ME/CFS Steering Committee

Terms of reference 

The ME/CFS Steering Committee will work in collaboration with the ME/CFS Guideline Development Committee, and any experts contracted by NHMRC to support the guideline development process.

The ME/CFS Steering Committee will advise on:

• the general scope of the guidelines
• the establishment and composition of the ME/CFS Guideline Development Committee
• communication strategies to the sector
• governance issues during the establishment of ME/CFS Guideline Development Committee (such as reviewing conflicts of interest declarations of prospective members)
• governance issues during the development of the guidelines (such as managing differing opinions for ME/CFS Guideline Development Committee members).

The ME/CFS Steering Committee will be effective for the period 3 December 2024 to 3 December 2027 and will report to the Chief Executive Officer of NHMRC, through the ME/CFS project team.

Member selection and appointment process

Since commencing this work, NHMRC has consulted widely with several stakeholders including patient advocacy groups, clinicians, researchers, medical colleges, and government agencies.

It was decided that a Steering Committee should be established to help NHMRC set up the guideline development process. NHMRC invited the CEO of Emerge Australia, the proposed Chair of the Guideline Development Committee and a guideline methodologist to join the Steering Committee.

Committee Membership

Prior to appointment to the committee, applicants were required to provide information on their interests and complete a Disclosure of Interest form. 

Committee members are required to disclose their interests on an ongoing basis and consider both perceived and actual interests.  

A summary of the interests disclosed by each member is available below.