Chapter Name: Swiss League against Epilepsy (Schweizerische Epilepsie-Liga / Ligue Suisse contre l’Epilepsie)
Report By: Report submitted by Dr. Julia Franke

Publications:

Journal “Epileptologie” (Epileptology), publication four times a year, 50 - 70 pages each, with information about new developments in epilepsy research and treatment (for professionals, 1100 copies). Articles in English, German, or French with summaries in all three languages.

Topics 2017: Neurostimulation / Contemporary Issues in Pharmacotherapy of Epilepsy / Mortality in Epilepsy / Epilepsy Surgery in Children

Topics 2018: Genetics / Specialised offers for people with epilepsies in Switzerland / Dissocative seizures / Pharmacoresistant Epilepsies

Print newsletter “Epilepsie-News”, publication three times a year, 4 pages each, with information about our activities and about epilepsy (for donors and members, about 12.500 copies in German, about 3.000 copies in French and 2000 in Italian).

Future plans: “Epilepsie-News” will be discontinued for financial reasons.

Annual booklet on events in German and French (will be discontinued as well)

Annual report (German, French)

Continuing presence on Facebook

Monthly e-newsletter (about 8,000 German-speaking and 2,000 French-speaking recipients)

E-Newsletter for doctors (about 5-6 times per year)

Summary of Activities:

Annual meetings

• 2017: 10th Joint Meeting of the German, Austrian and Swiss Chapters of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in Vienna, Austria. May 3 to 6, 2017.
• 2018: Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society of Clinical Neurophysiology and the Swiss League against Epilepsy, Aarau, Switzerland, May 30 and 31, 2018.

Participation in different scientific events.

Summary of other activities in 2017 and 2018

• Relaunch of website www.epi.ch (German, French, Italian, English): New responsive layout, additional content, including more information in English
• Annual Research Recognition Award (CHF 25’000) for the most promising research study in Switzerland in the field of epileptology
• Biannual Hauptmann Award in 2017 (Euro 10’000) in cooperation with the German and Austrian chapter
• New information leaflet “Epilepsy and Sleep” (German, French, Italian)
• Information in migrant languages: four information leaflets published in Albanian and Portuguese (also on www.epi.ch)
• Three professional events per year with about three lectures each, for professionals in different cities
• About 5-6 events for non-professionals in cooperation with Epi-Suisse (IBE chapter), in different cities and language regions
• Special events for “epilepsy day”: theatre performance (2017), lecture about Dostoievsky’s epilepsy (2018)
• Tissot Medal (honorary prize for special services to Swiss epileptology) to Prof. Dr. Paul-André Despland, former president of the Swiss League Against Epilepsy
• Campaign “Epilepsy in the elderly”: training events for (geriatric) nurses and PR in German and French
• New ILAE classification translated into German (with German and Austrian chapters)
• Media activities
• Answers to medical questions, about 150 questions a year

Challenges:

Finances: The league is mainly financed by donations – membership fees, sponsoring, legacies and foundation are not sufficient to finance the operation and all projects. Until the end of 2016, an old contract guaranteed regular net donation receipts. After its expiration in 2017, the league hired a new fundraising partner, but success failed to materialize. With yet another fundraising specialist, net receipts and the number of donators are on the rise, but it will take a few years until the budget is balanced again – hence the austerity measures.

Future Plans:

• 2019: 11th Joint Meeting of the German, Austrian and Swiss Chapters of the ILAE in Basel, Switzerland. 8 to 11 May, 2019. https://www.epilepsie-tagung.de
• 2020: 14th European Congress on Epileptology (ECE) takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, 4 to 8 July 2020.
• A new, trinational journal with the German and Austrian chapters, in German and English, is to replace our journal “Epileptologie”
• Only one special edition of “Epileptologie” planned for 2019: Population survey concerning attitudes towards epilepsy in Switzerland, compared to Germany and Austria (survey carried out in 2018)
• 2019: Short film “First aid epileptic seizures”, mainly for training events and social media, in cooperation with Samariterbund (Swiss Samaritan League)
• Revision of guidelines concerning driving with epilepsy
• New or revised information leaflets: Maternity with epilepsy; driving with epilepsy; children with epilepsy
• More information in migrant languages (English; Serbian/Croatian)
• “E-book” (PDF containing all leaflets for tablet computers)

Officer Election Date: Spring 2020