I am an unsalaried research fellow who relies on grant income. I am seeking funding to continue researching Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at the University of Manchester. I have made significant headway over the past few years but I need your support to do even more. I am seeking crowdfunding to publish papers from exisitng projects and to do more work on the following topics:

- looking at diagnosis, care and treatment

- biases in RCTs of CBT and GET (taking on Bad Science)

- Bodily Distress Syndrome (investigating ME/CFS and BDS)

- Medically Unexplained Symptoms (investigating ME/CFS as a MUS )

PROGRESS SO FAR

I have not been afraid to take on bad science and misconceptions about ME/CFS. I have focused on research that improves diagnosis and treatment of ME/CFS. I have been working on educating colleagues and clinicians about the disease. To-date, myself and colleagues at the University of Manchester have made significant progress:

We showed that CBT and Graded Exercise Therapy are not curative treatments for ME/CFS.

We analysed patient survey data and found Pacing helps patients most and GET worsens symptoms for many.

We identified methodological flaws and biases in the PACE Trial.

We identified theoretical flaws and inconsistencies in the CBT Model of ME/CFS.

We invesigated the views and experiences of patients with severe ME/CFS and we presented our findings to NICE UK as part of their review in 2020.

I published over 20 papers and articles on ME/CFS.

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

All funds donated will be used on research and nothing will be spent on admin. It costs around £50,000 to salary 1 research fellow per year. Hiring a research assistant costs £40,000 per year. Paying statisticians and others can also be costly. Publishing can cost money to get papers open access. £25,000 will allow me to dedicate considerable time to work only on ME/CFS. Any additional funding received will be used to pay additional research staff or will be moved over to the following year to continue our work.

COMMUNICATING WHAT WE DO

I wish to use some of the donated funds to set up a dedicated website that will host media, videos and podcasts discussing our work and much more, along with links to ongoing projects and publications. I wish to make research findings much more accessible to all. I want to engage more with people living with ME/CFS and other researchers and health professionals.

Thank you all for your continuing support!

Keith