ICNA Educational Meeting Kingston 2016

An ICNA educational satellite meeting which focused on six topics involving pediatric epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders and neurometabolic disorders was held Oct. 8, 2916 at the University of West Indies (UWI) in Kingston, Jamaica (details provided below). This was the first ICNA initiative in Jamaica. Our satellite was part of the 7th Biennial Conference of the Dept. of Child and Adolescent Health of the University of West Indies. Our team was very graciously received by our local hosts and our one day educational meeting provided an excellent opportunity for clinical and educational interactions during the lively question and answer periods surrounding the talks and during discussions following the symposium with participants.

Hosting Society:Dept. of Child and Adolescent Health, University of West Indies 7th Biennial Conference – " Caring for Our Children". Oct. 9, 2016 with focus on psychosocial pediatrics and congenital ZIKV.

The main conference on Oct. 9th focused on key issues in psychosocial pediatrics which may significantly impact both the cognitive and emotional development of children including topics relating to the rights of children in the Caribbean, the nurturing of children in the Jamaican family unit, issues related to children living in institutions, the victimization of children, parenting non-biological children, mood disorders, substance misuse, caring for adolescents, and building self-esteem (program enclosed).

Participants: 139 attendees including pediatric neurologists, general and subspecialty pediatricians, anesthesiologists, ICU staff, adult neurologists, pediatric residents, medical students, and nurses.

There was a further symposium on caring for children through the ZIKV epidemic in Jamaica including topics on the available diagnostic services from the Dept. of Microbiology, ZIKV research in mothers and children in Latin America and the Caribbean from the Dept. of Child and Adolescent Health, UWI, and the Jamaican response to the ZIKV epidemic from the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health.

ICNA educational meeting satellite: " Simply Neurology". ICNA meeting organizer: Dr. Ingrid Tein Local hosting Child Neurologists: Dr. Judy Tapper and Dr. Roxanne Melbourne-Chambers

Panel of speakers: 

Dr. Ingrid Tein, 
Director Neurometabolic Clinic and Research Laboratory
Division of Neurology
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
Senior Associate Scientist, Genetics and Genome Biology Program
The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
President of the International Child Neurology Association (2014-18)

Dr. John Bodensteiner, 
Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics
Consultant, Division of Child and Adolescent Neurology, Dept. of Neurology
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA 
and former President of the Child Neurology Society, Hower Award recipient CNS 2013
Director of American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (2014-)
Chair of the MOC Product Review Subcommittee

Dr. Katherine Nickels, 
Clinical Neurophysiology EEG Resident Course Director
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Division of Child and Adolescent Neurology
Dept. of Neurology
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Topics covered: 

Dr. Ingrid Tein 

1. A Clinical Approach to the Identification and Management of Neurometabolic Disorders in Neonates 
2. Mitochondrial Disorders: Can it Truly be Simplified ? 

Dr. Katherine Nickels 

3. Management of Status Epilepticus and Refractory Status Epilepticus 
4. When Seizures are not Seizures: Non-Epileptic Events 

Dr. John Bodensteiner (lectures electronically provided in absentia) 

5. Progressive Weakness: The Muscular Dystrophies 
6. Myasthenia Gravis: From Suspicion to Diagnosis and Treatment 

Outcomes: 

1. Significant clinical and educational interactions during question and answer periods and post- symposia discussions with conference participants. 
2. Strongly positive feedback from attendees regarding educational content and delivery. 
3. Congress participants provided with electronic copies of talks for reference. 
4. Request for external review of challenging child neurology cases. 
5. Planning for a future ICNA educational meeting in Jamaica to encompass other child neurology topics. 

Kingston 2016 Conference Programme28.36 KB

Report by Dr. Ingrid Tein