Global Patients’ Meeting 2024: A Milestone for our Community
From 16-19 October, IPOPI’s XVIII Global Patients’ Meeting (GPM) brought together 100 participants from nearly 50 countries, in Marseille, marking a record number of National Member Organisations (NMOs). Held alongside the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) and the International Nursing Group for Immunodeficiencies’ (INGID) congresses, this flagship biennial event highlighted collaboration across the primary immunodeficiency (PID) community.
Programme
This meeting featured insightful sessions on mental health, innovative therapies, artificial intelligence and much more. IPOPI introduced two key tools: the “Level Up” Board Game, and a new Toolkit with 25+ practical resources. The programme was well-balanced, combining educational sessions with skill-building workshops to empower attendees with practical tools and strategies to strengthen their organisations. Watch the meeting recap here.
We thank Chiesi, CSL Behring, Takeda, X4, and Biotest support for making this programme possible.
On October 17, the IPOPI community also came together to honour outstanding contributions to the primary immunodeficiency (PID) field through the PID Champion Awards. Watch the highlights from the event here.
- The LeBien Award, honouring outstanding contributions to improving conditions for PID patients worldwide, was awarded to Prof Aziz Bousfiha (Morocco). A long-time IPOPI supporter, he has been instrumental in advancing PID diagnosis and treatment in Africa and beyond.
- The Luciano Vassalli Award, which honours young individuals under 30 who have made a difference in the world of PIDs at the national level, was awarded to David Jimenez Gonzalez from Spain (AEDIP), for his advocacy work and patient support in Spain.
- The B.I.G. Award, celebrating Bold, Innovative and Game-changing projects, saw inspiring NMOs recognised for their impactful work. This year´s winners were:
- 1st place: PIDPSB, Bangladesh.
- 2nd place: PID Tsubasa-no-Kai, Japan.
- 3rd place: AAPPI, Algeria.
Watch the awards video here.
We thank Kedrion for making this event possible with their unconditional grant.
Annual General Meeting – New Executive Committee
During the Annual General Meeting on October 18, IPOPI announced its newly elected Executive Committee for 2024-2028: Cynthia Olotch (Kenya), Roberta Anido (Argentina), Tracy Shaw (USA), and Dimas Adhi Sugiharto (Indonesia). Bruce Lim (Malaysia) was co-opted for the 2024-2026 term.
The GPM 2024 was a remarkable gathering of the global PID community, marked by collaboration, innovation and advancement. We look forward to building on its success in the years to come.
More event photos: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.
