[EFA 2021 Annual General Meeting]
On 27 and 28 May 2021, EFA hosted its second virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM). Despite continued challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was again a fully functioning AGM in which Members elected their new EFA leadership, shared best practices, and set the tone for a fruitful year.
The AGM elected a new Board, which comprises of:
- Carla Jones, CEO of Allergy UK, as EFA President
- Marcia Podesta, President of Food Allergy Italia, as EFA Vice-President
- Fríða Rún Þórðardóttir, Chairperson of Asthma and Allergy Association of Iceland, as Board Member
- Yvonne Spies, Programme Director of Longfonds, as Board Member
- Armando Ruiz, Global Relationship Manager of FENAER, as Board Member
EFA thanked long-time President, Mikaela Odemyr from the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Foundation, and Vice-President, Erna Botjes from the Dutch Food Allergy Organisation who completed their mandates. Their dedication and leadership were emotionally recalled by the AGM.
The AGM also elected three new Members: the Italian Respiriamo Insieme and the Turkish Living with Allergy Association as full members, and the Institute Atopika of Slovenia as a trial member. EFA now represents 42 national patient associations across 25 European countries.
After a full day of business, EFA invited Members for a second day of networking activities. In a showcase of network excellence, EFA welcomed the following Member presentations:
- ‘Masterclasses for healthcare professionals on education and raising awareness of allergic disease’ presented by Simone Miles, Operations Director at Allergy UK
- ‘Management of Food Allergy and Anaphylactic Emergency at School’ presented by Marcia Podesta, President of Food Allergy Italia
- ‘Physical activity for respiratory patients’ presented by Liliya Gentet, Board Member of FFAAIR