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Communications of the European Neurological Society September 2011 Topics
I. First Announcement of the 22nd ENS Meeting in Prague
Dates to remember: Abstract Submission Deadline: 26 January 2012 Early Registration Deadline: 22 March 2012 Young Neurologist in Training Offer Deadline: 18 January 2012
II. Report on the Workshops and Teaching Courses at the Lisbon Meeting The 21st ENS congress in Lisbon, Portugal, attained the highest number of participants (3,428) ever recorded at an Annual Meeting of the Society. The superior quality of scientific and educational programmes of the ENS continues to increasingly raise interest in the European neurological community to attend this yearly conference. In this way, participants can gain knowledge of a wide range of the most recent advances in experimental and clinical neurology in short period of time. The various Workshops and Teaching Courses of an Annual Meeting represent a highlight in the facilitation of state-of-the-art knowledge within the entire spectrum of neurology. In order to give readers of the ENS Communications an overview of the proceedings these educational programmes, Professor Massimo Filippi of the University of Milan, Italy, Director of the ENS Workshops and Teaching Courses, has prepared a concise overview of what was offered at the 21st ENS meeting in Lisbon. Professor Massimo Filippi“The Workshops and Teaching Courses of the 21st ENS meeting in Lisbon were highly successful because they attracted a new generation of neurologists by offering an increased number of actual themes, including differential diagnoses in neurology, rare neurological diseases, management and treatment issues, identification of biomarkers to monitor different neurological conditions, as well as their evolution and prognosis. Additionally, some of these courses provided important basic and practical pieces of information for the interpretation of the results derived from a different paraclinical tool (e.g., CSF analysis, neurophysiology, MRI) with the main objective to make neurologists autonomous in their clinical and research activities”. Readers interested in participating in these extraordinary Workshops and Teaching Courses may do so by attending the 22nd Meeting of the ENS in Prague, Czech Republic, refer above to topic I. First Announcement of the 22nd ENS Meeting in Prague, for current information on this upcoming Annual Meeting of the Society. III. Activities of the EAYNT at the 21st ENS Meeting in Lisbon “Exciting”, “fabulous” and “imperative to repeat” were some comments the European Association of Young Neurologists and Trainees (EAYNT) received for their activities during the 21st ENS congress in Lisbon, 28-31 May 2011. A whole series of events - enjoying support from the ENS Executive Committee and the ENS Secretariat with Julia Bicher, Sabine Adam and Martina Mutter - were coordinated by an enthusiastic team led by EAYNT secretary Edina T. Varga (Dianalund, Denmark) (Image 1). The EAYNT booth in the congress exhibition area constituted the basis for junior colleagues, where they were provided with information on opportunities for clinical and scientific training, most recent calls for travel grants and summer schools, and EAYNT articles on recent projects. Moreover, a lottery was offered and the winner of the main prize, a travel grant, was Yan Fris from Russia. One of the highlights in Lisbon was the young doctors’ visit to the Department of Neurology at Santa Maria Hospital on kind invitation by ENS Executive Committee member Professor Jose M. Ferro. His junior colleagues gave presentations on the clinical work and residency training in Portugal. This event, attended by more than 60 junior colleagues from all over the world (Image 2), included lively discussions on the particulars of neurology service and residency training, and visits to the different clinical divisions and the most fascinating museum devoted to the first Portuguese Nobel prize winner Egas Moniz (1949). There, Professor Vitor Oliveira gave an overview on the life and achievements of this remarkable politician, clinician and scientist. Well-remembered will be the impressive collection of angiograms, and a realistic demonstration of prefrontal leucotomy. The group then moved on to the EAYNT dinner in a traditional restaurant with typical Portuguese cuisine and Fado music, where new friendships were formed and most recent stories were exchanged. The Salsa-Party, an event organised on the next day, surpassed all expectations. Tickets were quickly sold out, and the relaxed atmosphere of the event, enjoyed by more than 60 participants in a small bar in Bairro Alto, became most memorable and a frequent topic of conversations throughout the conference. Eventually, junior colleagues were also involved as poster-chairs in order to gain experience in moderating scientific discussions, and to increase the value of poster presentations at the conference. The EAYNT office members left Lisbon with the unanimous pledge to continue with the activities at the next ENS congress in Prague 2012, and are already gathering ideas to provide an attractive program for colleagues. In the meantime there are further EAYNT activities in 2011, one of which is a workshop on Evidence-Based Neurology organized in collaboration with the Cochrane Neurological Field, to be held on 7th October in Dresden at the International Danube Neurology Symposium, a conference organized by ENS President-elect Professor Heinz Reichmann. Further details can be found at www.eaynt.org.
Image 1 Organisers of the young doctor´s visit to Hospital Santa Maria in Lisbon: Johann Sellner, Kriszta Róna-Vörös, Catarina Fonseca, Dulce Neutel, Bruno Miranda and Edina T. Varga (from left).
Image 2 Participants of the young doctor´s hospital visit in front of the congress centre.
IV. Third UEMS-EBN European Board Examination in Neurology in Lisbon
The basic concept of the examination are 3 steps: 1) To acknowledge the importance of national training and learning of skills: only applicants from UEMS member states and Turkey can apply, as the UEMS takes national training and learned skills in these countries for granted, 2) a 120 MCQ examination with a single best answer out of five possible ones, and c) a structured case discussion with examiners. Also a voluntarily 5 minute self presentation on issues as scientific work, case presentation etc is possible if offered. There the candidates have 5 minutes time to present a case or their scientific work to the committee. The examination is provided in cooperation with the ENS and EFNS whose scientific panels support the examination with questions and cases. The examination is at the present open for all UEMS member states and Turkey. The title Fellow of the European Board of Neurology after having passed the examination is a sign of excellence. At present only Austria recognises the UEMS-EBN examination as equal to the national examination. The questions received were developed by the scientific boards of the ENS, EFNS, the Movement Disorder Society, the Stroke Society and also UEMS-EBN members. In the near future also questions from some chapters of e-brain will be added, which will be ideal for preparation. All questions were graded by the examination committee, and only those questions with an acceptable score were evaluated by the Department of Medical Education, Ege University in Turkey. This rigorous evaluation tested for clearness of wording, straight answer and ambiguousness. All questions were given grades and recommendations for use, changes or rejection. These questions were again evaluated and edited by the examination committee and distributed in regard to topics. The examiners at this time were Dr. Steck (ENS), Dr. Fredrikson (EFNS), Dr. Llewyn (UEMS), Dr. Vodusek (UEMS). The examination was chaired by Dr. Wolfgang Grisold (UEMS). For evaluation of the voluntary presentations Dr. Bisdorff (UEMS President) and Dr. Otzturk (UEMS) were chosen. Presently the examination is held once a year, and the number of participants is slowly rising. The next UEMS-EBN board examination will take place during the 16th EFNS Congress in Stockholm, Sweden next year. At this time it will be held in the same format as the previous examinations. The future development of the examination is currently processed and discussed and in the near future a tool based on decision making might replace the oral examinations and will add to additional quality”. To keep updated on the development and conditions please consult the UEMS-EBN website www.uems-neuroboard.org or consult the UEMS EBN Secretariat UEMS-EBN
Fellows of the European Board of Neurology and Examination Faculty 2011 Below are the names and countries of origin of the respective successful candidates of the UEMS-EBN of the European Board Examination in Neurology. Ass. Prof. Dr. Zerrin Pelin, Turkey
V. ENS Fellowship Stipends 2012: 2nd Deadline 13 October 2011 A research opportunity is waiting to be taken if you have an experimental or clinical project in neurology of your own design, and would like to carry it out during the year 2012. Capitalise on this unique chance by applying for a scholarship granted by the programme ENS Fellowship Stipends 2012. The first deadline for application is 13 October 2011. Fellowship terms: The European Neurological Society will support the scholarship holder for a period of 3 or 6 months. The monthly stipend amounts to Є 2,000. The scholarship is to be held at a host institution in Europe in the year 2012. ENS sponsors this programme to provide an opportunity for talented neurologists to participate in an exchange of scientific activities between originating and host institutions. It is aimed primarily at young neurologists contributing actively at ENS Meetings. Eligibility: Applicants must be less than 40 years of age and affiliated with an academic neurological department. Applicants and/or home or host institution must be active at ENS meetings. The ENS invites applicants from European nations, as well as those outside Europe. Application: The following documents are required:
Application forms: Forms can be obtained online at www.ensinfo.org. An original and five copies of each application must be sent to: Prof. Heinz Reichmann Second submission deadline: 13 October 2011
VI. Abstract Deadline for 2012 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting: 24 October 2011 Online abstract submission for the Scientific Program at the 2012 AAN Annual Meeting in New Orleans is now open and the deadline to submit abstracts is 24 October 2011. Selected research abstracts will be presented in exciting scientific programs and showcased in high profile scientific sessions and popular poster sessions at the World’s largest gathering of neurologists and neuroscience professionals. Specific abstracts are sought for the following scientific programs:
Abstracts in other topics are also encouraged. Visit the AAN website at www.aan.com/go/am12 for complete submission details and to submit your abstract today! Arlene Sanchez, MBA
EditorDr. Clay E. Reilly |
