Dear EAN members, colleagues, and friends,
As the newly elected Secretary General of the European Academy of Neurology, I am very pleased to introduce the freshly composed EAN Board, following the elections held at the EAN Congress 2026 in Geneva. The new board is a nice mix of people; some of the members of the previous board have rotated into new positions whereas others are new in their position. In this letter, I would like to give you an overview, introducing some newcomers and recapping all EAN Board members.
The presidency of the EAN rotates every two years, with the EAN President becoming the Past President, and the President-Elect moving into the role of President. Therefore, Prof. Kailash Bhatia became the new EAN President on the final day of the congress, with Prof. Elena Moro rotating into the role of Past President.
Thus, a new EAN President-Elect had to fill the position. In an anonymous electronic ballot during the Assembly of Delegates on Saturday, 27 June at our annual congress, Prof. Irena Rektorová was duly elected to the position. Having already served as Education Committee Chair (2022-2024) and Programme Committee Chair (2024-2026), Prof. Rektorová knows in depth the tasks of the EAN board and will now gain an additional two years of experience before taking on the presidency in 2028.
Several other positions on the board were also up for election this year. Following further votes at the Assembly of Delegates, we now have two members who are entirely new to the EAN Board. After having served four years in the role of eanNews Editor, Prof. Benedetta Bodini was elected as Communications Committee Chair, while Prof. Bernhard J. Steinhoff, Co-Chair of the Scientific Panel on Epilepsy (2022–2026), was elected to serve as the new EAN Treasurer. After a fruitful two-year term in office since 2024, Prof. Gereon Fink was re-elected to serve a second term as Scientific Committee Chair. The position of Secretary General was also up for election. I was deeply honoured to be chosen by the delegates present, after having served a very rewarding term as Treasurer from 2024 to 2026.
At the meeting of the new EAN Board on 30 June, the final day of the EAN Congress 2026, the elected members approved nominations for the remaining positions, as well as some crucial non-board roles.
Following a successful first term, Prof. Nathalie Nasr was re-appointed to a second term as Education Committee Chair and newcomer Prof. Michelangelo Mancuso, former Co-Chair of the EAN Scientific Panel on Neurogenetics and the EAN Coordinating Panel on Rare Neurological Diseases, was appointed to fill the role of Programme Committee Chair vacated by Irena Rektorová. Both new committee chairs will re-compose their respective committees over the coming weeks.
The new chair of the Resident & Research Fellows Section (RRFS), Dr Katarzyna Krzywicka, was also confirmed as the RRFS Representative to the Board, a role which bestows full board membership.
Finally, two key positions outside of the Board were also confirmed. Prof. Walter Struhal, previously one of the two co-chairs of the Ethics & Quality Advisory Board, was confirmed as the new Teaching Course Sub-Committee Chair, a role that makes a huge contribution to the composition of the EAN congress programme. The position of Ethics & Quality Advisory Board (EQAB) Co-Chair vacated by Prof. Struhal was then filled by the confirmation of Prof. Sasha Filipovic, Co-Chair of the EAN Scientific Panel on Neurorehabilitation and an existing member of both the EQAB and the Programme Committee.
I would like to extend the warmest of welcomes on behalf of the EAN to all our new officials and I look forward to working alongside all of them, together with all returning board members and officials. I would also like to thank all our members who are working for the EAN on national levels, task forces or different committees – you are doing a great job!
To serve as a Board Member of your organisation is both a great honour and a great opportunity to contribute to the development of European Neurology; for patients, for neurologists and for Brain Health in general.
Best wishes
Jana Midelfart-Hoff
EAN Secretary General
Find out more about the members of the EAN Board: Meet the Board – ean.org
