“Persistent symptoms after infection - what is going on in the brain?”
was live 25th March, 2025
Persistent symptoms are part of post-viral fatigue, ME/CFS, and the post-covid condition. This seminar considers the wide variety of symptoms and problems encountered by patients, looks at the overall explanation from physiological stress response, and then considers how approaches may help people with symptoms.
The seminar is aimed at health professionals, patients, practitioners, carers, and journalists
To attend, please register here
Background to COFFI
COFFI is a global research collaborative dedicated to research to help explain, treat, and manage fatigue and persistent somatic symptoms following infection. The COFFI Consumer Advisory Group advises on COFFI’s research portfolio and promotes constructive public narrative between patients, researchers, and practitioners. These groups must work together to help people manage and recover from these conditions. Our previous COFFI Consumer-Research Seminar was on post-exertional malaise.
Contributors
 | Rachel Whitfield Leadership Trainer and Coach Bristol, UK Co-chair COFFI Consumer Advisory Committee COFFI
Rachel Whitfield developed long covid during the pandemic and has now fully recovered. She has since told her story multiple times to the BBC and ITV as well as a variety of podcasts, YouTube channels and her blog, helping many people find a path to recovery. With a background in biochemistry, she is now a leadership trainer and coach. |
|---|---|
 | Julie Black Scientific Advisor to the UK (and devolved) Governments. Scotland
Julie Black, in her spare time, looks after three horses and rides around Scotland'shills. She developed the post covid-19 condition, was bedbound, and given a diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome and postural orthostatic hypotension. Once understanding dysautonomia, she worked on how she was responding to various stressors, delineating her path to recovery. |
 | Vanessa Wilhelm Business Development Manager Scotland
Vanessa Wilhelm developed long covid during the pandemic and has now almost fully recovered. She has since told her story on the Living Proof blog and is active in various mind-body support groups. Vanessa has a background in policy research and currently works as a business development manager. |
 | Dr Anna Andreasson Assoc. professor in psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden Assoc. professor in clinical epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Guest Professor in Pain and Rehabilitation Medicine with focus on Psychoneuroimmunology, Linköping University, Sweden Anna Andreasson is a scientist examining how individuals perceive their own health from a psychoneuroimmunological perspective. Anna is especially interested in symptoms of sickness that arise when the immune system is activated, and how they may contribute to persistent symptoms such as fatigue, pain and symptoms seen in disorders of the gut-brain axis, such as irritable bowel syndrome. |
 | Maria Pedersen Paediatrician and postdoctoral fellow Oslo, Norway COFFI Researcher Maria Pedersen provides clinical care for people with long-term fatigue. Her doctorate concerned adolescents with fatigue after the Epstein-Barr virus; her current research is in treatments for adults with post-COVID-19 conditions. Maria is also part of the Norwegian National Competence Center for CFS/ME and the Paediatric Neurology Section at Oslo University Hospital. |
Timetable
Time (UK) | Title | Presenter |
18:00 | Welcome and introduction | Rachel |
18:05 | Experiences of disturbing biological experiences | Julie and Vanessa |
18:10 | What is going on: the physiological stress response | Anna |
18:20 | Resonance with lived experience | Julie and Vanessa |
18:25 | Approaches that may help resolve symptoms | Maria |
18:45 | Discussion and questions | |
18:50 | Questions from the audience | All |
18.58 | Closing | Rachel, Anna, Maria |
To keep up to date with live events, please email coffi-collaborative@outlook.com