such studies.

Current Rehabilitation and Exercise Special Interest Group Members are

Tim Takken (Chair)
Li Alemo-Munters
Helene Alexanderson
Florianne Erneste
Abraham Garcia Kutzbach
Patrick Gordon
Kristin Houghton
Adam Huber
Sue Maillard
Clarissa Pilkington
Ann Reed
Lisa Rider
Davinder Singh-Grewal

Procedures for an IMACS Special Interest Group

Members of an IMACS Special Interest Group are small focus groups centered around a particular topic of interest for myositis researchers. All members of IMACS are eligible to join a special interest group, and its members may serve unlimited terms. The chair of the special interest group will rotate every 2 years.