International Executive Committee 2021-2025
IBE is governed by the General Assembly of its voting chapters (members) and by its International Executive Committee.
The International Executive Committee consists of a President, Secretary General, Treasurer, seven regional Vice-Presidents, the Immediate Past President, and three members of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Executive Committee.
The President, Secretary General and Treasurer are elected by an international ballot of the voting chapters. A Vice-President is elected by the voting chapters within each IBE Regional Committee. The appointment of the Immediate Past President is ratified by a simple majority vote of voting chapters.
The term of office of the International Executive Committee is four years. No one may serve more than four full or partial consecutive elected terms on the International Executive Committee. The President and the Immediate Past President shall serve one full term. The Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.
The IBE President chairs meetings of the International Executive Committee and the General Assembly and represents the IBE and International Executive Committee as required.
The Vice-Presidents assist the President and serve as members of the International Executive Committee and as Chairs of their respective Regional Executive Committee, providing a link between International and Regional levels.
The Secretary General coordinates the affairs of the IBE, under the direction of the International Executive Committee. He or she keeps a record of all modifications to the Constitution and Bylaws and is responsible for issues relating to membership.
The Treasurer is responsible for the sound financial management of the IBE including the keeping of books of account, the production of budgets and the production of other financial information as may be required from time to time.
The Immediate Past President undertakes those tasks and responsibilities delegated to them by the International Executive Committee and his or her presence helps to provide continuity between terms of office.
At least annually, the International Executive Committee of the IBE meets jointly with the Executive Committee of the ILAE, to consider matters of mutual interest or responsibility to both Executive Committees.
Committee Members
President
Francesca Sofia
Italy
Francesca Sofia is a molecular biologist with specialisations in neuroscience, health economics, health management, and non-profit leadership. She is also the mother of a daughter with treatment-resistant epilepsy—an experience that became a turning point in her life and led her to become an internationally recognised advocate for epilepsy. She describes her daughter’s diagnosis as a wake-up call—one that gave her professional life new meaning and urgency.
From 2014 to 2018, Francesca served as scientific director of the Italian Epilepsy Federation (FIE) where she oversaw the funding of research in the field. In 2016, she founded Science Compass, a company that supports non-profit organisations in planning and managing biomedical research and health investments. She was appointed General Director of the CDP Foundation on 1 November 2022. She is currently serving her second term as President of the International Bureau for Epilepsy.
Secretary General
Gus Baker
UK
Professor Gus A. Baker is Emeritus Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist and Emeritus Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Department of Neurosciences, Liverpool, UK. For more than 30 years, he has combined clinical practice and research, focusing on the psychological and neuropsychological impact of chronic neurological conditions, particularly epilepsy.
His research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, the US NIH, and the UK Medical Research Council, has pioneered methodologies to measure treatment effects—critical in evaluating new drug and surgical therapies, as well as in understanding epilepsy’s wider impact on patients and their families. He has authored over 260 publications, including books, chapters, and articles in leading journals such as Epilepsia, Neurology, Brain, JAMA, JNNP, and the New England Journal of Medicine.
Professor Baker’s recent work has examined the effects of in utero exposure to anti-epileptic drugs and the phenomenon of accelerated forgetting in newly diagnosed epilepsy. His contributions have been recognised with numerous honours, including the British Psychological Society Lifetime Achievement Award, the Gowers Prize, the ILAE/IBE Ambassador for Epilepsy Award, the Barbara Wilson Award, and the Lord Hastings Award.
Treasurer
Graeme Shears
Australia
Graeme Shears holds a Bachelor of Business degree and completed the executive leadership programme Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management at Harvard University. He is a co-author of several important publications, including The Social Context of Anxiety and Depression: Exploring the Role of Anxiety and Depression in the Lives of Australian Adults with Epilepsy, Management of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE): An Evidence Review Over the Last 5 Years and Future Directions, and A Fair Go for People Living with Epilepsy in Australia.
VP Africa
Youssouf Noormamode
Mauritius
Youssouf Noormamode is the Founding President of EDYCS Epilepsy Group Mauritius and has served for over a decade as Chair and Vice-Chair of the IBE African Regional Committee. He has championed the ratification of IGAP in Africa, engaged in high-level policy dialogues, and contributed to the recognition of epilepsy in the African Union’s African Disability Protocol. As Chairperson of the Africa Disability Alliance, he advocates for the adoption and domestication of the Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through the ARADI continental project, supported by the EU and CBM.
VP Eastern Mediterranean
Chahnez Charfi Triki
Tunisia
Chahnez Charfi Triki is Professor of Neurology and Head of the Child Neurology Department at the Faculty of Medicine of Sfax. Since 1995, when she was elected Chair of the Tunisian Association for Epilepsy Research, she has been a leading advocate for epileptology. She has served as President, Secretary General, and Past President of ILAE-EMR, and in 2023 was named an ILAE-IBE Ambassador for Epilepsy. She is also a founding member and President of Honour of the Ahmed Association for the Care of Children with Epilepsy, as well as founding president of the Tunisian Association for the Development of Epileptology.
VP Europe
Elvira Vacas Montero
Spain
Elvira Vacas Montero holds a degree in Criminology and is completing a degree in International Political Science. Her son’s diagnosis with epileptic encephalopathy in 2018, following encephalitis, exposed the challenges of delayed diagnosis, isolation, and lack of information—experiences that fuelled her determination not to accept conformism or resignation. She now serves as President of the Spanish Epilepsy Federation (FEDE) and the Spanish Epileptic Encephalopathy Association (POCS), where she leads initiatives such as Epiforward and EpiAlliance. She is also a strong advocate for European integration projects to address broader global challenges.
VP Latin America
Alicia Bogacz
Uruguay
Alicia Bogacz has served as an adult neurophysiologist, epileptologist, and member of the Epilepsy Section at the Faculty of Medicine, Hospital de Clínicas, since 2000, and is an honorary professor at the Institute of Neurology, University of the Republic, Uruguay. She founded the Uruguayan chapter of the IBE, Asociación Uruguaya Contra la Epilepsia (AUCLE), serving as its president from 2005 to 2017. Since 2021, she has been Vice President of the IBE Latin American Committee.
VP North America
Laura Weidner
USA
Laura Weidner serves as Chief Advocacy and Government Relations Officer at the Epilepsy Foundation.
VP Southeast Asia
Man Mohan Mehndiratta
India
Dr Mehndiratta is Director, Professor, and Head of the Department of Neurology at Janakpuri Superspeciality Hospital in New Delhi. With 37 years of professional experience and 35 years of teaching experience, he has played a leading role in advancing epilepsy care and education in India. He has organised more than ten national conferences on epilepsy, conducted EEG workshops, and established an epilepsy school. He also serves as an examiner for post-doctoral students at many of India’s major universities.
VP Western Pacific
Hung Tak Fung (Anchor)
Hong Kong SAR China
Dr. Anchor Tak Fung Hung is Assistant Project Director in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the University of Hong Kong, where she leads a community pharmacy project. A registered social worker with over 20 years of experience, she co-founded the Health and Social Exchange and has served as an honorary advisor to the Hong Kong Epilepsy Association and the Epilepsy Foundation of Hong Kong. She successfully redefined the Chinese term for epilepsy to improve public understanding and was honoured as an IBE/ILAE Epilepsy Ambassador in 2023.
Alla Guekht
ILAE President
Eugen Trinka
ILAE Secretary General
