DATE: 4 AUGUST 2026
Time: Tuesday 6pm – 8pm
Can’t attend live? The recording will be exclusively available on the Express CPD subscription via the Impact Learning Website
2 CPD points
R80 excl VAT early bird –
R110 excl VAT
TITLE: Managing Chronic Fatigue: An evidence based look at ME/CFS & Long COVID management
Talk description:
A clinically grounded, expert-led panel discussion exploring the complexities of ME/CFS and Long COVID management for healthcare practitioners. This session brings together a panel of experts who offer both clinical expertise and lived experience, providing a uniquely comprehensive perspective on these often misunderstood conditions.
We will take a deep dive into epidemiology and pathophysiology, alongside current evidence-based treatment approaches. The discussion will span pharmaceutical, physical, and psychological management strategies, equipping practitioners with a well-rounded, multidisciplinary framework for care.
Attendees will leave with practical, actionable insights to strengthen their clinical reasoning and refine their approach to managing complex, multi-system fatigue presentations in everyday practice.
PANEL OF PRESENTERS
Presenters Bio’s
Ivo Visic BSc(Physio) – PG(Dip)MIB. Ivo began practicing as a physiotherapist in 2002. Ivo has a passion for holistic physiotherapy incorporating mind-body integrated treatments. He has an interest in chronic pain, home based physio and end-of-life care. He has done his postgraduate in Mindfulness Based Interventions at Stellenbosch and is currently furthering his studies with Loch Kelly in Effortless Mindfulness and Internal Family Systems. Ivo is a burnout/trauma coach and mindfulness teacher. He facilitates courses on chronic pain, mindfulness and wellness interventions for medical professionals, corporates and lay-people. He offers a unique dual perspective, having worked in a COVID ICU during the pandemic while also living with the ongoing effects of Long COVID.
Dr Sharon Aitken, Educational Psychologist, PhD Child and Adolescent Psychology, Masters Educational Psychology, Hons Clinical Psychology, Hons Education, Higher Diploma in Education. Dr Aitken’s focus of practice is on identifying and supporting barriers to learning primarily in children and adolescents with special needs and rare diseases (Both neurodevelopmental and chronic paediatric related diseases). In addition to her professional expertise, she brings valuable lived experience as a long-term patient, having managed autoimmune-related chronic fatigue and pain disorders for over 37 years, and more recently Long COVID with associated lung complications.
Hishaam Lodewyk is a special interest physiotherapist focusing on patients with Chronic Pain, Neuromusculoskeletal Pathologies and Rare Diseases. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Physiotherapy focusing on the management of patients with Rare Diseases.
His experience as both a clinician and a patient diagnosed with severe ME/CFS, has given him a more holistic and empathetic approach to his clinical practice. He aspires to earn his PhD in Physiotherapy and open a multi-disciplinary clinic catered towards patients with Rare Diseases.
Dr. Karin (Joan) van der Merwe, MBBCh (Wits) MSc (Med) (Wits) DCH (SA) DipHIVMan(SA), is a General Practitioner and clinical researcher specializing in complex post-viral syndromes. Having managed a dedicated Long COVID and ME/CFS clinic since 2021, she is committed to integrating the latest international developments into practical clinical settings. Dr. van der Merwe’s clinical perspective is informed by her extensive history in the HIV sector, where she worked as a clinician and published research on maternal and child HIV. Her academic rigor, evidenced by her Master’s research in perinatal health, provides a sophisticated framework for her current work in understanding the immunological and systemic challenges of Long COVID and ME/CFS.
Original price was: R126.50.R92.00Current price is: R92.00. incl VAT
