by Gustave Moonen and Jacques de Reuck
EFNS and ENS are very pleased to announce their upcoming Joint Congress in 2014:
The congress will take place at the Istanbul Congress Centre and start on Saturday May 31 and end on Tuesday June 3, 2014. We have planned a scientifically and socially high-level programme.
The congress programme committee members are Michael Brainin, Hannah Cock, Nils Erik Gilhus, Jean-Marc Léger, Aksel Silva, Guido Stoll, Ersin Tan. The committee is chaired by Gustave Moonen and Jacques de Reuck.
A meeting took place in Vienna from Friday, November 9 until Saturday, November 10, 2012 to set up the sessions as well as the scientific and educational programme. The call for programme proposals was responded enthusiastically by the EFNS Scientist Panels and the ENS Subcommittees. 49 proposals for symposia, 69 for focused workshops and 71 for teaching courses were submitted. Although overall of high scientific quality, their number had to be limited according to the congress structure.
The number of teaching courses will be 24, lasting three hours each; the TCs will be spread over the four-day congress. There will be three scientific levels: basic, advanced and special expertise/practical.
Eight symposia were selected, covering the most common neurological diseases. An extra Plenary Symposium, covering recent basic neuroscientific data applicable to clinical neurology will highlight the Sunday morning session.
24 focused workshops on new and narrow neurological domains will be available in the afternoon of the first three congress days.
There will be one practical session (“hands-on”) each day with a limited number of participants.
Also a daily “Interactive session”, including a voting system for the audience, will highlight the morning sessions.
A few special sessions are planned, namely the MDS Basal Ganglia Club, EAYNT, EFNA, and a Mediterranean Special Session.
The number of free oral sessions was increased and they are scheduled during the first three days parallel with the teaching courses.
The twelve best abstracts in clinical and in basic science presented by young neurologists will be selected for oral presentation in the Uschi Tschabitscher tournaments. All tournament participants will receive free registration to the congress, up to 4 nights hotel accommodation and a travel grant to the Congress city. The chairpersons of each tournament session will choose one winner per session. These two winners will receive a travel grant to the next (EAN) Congress, as well as a prize. Also the PK Thomas Prize will be awarded for presentations on peripheral nerve disorders.
300 bursaries, granted for high quality abstract submissions, will be available for young neurologists and trainees.
Also large possibilities for poster presentations with short oral presentations on site in the presence of a chairperson are planned.
Industry sponsored satellite symposia will be offered each day at lunch time and during an evening slot.
A short Opening Ceremony will be organised on Saturday evening on May 31, 2014 with introductory words by the two Presidents (EFNS, ENS) as well as a representative from the Turkish Neurological Society which will be followed by a networking reception.
The General Assembly for the election of the future Board of the new European Academy of Neurology is planned on Tuesday June 2, 2014. This will be the definite beginning of our new society, the European Academy of Neurology (EAN).
We hope that this congress will be the key event further promoting the high quality of European Neurology and that it will attract not only European neurologists but also neurologists from all over the world.
The first announcement / preliminary programme will soon be available online on the EFNS and ENS websites and on:
http://www.jointcongressofeuropeanneurology.org/
