The Joint Congress of Neurology, organised by both the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) and the European Neurological Society (ENS), took place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 31st of May to 3rd of June, 2014. Istanbul is an historical city which served as the capital of two major Empires; the Byzantine and the Ottoman. Its historical value arose from the excellent geographical location, within the Marmara Region. The Bosphorus connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, dividing the city into a European and an Asian side, making thus Istanbul a transcontinental city.
During this conference the European Association of Young Neurologists and Trainees (EAYNT) organised a wide range of different activities offering the chance for the young Neurologists to get together and share their individual professional as well as personal experiences from different European countries. The booth of the EAYNT was constantly visited by interested young colleagues who were able to be involved in several activities such as the lottery, the photo contest and EAYNT Special Session with excellent talks given by Professor José Manuel Morão Cabral Ferro from Portugal, Professor Walter Paulus from Germany as well as Dr Laszlo Sztriha from United Kingdom.
This year’s hospital visit at the Istanbul University Cerrahpasa School of Medicine Neurology Department was very kindly and generously organized by the Congress President, Professor Aksel Siva and the Turkish Neurological Society and was definitely one of the outstanding highlights of the EAYNT activities. The visit started with an excellent presentation about the hospital and the Neurology training in Turkey. The Istanbul University Cerrahpasa School of Medicine Neurology Department is one of the oldest institutions and major medical schools in Turkey with both Turkish and English Medical programs. It is one of the three Government Medical Universities in Istanbul, offering an excellent education programme in Neurology. The divisions of the Neurology Department range from Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy to Sleep Medicine, Paediatric Neurology and Vascular Neurology. The informative presentations were followed by a very impressive and welcoming guided hospital visit through each division and unit. Afterwards, Professor Aksel Siva invited all participants to a traditional Turkish dinner at the restaurant of the Istanbul University.
During this meeting, the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) was founded, a single society uniting and supporting Neurologists from all over Europe. The 1st Congress of the European Academy of Neurology will take place in Berlin, Germany in June 2015 and we welcome all young Neurologists to attend the Congress and participate in the activities of EAYNT.
Young Neurologists Visit at the Department of Neurology – Istanbul University Cerrahpasa School of Medicine
Panagiotis Zis, Anna Saubier, Lisa Klingelhoefer
on behalf of the EAYNT
