by Eduard Auff and Wolfgang Grisold
Fostering quality neurology and brain health worldwide
This year the World Congress of Neurology (WCN) will take place in Vienna from September 21-26. It is a great event for world neurology, Europe and Austria. The WCN takes place in 2-year cycles and leaps from continent to continent. The last WCN took place in Africa; South America will be the host in 2015.
The Austrian Society of Neurology successfully applied for this congress: It won the bid at the official vote at the WFN Congress in Bangkok at the WFN Delegates’ meeting in 2009. – With its bid for Vienna, the Austrian Society had previously received EFNS’s support from among several European contestants at the EFNS congress during the EFNS Council meeting in Madrid in 2008. Since then the Austrian Society of Neurology has been continuously working towards the goal of making the WCN2013 in Vienna a success.
WCN 2013 will be a joint venture of the Austrian Society of Neurology, the EFNS as the regional European society and of the World Federation of Neurology. As such it will be a great event as the world will meet with Europe and Austria at an excellent congress facility.
Historically the WCN has already been taking place in Vienna in 1965 and in 1991 the EFNS has been founded in Vienna, too. In both events Professor Franz Gerstenbrand was active, once as a committee member, then as the founder of the EFNS.
The motto of the congress is:
Neurology in the Age of Globalization
The expectation is that European neurology will meet the world. The congress will offer an excellent scientific programme, several types of teaching courses throughout the congress, meetings of many committees, interest and research groups of the WFN, the EFNS and the Austrian society, and above all many opportunities of personal exchange during the meeting as well as in the city of Vienna – with its hospitality and cultural events.
The scientific programme and the teaching course programme has been developed jointly with the WFN, the EFNS and the Austrian Society of Neurology. The intention of all the committees has been to provide the best possible scientific programme, with international, European and Austrian flavour. Link to the WCN Programme
The teaching courses will be taking place throughout the whole congress, and will contain basic courses, courses directed at consultants, and also hands-on workshops. A few advanced teaching courses will aim to fill the gap between clinical neurology and basic neuroscience.
The congress networking programme will include an opening reception, and a classical concert in the Golden Hall of the Wiener Musikverein as well as a farewell evening at a traditional Heurigen will be offered to the participants. Sightseeing tours and visits to the famous cultural sights in and around Vienna will be available for booking at the congress site at your own disposal.
By attending WCN 2013 you will earn CME points, as this congress will be accredited by EACCME (www.uems.net) as well as by the AMA. This highly reputable recognition will be offered on site.
We believe that this congress will be a unique opportunity for European neurology to host world neurology and develop future synergies. The logo of the WFN is to foster neurology: “Fostering quality neurology and brain health worldwide”. Looking at many areas of the world neurology needs support from the WFN and EFNS.
We hope that you will find the WCN 2013 programme attractive. We also hope that you will be actively contributing to this event, and we are eagerly awaiting your abstract. Link to the WCN Abstract submission page
For continuous and more detailed information please follow the World Federation of Neurology or the World Congress of Neurology 2013 websites and also the social media on this topic. We hope that you will be actively participating in the WCN 2013, and make this joint congress of the WFN, the EFNS and the Austrian Society of Neurology a worldwide success.
Eduard Auff is Congress President, President of the Austrian Society of Neurology and Professor of Neurology at the General Hospital Vienna, Austria.
Wolfgang Grisold is WFN Trustee, Chairman of the WFN Teaching Course Committee and Professor of Neurology in Vienna, Austria.
