I am sure that the moment you picked up this issue, you realised that something was different! To celebrate the 1st African Epilepsy Congress, we decided to include a special report on IBE in the African region. So you will be able to enjoy reading about the work that many of our 20 members in Africa are undertaking.

The magazine is also full of other news and articles. The IBE Management Committee spent a few days in Tokyo, attending a special Memorial Symposium on the anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami. We also met with the local association and left the city with some wonderful memories of the kindness and dedication of everyone we met in Japan.

You can also enjoy a report from the 9th Asian & Oceanian Epilepsy Congress in Manila, which was attended by over 1,400 delegates, who enjoyed an excellent meeting and a wonderful welcome from the local people.

Recently, the latest projects for funding under the Promising Strategies Program were selected. In this issue we introduce you to half of the new projects. We have so many reports to share with you that we have had to hold the second half until the next issue!

Issue 1 – 2012

Harry Meinardi presents us with the next instalment of IBE’s history. I would like to thank Harry, again, for the wonderful and interesting articles he has written for us.

From Canada, Mary Secco sent us a report on a summer camp that welcomes children with epilepsy; we hear about a Fun Run in Taiwan, as well a special postage stamp that has been designed by the Taiwan Epilepsy Association to raise awareness, the results of the Excellence in Journalism Award 2011, and a special anniversary is celebrated in Ecuador.

Finally, we bring you the news that the Institute of Medicine report on epilepsy has now been published and with important recommendations. We look forward to reporting more extensively on this in the next issue.

Kind regards

Dr Carlos Acevedo

Editor

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