Letter from ISBD President, Mauricio Tohen MD, DrPH, MBA
Dear Members,
Our society has evolved as a truly global group, yet there is room for further growth. I see Russia and Asia as our next frontiers –I also see Europe as an area where ISBD still needs to consolidate. We need to develop more national or regional chapters in Europe. We very much need to strengthen our presence in Europe and solidify our relationship with local experts and advocacy groups.
Shared learning needs to be explored, although Europe and the US are ideal to train investigators from other countries, perhaps recent successful creation of national chapters in Asia and Latin American can help in the development of chapters in selected European countries.
We should not forget the United States, we need to strengthen our links with NIMH and with US advocacy groups.
We need to foster research and training collaborations within and across geographies. The creation of regional networks based on geography or cultural links needs to be further explored.
We need to take care of our future leaders and foster the development of those who will follow our path. Due to the current global economic climate, the opportunities that we had 10 or 20 years ago are no longer present. The sacrifices of becoming an expert are becoming larger and the rewards smaller. In order to fulfill ISBD’s mission of improving our understanding of Bipolar Disorder and to benefit those who suffer from it, we need to recruit and develop leaders who will devote their career to this cause. We need to further develop our mentorship program and make it a priority for our leadership.
We need to explore new, appropriate, and ethical partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry.
Finally, but most importantly, we can never forget our patients, our raison de etre;if our efforts don’t focus on the patient, our mission will not make a difference. We need to strengthen our links with advocacy groups from all over the world. We need to better understand our patients’ unmet needs and have deliverables that directly benefit them.
Sincerely,
Mauricio Tohen MD, DrPH, MBA
President