by Elena Moro, EAN Secretary General
One of the perks of being Secretary General of the EAN is that I have the honour of addressing you via EANpages relatively often. As EAN membership falls within my remit, it is my job to alert you to upcoming deadlines and encourage you to make the most of your membership.
But I also have the pleasure of reporting all membership related activities and updates. On this occasion, I am pleased to present you with a very healthy mixture of both.
First of all, I would like to thank all of our members for the wonderful support this year. In what continue to be quite difficult circumstances for all of us, it has been incredibly gratifying to see so many EAN members getting involved in all aspects of our society and keeping our community running on full power.
This year’s call for membership renewal will be open in mid-November (with the deadline at the end of December). We are looking forward to seeing this year’s high level of engagement reflected in the membership renewal numbers, and just as much involvement in the coming year. You will even be able to renew your membership via your MyEAN profile, thanks to the new online renewal system that was introduced last year, ensuring a quick and easy process.
In the meantime, why not refresh your memory of all the various benefits your EAN membership brings?
On the subject of benefits, we have recently introduced quite a few new initiatives, including some major educational projects, that enhance your EAN membership. Let me mention some of them:
- We have added a new thread to our range of eLearning activities, in the form of the EAN webinars, accessible on to EAN Individual members. Three have taken place so far and all are available to watch as webcasts.
- Our first Special Skills session took place during the EAN Congress, focused on rules of holistic leadership. Thanks to this very successful first try, such sessions will be a part of future congress programmes, as a ‘members-only’ exclusive, focusing on topics outside neurology, but still relevant to the daily working lives of EAN members. This year’s session is still available to watch here.
- During the EAN Congress we officially announced our new Student Teaser Grant for student members. Application has already closed for this year, but the option to apply for future grants is another great new benefit for Student Members.
- We also launched theEAN science school at the EAN Congress, with the first one taking place in March 2022. Again, application has closed for this inaugural school, but future editions will be a great, exclusive opportunity for our members.
- Lastly, full & FEAN members are now eligible for a 10% discount on their APC for publishing OnlineOpen in the European Journal of Neurology (please contact membership@ean.org to receive your discount code).
I consider all this a great testimony to the abilities and efforts of our Membership Committee members and Head Office staff. I would like to particularly thank them because we have been able to add so much value to EAN membership in a relatively short time, especially in the face of the pressures and organisational limitations caused by the pandemic.
I would also like to give a special mention to our wonderful Resident and Research Fellow Section. The RRFS Office arranged and hosted many activities during our congress in June, but they are also always very involved throughout the year, participating actively in the society’s matters, including board meetings and representing the interests of junior colleagues. The RRFS recently gained a new member, Dr Alice Accoroni, who now acts as a Treasurer, and a new Chair, Dr. Luca Cuffaro who, in his interview for EANpages, provides a perfect example of the passion and engagement that our young officers bring to their roles. Read the interview here.
In terms of our upcoming activities, the election of the Individual Delegates to the Assembly of Delegates (4-year mandate) is on the horizon. The call for applications will be sent to Full Members and Fellows of EAN towards the end of October. So, please look out for that, and consider applying if you are in one of those categories. EAN relies on volunteers to fulfil these roles and many others, so if you feel you have something to offer, please do not hesitate to get involved as an active member. For more information about how you can lend your own experience and insight to the EAN, click here.
As always, there is a lot more being planned for the near future, so please stay tuned. If you keep an eye on EANpages and follow us on our various social media channels, you will stay right up to date.
Yours,
Elena Moro
EAN Secretary General
