News 2020

Saturday 5th December 2020
Revised dates for the 12th Biennial International 22q11.2 Meeting
The conference in Croatia has been rescheduled as follows for 2022:
- Family Meeting – June 26^th (Sunday) and 27^th (Monday)
- IBBC and Network of the Americas – June 28^th (Tue)
- Professional Meeting – June 29^th (Wed), 30^th (Thu), and July 1^st (Fri)
The conference will take place in-person. Additional information will be posted on our Meetings Page as it becomes available.
Sunday 22nd November 2020
22q11.2DS Awareness Day
Today, on Sunday November 22^th, 2020: Be part of the International Awareness Day! Tell others about 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

At the Center for Human Genetics in Leuven (Belgium), they spread the word about 22q11 DS. This week, they posted a message every day about 22q11 DS. Check out their Facebook page!
Thursday 19th November 2020
Dr. Anne Bassett Wins The Lieber Prize For Outstanding Achievement In Schizophrenia Research
Congratulations to Dr. Anne Bassett, the Treasurer of the 22q Society, who is the 2020 winner of the Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. Established in 1987, the prize aims to bring public recognition to the outstanding discoveries being made in schizophrenia research.

Dr. Bassett is the second Canadian to receive this international award. She described her work in a presentation entitled Identifying a Genetic Subtype of Schizophrenia That is Clinically Relevant for Patients and Families at the International Mental Health Research Symposium on October 30^th, 2020.
Friday 17th July 2020
Please wear a mask
Wearing masks in indoor public places helps reduce the spread of COVID-19 and keep each other safe. Some cities and regions have now enacted mandatory mask bylaws. For more information on the use of masks, please see the World Health Organization's video on masks and the International 22q11.2 Foundation's info sheet: Masks: Why, When, and How.

Check out this video by Bill Nye to see how effectively face masks work. When Bill wears a mask and blows on the candle, the candle stays lit no matter how hard he blows. The air flow from his mouth mostly cannot reach the candle. Similarly, when we wear masks, it is much harder for viruses from our mouths and noses to get into the air and infect someone else. So please wear a mask. Thank you.
Sunday 28th June 2020
Profs. Bruno Marino and Nicole Sarles-Philip honored with 2020 DiGeorge Medal
It is with enormous pleasure that the Trustees of the 22q11.2 Society announce Professors Bruno Marino and Nicole Sarles-Philip as joint recipients of the 2020 Angelo DiGeorge Memorial Medal of Honor. Drs. Marino and Sarles-Philip were selected in recognition of:
1. Their seminal contributions to the study of genotype-phenotype correlations in 22q11.2DS;
2. Their pivotal roles in establishing world renowned subspecialty clinics at Sapienza University and Ospedale Bambino Gesu in Rome, and the Centre of Expertise for Developmental Anomalies of South France in Marseilles, respectively;
3. Their unwavering commitment and service to individuals and families affected by chromosome 22q11.2 differences through their work with AIDEL22 in Italy and Generation 22 in France, as well as throughout the region and across the world, including as Medical Advisory Board Members for the International 22q11.2 Foundation; and
4. Their longstanding efforts to support collaborative work globally through innumerable basic science, clinical and educational initiatives as members of the International 22q11.2 Modifier Consortium and the International 22q11.2 Brain and Behavior Consortium, in hosting biennial international 22q11.2 conferences in Rome ‘00 and Marseilles ’06, and as founding Trustees of the 22q11.2 Society.
Without question, Profs. Marino and Sarles-Philip are recognized as experts on chromosome 22q11.2 CNVs nationally and internationally, but in addition they are acknowledged as world authorities in Pediatrics, Cardiology, Genetics, and Fetal Medicine. It is with inordinate pride that we consider Profs. Marino and Sarles-Philip as members of the 22q11.2 family, as we celebrate their individual and collective achievements conjointly with this award, the highest honor presented by the Society.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Profs Marino and Sarles-Philip will be recognized in person as recipients of the DiGeorge Medal at the 12^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Meeting in Split, Croatia.

Tuesday 16th June 2020

Our COVID-19 information webpage

We invite you to visit our COVID-19 information page, where you will find:

How to reduce the spread of COVID-19
The International 22q11.2 Foundation's infosheets: COVID-19 Series for Individuals with 22q11.2 Differences
The Immune Deficiency Foundation's COVID-19 videos for individuals with immunodeficiencies
Invitation to participate in studies

Monday 18th May 2020
COVID-19 videos for individuals with immunodeficiencies
Please visit the website of the Immune Deficiency Foundation for important video presentations for the 22q11.2 Community concerning the COVID-19 ("coronavirus") situation. To find out how individuals with immunodeficiencies have been doing when they contract COVID-19, please see the April 10 video (7 min 55 sec) and the May 8 video (9 min 11 sec)

These videos are made by 22q11.2 Society Advisor, Chair of Allergy and Immunology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Kathleen Sullivan, MD, PhD.

If you have any concerns about COVID-19 or any aspects of your health, please check with your healthcare provider. Thank you.
Monday 6th April 2020
Video message from the 22q Society
Dear Members of the 22q11.2 Community,

During this difficult time, the 22q11.2 Society would like to send you the following video message:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=6aIIxAb8BUA

It is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but please know that we certainly recognize how serious this pandemic is and we are thinking about each and every one of you. Please also know that COVID-19 cannot cripple love, shatter hope, corrode faith, destroy peace, kill friendship, suppress memories, invade the soul, or conquer the spirit – because we are all in this together…

Stay healthy friends,

Donna

Saturday 28th March 2020

Lets help reduce the spread of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is happening around the world. Let's reduce the spread:

Stay home (Why staying home helps)
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds OR use alcohol-based hand sanitizers
Try not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth
Cough and sneeze into your sleeves and not your hands
Stay at least 2 metres (6 feet, or 3 big steps) away from one another

Here is a tip-sheet from the Dalglish Family 22q Clinic about COVID-19. The International 22q Foundation offers a resources page on COVID-19 as well.

Please stay home and stay healthy!

Saturday 14th March 2020
Important videos about COVID-19
Please visit the website of the Immune Deficiency Foundation and click on the "link to video" next to "March 10, 2020 video update" and March 4, 2020 video update for important video presentations for the 22q11.2 Community concerning the COVID-19 ("coronavirus") situation.

These two videos are made by 22q11.2 Society Advisor, Chair of Allergy and Immunology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Kathleen Sullivan, MD, PhD.

If you have any concerns about COVID-19 or any aspects of your health, please check with your healthcare provider. Thank you.
Tuesday 3th March 2020
Professor Ann Swillen receives the Edelweiss Award
Professor Ann Swillen, the Secretary of the 22q Society and a clinical educational psychologist in the Centre of Human Genetics in UZ Leuven, received the Edelweiss Award in the category "healthcare professional" on Saturday, February 29^th, 2020.

The Edelweiss Awards are presented annually by RaDiOrg, the Belgian umbrella association for people with rare diseases, to individuals and organizations that provide special merit for rare diseases in Belgium. The jury chose Professor Swillen because of her "incredible commitment to the care of patients with rare diseases and, in particular, patients with 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11 DS)". She is the initiator of numerous research projects on 22q11 DS and leads national and international research projects.

In addition, the jury appreciates her open and clear communication with patients and parents. A concrete example of this is the information and activity package 'Together we lay the puzzle' that she recently developed. Professor Swillen also organizes Dale & Do Sessions for teenagers with a 22q11 DS to talk about their thoughts and feelings and increase their self-confidence.

Congratulations, Professor Swillen!
Friday 24th January 2020
Renew your membership by January 27^th, 2020
The 22q11.2 Society Membership renewal deadline has been extended to Monday January 27^th, 2020.

Membership significantly reduces meeting registration fees while supporting the important work of the Society. The rates for two years of membership will remain at £175 for full members, and £125 for junior members.

We very much hope you will consider joining us or renewing your membership. Thank you.

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