There are 24 hours in a day but I believe Ms. Elissa Myers may have figured out the formula in creating an additional hour! Energetic, passionate, and committed are some character traits that qualifies Elissa as our first Global Events Visionary! We’ve known Elissa for more than 20 years and she has remained consistent, innovative, and a result-driven meeting professional. As the CEO of Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), a world-wide professional society of physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and academic researchers concerned with serious mental disorders that are categorized as “eating disorders,” Elissa understands the importance of inclusion, diverse opinions, and continuous research.
She took some time out of her rather hectic schedule to speak to us regarding her work at Academy for Eating Disorders…
JN: What legacies are your association creating?
EM: Since our founding 25 years ago, we recognized while there are cultural differences in the way these serious illnesses are recognized and treated around the world, there are huge disparities in access to qualified care. This led to an expansion with 35% of our membership making up 41 countries including our outstanding AED Hispanic and Latin American Chapter, and the installment of the AED European Chapter in Rome last month.
Under my tenure as CEO, I observed there was low engagement with some of our members who are not English speakers. We began a systematic translation of some of our key publications international conferences and other education products. This initiative led to an increase in our membership! For instance, at our conference in Prague last year, we had delegates from Moscow, China, Japan, Chile, Medico, Venezuela to name just a few. The inclusion led to a higher engagement and member involvement in the conference.
Lastly, we are currently “mapping” the health care systems, country by country, and mapping treatment capacities, regulations, and funding (or lack thereof) around the world.
JN: What are the benefits of being part of your Academy?
EM: Building alliances, knowledge exchange, and providing support are some of the benefits of being part of AED. The single most frequently used member benefit are our more than 50 “online communities” or online platforms representing committees’ special interest groups, and special subjects of interest to members. There also, members can pose questions and get insights virtually in real time from colleagues. Members of U.S. associations have so much to share with communities around the world but we have so much to learn from the innovations, research, and discoveries emerging in other countries.
JN: What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from going international?
EM: My life’s slogan has been “world peace through association” and I have dedicated my career to helping associations achieve their missions by reaching outside of their geographic borders. Reflecting on my international experiences, I’ve had the opportunities to build and support associations in Europe, Australia, China, Japan, Palestine, the Republic of Georgia, the Philippines, and many other countries.
There is no better community of partners to associations seeking to build alliances around the world than the international hospitality community. Who knows better than a Visitors Bureau who have a first-hand knowledge of how their city/country is organized, who the leading institutions are in any particular field, and the nuances of culture and customs. As you venture out to meet new colleagues, go not so much to teach as to learn- learn what they are doing, thinking, experiencing. Talk less, listen more! Never has the planet been in greater need of unification through professional and business exchange.
