European Men's Health Forum

Background

The European Men's Health Forum (EMHF)describes itself as 'the only European organisation dedicated to the improvement of men’s health in all its aspects, and a platform for the collaboration of a wide range of stakeholder groups in Europe'. It claims to be 'an independent, non-governmental, non-profit-making organisation'.

The EMHF was initiated by The Men’s Health Forum. Ian Banks is President of both the EMHF and the Men's Health Forum, with Alan White, who also holds positions on both Forums (Chair of Trustees with the Men's Health Forum).

One of the Forum's main strategic objectives is to influence European public health and social policy . The EMHF reports that it 'works with the EU Parliament, the Commission and a great number of EU-level organisations of patients and health professionals. The Forum actively participates in a number of international professional and public health events. It has also developed an online International Men’s Health Database with the aim of 'facilitating collaboration between academics, policy makers and health professionals'.

People

Board of Directors

At 25 April 2008, EMHF's Board of Directors

• Prof Ian Banks - President (2006-2009). President of the Men's Health Forum England and Wales and a member of the British Medical Association Council .
• Prof Siegfried Meryn - Vice President(2006-2009). President of the International Society of Men's Health
• Rodney Elgie Vice President (2005 - 2008). Previously President for the European Patients' Forum, & Gamian Europe
• Prof Alan White - (2007 - 2010). Professor of Men's Health at Leeds Metropolitan University & Chair for the Board of Trustees with the Men's Health Forum.
• Peggy Maguire (2008 - 2011). Director General for the European Institute for Women's Health
• Dr Svend Aage Madsen - 2008 - 2011). President of the Danish Men's Health Society for Men's Health
• John Bowis, MEP - (2006-2009). Member of the European Parliament
• Dr Stefan Horvath - (2007 - 2010). President of REAL MEN Slovakia.
• Dr Noel Richardson- (2008-2011). Director, Centre for Men's Health Research and Training, Institute of Technology, Carlow, Ireland
• Professor Lew Gerbilsky - (2007-2010). Professor of Ecology

Advisory Board

In 2007, EMHF's Advisory Board (and their backgrounds) were listed as...

• Jerome Reinstein. Reinstein is described as a management and marketing consultant in self medication, self care and non-prescription medicines
• Dr Wolfgang Rutz. Rutz works for the Unit for Psychiatry and Health Promotion, Academic University Hospital of Uppsala
• Nigel Duncan - Press Officer for World Medical Association
• Dr Tom Kennedy - General Practitioner
• Prof Dr Frank Sommer - Professor of Men's Health Universitätskrankenhaus Hamburg-Eppendorf
• Dr Mike Boland - Former President WONCA World
• Prof Tom O'Dowd - Professor of General Practice University of Dublin, Trinity College
• Ludovic Lacaine - Public Affairs consultant.

Lacaine previously worked at Weber Shandwick in Brussels. In November 2007, Brand Republic reports how 'Healthcare PR shop Chandler Chicco Agency (CCA) has bolstered its policy and market access team' through the appointment of Lacaine as a consultant. CCA claims to have 'most of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies' as its clients, which include Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Diagnostics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Schering and Schering-Plough. Its client list also includes Coca Cola.

Sponsors

2007 - The annual report for 2007 lists Bayer Schering, Clinial Solutions, Pfizer,Roche, the EU Commission, GE Healthcare and UEFA as new sponsors. . However, whilst the EMHF declares that it 'prides itself on being transparent' they claim that 'it is not currently possible to publish detailed funding information' on its website 'due to resource constraints'. .

In 2006, EMHF reported their main sponsors as being Clinical Solutions, Pfizer, Roche and Schering (now Known as Bayer Schering Pharma).

In 2005 EMHF's main sponsors were Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Pfizer.

Affiliations

• In 2007, EMHF report their key partners as being the European Institute of Women's Health, British Medical Association, European Patients' Forum, European Union of General Practitioners, Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks, International Society for Men's Health and Gender and World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA EUROPE).

• in 2006, EMHF report collaboration with the European Commission. They state that '22 representatives of EMHF members and of its secretariat met in Brussels under the generous auspices of the European Commission (DG Sanco) to exchange practice and further develop the strength of its collaboration'.

• In 2006, EMHF reports 'closer collaboration with the European Patients’ Forum'. They became an associate member in 2005.

• In 2005, EMHF became a member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), a think tank which represents the research-based pharmaceutical industries operating in Europe.

• EMHF is a member of Gamian Europe (Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks)

• In 2005, EMHF report the building of 'positive relationships' with the European Heart Network, Eurocare, European Network for Smoking Prevention, European Public Health Alliance, European Sexual Dysfunction Alliance and the European Federation of Nurses.

• EMHF and the European Institute for Women’s Health worked in partnership to organise a roundtable event in Brussels in 2004, which they advertised as 'to raise awareness about the limitations to the role of gender in EU health policy'.

Contact

The European Men’s Health Forum. 11 Rue de l’Industrie, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium.

Telephone +32 2 234 30 58 Fax +32 2 230 33 00