Executive Page: Submit, register, and join us for our 10th congress in Helsinki!

Dear EAN members, friends, and colleagues,

Now that we have turned the corner into the EAN’s 10^th anniversary year, I am delighted to provide the first Executive Page of 2024 and provide you with a short preview of our 10th EAN Congress in Helsinki, Finland, on 29 June – 2 July.

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As you are surely already aware, we have already passed a few key milestones on the journey to Helsinki. The programme planner for the congress is already online, offering a wide array of scientific and educational sessions to start the basis of your personal schedule; registration for the event is also already open, with early bird fees ready and waiting for you until April 24; and most importantly, abstract submission is also open until January 19. The scientific abstracts submitted by you play a crucial role in shaping a comprehensive and diverse scientific programme that caters to the entire neurology community. The chance to submit your own work and to be a part of that programme is one I would urge you strongly not to pass up. Being involved in any EAN congress is a great experience, but to be a part of our tenth anniversary meeting will surely be an unforgettable experience.

The overarching theme for this year’s congress is ‘Neuromodulation: advances and opportunities in neurological diseases’, which will be a common thread woven throughout the content of all invited sessions. In addition, several workshops and sessions will have an explicit focus on the current state and future directions of neuromodulation, with leading experts addressing questions such as which techniques are available as diagnostic tools or therapeutic interventions; how to precisely target specific cortical regions, deep brain structures and head nerves for therapeutic purposes; and how to advance neuromodulation into new areas of neurology such as chronic minimally conscious state or limb prosthesis. Hot topics in invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation in movement and cognitive disorders, chronic pain, and refractory epilepsy will all be covered.

We have secured an outstanding group of speakers for the Named Lectures at EAN 2024, meaning the Presidential Symposium promises to again be a highlight of the congress. Prof. Michael Greenberg, Prof. Nils Erik Gilhus, Prof. Britta Engelhardt, and Prof. Marie Vidailhet are all highly esteemed experts who are each certain to deliver fascinating lectures – it will be an unmissable appointment. More details about their talks will become available as we approach the event, but you can read about the speakers themselves here.

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I am very happy to let you know about some programme features for 2024 that will add to the special atmosphere at our congress this year.

Firstly, all Case-Based Workshops (CBWs) will be included in the registration fee this year. These workshops are always very popular, each offering a limited number of participants the chance to actively discuss presented cases in smaller groups with leading experts. I am delighted that it is now possible to take part in CBWs – on a first-come, first-served basis – at no extra charge. Places are always in demand though, so remember to get to your chosen session early to secure a spot!

We will also host some very interesting sessions and awards in conjunction with other organisations this year. Interdisciplinary Special Sessions held jointly with the European Society of Cardiology and the European Psychiatric Association will delve into Heart & brain interactions: Cognition and gender and non-invasive therapeutic neuromodulation in Parkinson’s Disease and neuropsychiatric disorders, respectively; while the Restless Leg Syndrome Award will be presented with the European Alliance for Restless Legs Syndrome during the always well-attended Basal Ganglia Club Special Session, and the European Federation of Autonomic Societies will present a range of awards for the best abstracts submitted by junior researchers on ANS disorders. In addition, the Europe, Middle East, and Africa Chapter of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology will join us to run a special free-of-charge Hands-On Course on the role of EEG in guiding diagnosis and treatment in different clinical scenarios.

All these collaborations – among many others held with our friends and partners – help to consolidate our interconnections with the other societies involved, as well as with their own communities, and it is a great privilege to welcome them as our guests to our congress.

As usual, we aim to make our congress as accessible as possible with the help of online participation options (free for EAN members), as well our Bursary scheme, which was expanded last year to include Student Members. The scheme continues to provide opportunities for free registration and accommodation for 240 successful applicants. The EAN Tournament Finals, too, aim to encourage the active participation of young generations, offering a chance to present at this year’s congress and win registration for the following year. For more information about these initiatives, please see our Grants & Awards page.

Finally, although we encourage as many of you as possible to join us in Helsinki, I would like to remind you of our collective responsibility for sustainability in all aspects of our planning. As we convene in Finland, we encourage participants to consider environmentally friendly travel options wherever possible. Use of Helsinki’s excellent public transport network is free of charge to congress participants, with very good connections between the airport and the congress venue, so please make the most of this; and please remember to contribute to offsetting your carbon footprint if you can. Organising a congress the size of the EAN’s clearly carries an environmental cost, but we do our best to limit our impact as much as we can and we implore you to join us in this pursuit.

Best wishes
Ulf Kallweit
Chair of the EAN Programme Committee