Prof. Claudio Bassetti
Dear colleagues, members and friends,
Cari membri ed amici della SIN
As a society aiming to promote excellence in neurology across Europe, one of the European Academy of Neurology’s greatest assets is undoubtedly the strong support from its National Neurological Society Members. As a region with a wide variety of languages, cultures, jurisdictions and needs, Europe certainly presents some challenges when it comes to coordinated action, but what we all have in common as neurologists is a strong desire to reach for excellence, ensure the best possible patient care and to work together to achieve it.
In my new function as Acting President of EAN, it has been a great pleasure to be invited to attend in October 2019 the 50th Annual Meeting of the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN) in Bologna and to receive a very warm welcome by by the current President of the SIN, Prof. Gioacchino Tedeschi, and by and his board.
Legend (from left to right): Prof. Riccardo Soffietti (EAN Board Member and Chair of the Education Commitee), Prof. Luigi Ferini Strambi (Member of the EAN Sleep Panel), Prof. Pietro Cortelli (local organizer of the 50th Annual meeting of the SIN), Prof. Claudio L.A. Bassetti (EAN Acting Predient), Prof. Goacchino Tedeschi (President SIN), Prof. Alessandro Padovani (Secretary SIN).
During my visit I had the opportunity express to the SIN my appreciation for the very high number of Italian attendees to the EAN congress and the elevated number of submitted abstracts. The strong commitment of Italian Neurology to the EAN is also reflected by the elevated numbers of EAN individual members and delegates involved in (but also chairing) scientific panels and important task forces, including the Guideline Production Groups (Chaired by Prof. Maurizio Leone). Not surprisingly, members of the SIN could profit of many grants to attend the EAN annual meetings and to attend clinical and research fellowships.
In this context, I would also like to stress the fact, that Italian Neurology is strongly influencing the EAN and its activities through three members of the EAN Board (Prof. Riccardo Soffietti, Chair of the Education Committee; Prof. Elena Moro, Secretary General; Dr. Francesco Di Lorenzo, Chair of the Resident and Research Fellows Section), as well as 16 Fellows of the EAN
During the meeting with the SIN, the possibilities of organizing for the first time in Italy a Regional Teaching Course (RTC) or to host an EAN Day in conjunction with the SIN meeting were raised. An interesting exchange took place on a variety of other topics including the pregraduate training in Neurology in Europe, the invitation of the Presidents of the National Societies to the Presidential Dinner and the meeting of the Delegates during the EAN annual meeting, and the need for an European pre- and postgraduate curriculum in sleep for neurologists (Italy has a long standing tradition in this field).
Now, I very much look forward to welcoming all members, the board and the President of the SIN and to see the booth of their Society (this opportunity is offered to all National Societies for free) at our Annual Meeting in Paris in May 2020!
Arrivederci a Parigi!
Prof. Claudio Lino Alberto Bassetti, Acting President of the EAN
P.S. Italy was depicted as Country of the Month in EANpages in August 2019
