NEWSBRIEF: Is this the change chronic fatigue syndrome advocates have long awaited? According to the CFIDS Association, as of Feb. 14 Dr. William Reeves will step down as head of the CDC's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Program.
It appears that, at least temporarily, Dr. Elizabeth Unger will head the program. She is Acting Chief of the Chronic Viral Diseases Branch, which oversees the chronic fatigue syndrome work. Dr. Unger is a virologist, and speculation abounds in the chronic fatigue syndrome community over whether this will signal changes in how the CDC views and researches the condition.
Dr. Reeves has long faced harsh criticism for, according to critics, focusing on chronic fatigue syndrome as a "biopsychosocial" condition and allying himself with British research who also favor this controversial view. Advocacy groups have called for him to step down or be ousted for years.
I'm a relative newcomer to the controversy over Reeves and the CDC and I'm far from an expert on it. A great guy named Cort Johnson is one of those who are familiar with every nuance of this issue, so here's what he has to say about it:
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Getting rid of William Reeves is a great thing. He has done over 20 years of damage to the CFIDS sick by tagging us as mentally ill, unable to cope with stress (genetically!?), and sick because we were abused as children. He and his contractors – ABT Associates and Emory University MIND-BODY Program have wasted the majority of the tiny amounts of CFIDS funding that the CDC was given. Reeves was determined to damage and demean the CFIDS sick. And he did his “job” quite well. Because of Reeves and others at the CDC, CFIDS and possibly other diseases and cancers have been held back from good, solid research and progress forward. The deaths of millions sits on the head of Reeves and his CDC associates.
So it is a great thing that Reeves is gone. However, we must make sure that Dr. Unger does not just follow his path but instead, makes dramatic changes to the CDC/CFS program. The CFIDS community is hoping that because of her viralogy background that she will insist on real research and not the psychobabble studies that Reeves wasted time and money on. So we all will continue to watch the CDC/CFS program and scream and yell IF changes are not made quickly and dramatically.
We won a battle with the removal of Reeves. But, we still have a full war ahead of us with CFIDS research, cause and cure.
See also Hillary Johnson’s website/blog http://www.oslersweb.com for a great background summary on the CDC’s role in damaging CFIDS research. Her book is also amazing and super thorough. After reading Osler’s Web you will have a great background on all that has happened to CFIDS research including the very first Retrovirus found by Dr. Elaine DeFreitas (Wistar Inst) back in the mid 1980’s that the CDC destroyed and then killed off any further funding for Retrovirus research. So, 25 years later, WPI took over the Retrovirus studies that the CDC should have been working on and found the XMRV virus. Does this mean that there is possibly TWO new Retroviruses out there? Possibly and we can blame the CDC and Reeves for not following that critical research and allowing millions to be sick and die early.
Good By William Reeves – and don’t let the door hit you on the way out…
I agree with Sharon.
I agree with George.
I agree with Paula, but I disagree with George.
Oh Peter, go back to Logic 101 darling and forget the stand up comic routine. It’s just NOT working for you.
Adrienne, thank you for keeping us informed and of sharing the GREAT news of the new captain at the helm of the research ship, the USS CDC. We can at least be optimistic at this juncture. Thanks.
Well he’s back in “mental health” that should tell you something about where his alliance has been since the outset! Goodbye, Good Luck, Good Riddance!
His leading the CDC for CFS has set back research in this area for at least 10 years. He reminds me of many doctors I’ve seen over the last decade that believe they know it all even though they can’t explain a thing about the disease. Oh yeah – it must be all in my head!
Sharon,
You write: “The deaths of millions sits on the head of Reeves and his CDC associates.”
Thankfully, millions have not died from CFS. Yes, it is a serious condition that must have more research. We need to know how frequently deaths do occur and the causes. But we need to be reasonable advocates for our condition. The hyperbole isn’t helping.