ICNA President-Elect Elections 2024 are currently underway. All eligible voters (ICNA Full Members) have been emailed their unique voting credentials. All voting is done via the secure platform at https://icnapedia.org/pe2024. The voting site will remain open until 2400hrs GMT on 1 May 2024.
Dr. Ana Carolina Coan is Associated Professor of Child Neurology of the Department of Neurology of the Campinas University – Unicamp, Campinas, Brazil. Dr. Coan is author of over 71 peer-reviewed original articles and reviews. Since 2000, she developed her research at the Neuroimaging Laboratory at UNICAMP focusing at the use of structural and functional MRI for the identification of biomarkers associated epilepsies phenotypes. Her studies described the network of cerebral gray and white matter abnormalities in distinct phenotypes of epilepsies.
Dr. Coan also studied the use of multimodal neuroimaging to improve the noninvasive pre-surgical evaluation of individuals with pharmacoresistant epilepsies and how they can accelerate and diminish the costs of this evaluation. Her current research focuses on the association of clinical phenotypes and brain structural and functional abnormalities of different epileptic syndromes and their impact on brain development. At Unicamp, she is involved in teaching both undergraduates, residents and post-graduates. She supervised 9 master and doctoral thesis. She supervise the general child neurology and epilepsy outpatient clinics as well as the pediatric video-EEG and epilepsy surgery program of the Clinical Hospital of Unicamp. She has dedicated to translating and teaching PET (Pediatric Epilepsy Training) courses in Brazil.
Dr. Coan is an associated researcher of the Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnlogy - BRAINN. She is currently the vice president of the Brazilian Society of Child Neurology (SBNI) and the representative of child neurology of the Education Commission of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (ABN). She is also member of the Executive Board of the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA).
My vision is that ICNA should be a reference for worldwide education of pediatric neurologists as well as a society engaged in contributing to achieve high quality, efficient and humanistic health care services for children and adolescents according to the specific needs of each country. I believe I can contribute to maintain and expand the important work of ICNA worldwide. I believe ICNA should guarantee continuous worldwide education of pediatric neurologists according to the reality and needs of each different country. This educational approach was significantly expanded with the improvement of online contents in the last two years. I believe I can contribute to improve the access to the educational content for the Latin America and other countries of Portuguese languages.
The translation and teaching o PET (Paediatric Epilepsy Training) is an example of success in this area. By removing the language barrier, the PET course was accessible to different countries in the South America and Africa. A second important role of ICNA in my view is to contribute to advance research in different areas of child neurology. Through proposals such as the Connectome project ICNA can help to improve multicenter studies initiatives.
The Connectome project it could be expanded through partnerships and possible funding from national societies. As a professor of one of the most important Brazilian universities, I have access to government personal and it also puts me in contact with healthy professionals of the different facilities in Brazil. Being a university professor also facilitates my contact with international professionals. I have been working with different international consortiums of child epilepsy education, including an online Latin American course for primary physicians.
Juliana Gurgel Giannetti is Associate Professor at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). At the Hospital das Clinicas- UFMG she is the chief of the Child Neurology Service and Residence, coordinator of the Neuromuscular Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence Clinics. She was the vice-president of the Brazilian Society of Child Neurology (SBNI) during the period of 2020-2021 and 2018-2019 and also the coordinator and vice-coordinator of the Child Neurology scientific committee at the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (ABN). Currently she is coordinator of the neuromuscular scientific committee at SBNI and vice-coordinator of the Child Neurology scientific committee (ABN). She graduated in medicine in 1992, after she completed the Pediatrics and Child Neurology residences (1992-1996).
From 1997 to 2001, she moved to São Paulo to specialize in Neuromuscular disorders and concluded her PhD at Universidade de São Paulo (USP). In 2005 and 2013, she did a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University (NY), under Prof. Salvatore DiMauro and Michio Hirano supervision, respectively. (Attached there is the Di Mauro Letter). Since 2002, she teaches at Medical School of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), where she set up the Service of Neuromuscular Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence and the Neuromuscular laboratory. She is taking care of neuromuscular patients, with a multidisciplinary team, and also involved in research in this field. Also, she teaches at the Post graduation Program in Pediatrics and has under her supervision master and PhD students.
At the medical societies (SBNI and ABN) she organized educational courses about the floppy infant approach to improve the recognition of the neuromuscular disorders and promote the earlier diagnosis of treatable conditions. She participated in the elaboration of the Brazilian Consensus for DMD and she is Principal Investigator in different trials: Ataluren (PTC – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Registry (Sarepta), Rainbowfish trial ( SMA- Roche), Devote (SMA -Biogen), OFELIA (SMA-Novartis). Also, she is one of the coordinators of the Project SOBRE5 elaborated in collaboration with Brazilian Ministry of Health, with the aim of reviewing clinical data and security of all SMA patients who received the Gene Therapy in Brazil. In 2021 she was invited to participate in the committee: Myology development across the world from the World Muscle Society (WMS).
Curriculum lattes http://lattes.cnpq.br/3689879327101125
My name is Juliana Gurgel Giannetti, I am a Child Neurologist and Associate Professor at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, in Brazil. I am specialized in Neuromuscular Disorders and Mitochondrial Diseases. I did a neuromuscular fellow and PhD at Universidade de São Paulo in 2001 (USP). After that I did two post-doctoral fellows in Mitochondrial Diseases at Columbia University, in 2005 and 2013. From 2019 until 2021, I was the Vice President of the Brazilian Child Neurology Society (SBNI) and three years ago I became a member of ICNA. Currently, I am a member of the Neuromuscular Scientific Committee from the Brazilian Child Neurology Society ( SBNI) and vice-coordinator of the Child Neurology Scientific Committee from the Brazilian Academy of Neurology. Also, in 2021, I became a member of the Committee: “Myology Development across the World” from the World Muscle Society.
I am engaged in organizing educational courses mainly in Neuromuscular disorders field. During the period I was the vice president in SBNI, I organized regional courses across Brazil emphasizing the approach to the Floppy Infant including the semiology, diagnosis and multidisciplinary support. I also developed training courses for health practitioners to highlight the importance of earlier identification of babies with motor delay, focused in neuromuscular disorders, especially in the era of new therapies (SMA and DMD).
During the pandemic, I developed online courses in collaboration with Brazilian medical societies (SBNI and ABN) and Patient’s Association. Based on this experience, I think I could contribute with the ICNA mission to enhance knowledge in Child Neurology, especially in the neuromuscular disorders, organizing educational courses in Brazil and in other countries with Portuguese language as Angola, Moçambique. Also, I can help to organize online courses in collaboration with other professors from ICNA as Prof. Carsten Bonnemann (USA). I believe that being a member of the Myology Development across the World Committee (World Muscle Society) and SBNI, could be a convergence point for this mission.
Buompadre Maria Celeste
Pediatric neurologist Hospital de Pediatría “Prof. Dr. Juan P Garrahan” Buenos Aires, Argentina
mariabuompadre@gmail.com
Present position Permanent staff of the Department of Neurology, Hospital de Pediatria “Prof. Dr. Juan P Garrahan”, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Chief of department: Dr. Roberto Caraballo. Short biography I specialized in neurology with Dr. Natalio Fejerman and Dr. Hugo Arroyo in Buenos Aires. After finishing my specialization, I did a fellowship in pediatric stroke at the Hospital Garrahan. I also visited the pediatric neurology department of South Hampton Hospital, UK under Dr. Fenella Kirkham where I studied pediatric stroke and sickle cell disease in 2003.
I did my second fellowship at the Hospital for The Sick Children, Toronto under Dr. Gabrielle de Veber where I increased my experience in pediatric stroke in 2014. I have set up a clinic for pediatric stroke at Hospital Garrahan, a tertiary national and Latin-American referral center. In addition, I am part of the multidisciplinary stroke group of our hospital, where we provide multidisciplinary care to the patients that consult for stroke, and develop new protocols and guidelines to help pediatricians and neurologists to recognize and treat this disease.
As part of my hospital work, I am in charge of the neurological patients in the different PICUs. Since 2014, I have been an active member of the International Pediatric Stroke Organization and of the International Child Neurology Association. Currently, I am a member of the executive boards of the Argentine Society of Child Neurology (SANI) and of the Ibero-American Academy of Child Neurology (AINP).
Chapters in books and guidelines: 19
Papers published in indexed journals: 22
Awards:
“Dr. Héctor J Vazquez” for the study on Moyamoya disease. SANI (2016)
“Dr. Benito Yelín” for the study on unusual variants of Guillain Barre syndrome. AINP (2004)
I am honoured to be nominated for a position in the Executive Board. I would like to introduce myself. For many years now, I have worked with children with neurological disorders in a national referral hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2013, I have developed a comprehensive programme for the evaluation, research, and care of children with stroke and vascular disorders, trying to improve both their treatment and quality of life. This effort has been challenging, especially working in a developing country, where organizational and financial resources are still limited. The most important tool we have to help children with neurological disorders, is building active networks among colleagues interested in different areas of paediatric neurology. I believe it is important to work hard as a team and a lot can be done with few resources and a lot of effort focusing on the needs and opportunities in the field.
Currently, the priorities would be:
Should I be elected for this position I am prepared to work hard to support the goals of the ICNA.
Dr Silvia Tenembaum is a pediatric neurologist who received her MD with honors from the School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, and acquired further specialization in pediatric neurology in Argentina. She is currently Chief of Clinics and Chair of the Pediatric Neuroimmunology Program at the Department of Neurology, National Pediatric Hospital Dr Juan P. Garrahan of Buenos Aires, a tertiary referral pediatric hospital. She has had a longstanding interest in acquired inflammatory demyelinating disorders with pediatric onset and has established a Comprehensive Care Clinic for children with multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, ADEM, MOG antibody associated disease, autoimmune encephalitis, and related disorders.
She is founding member of the International Paediatric MS Study Group (IPMSSG), past-Chair of its Steering and Nominating Committees. She is currently executive board member of the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA), and member of several leading neurology societies, including the Latin-American Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (LACTRIMS), the NMO Roundtable Study Group, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), the Argentinian Society of Child Neurology (SANI), and Argentinian Society of Neurology (SAN).
She has been an active member of the International Panel for Neuromyelitis Optica Diagnosis (IPND), and she is currently active member of the International Panel for MOGAD Diagnosis. Dr. Tenembaum serves as Editorial Board member of the following journals: Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, Frontiers in Neurology, and Neurology and Therapy. She also serves as an expert reviewer for many journals. She has authored numerous papers, as well as chapters in national and international books. She has also been invited to chair or lecture multiple expert meetings, both nationally and internationally.
She is currently principal investigator of five international clinical trials in paediatric patients with multiple sclerosis, NMOSD, and refractory migraine.
E-mail address: silviatenembaum@gmail.com
Department of Neurology, National Pediatric Hospital "Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan”
Hospital address: Pichincha 1890 (C 1249 ABP). Buenos Aires, Argentina
Personal address: Billinghurst 850, 2dn, E (C1174ABP), Buenos Aires, Argentina
I have served as an Executive Board Member of ICNA since 2014 during two consecutive terms, and I would feel honored to have the opportunity to continue serving on the board representing the Central-South America region. I hope to continue working collectively with the other members on the EB towards advocating for better delivery of services and care to children with neurological diseases throughout the world, and particularly in our region. There is much work to be done to improve the knowledge and skills required to reach a high standard of practice of paediatric neurology in Central and South America.
In addition, I would like to contribute with the educational mission of ICNA, providing my clinical and research experience in the growing area of paediatric neuroimmunology. Since 2020, we have all experienced unprecedented times, facing the COVID-19 challenges and restrictions that have had major impact on our personal and work settings across the world. At the same time virtual international and regional meetings, conferences, and interactive presentations have gained popularity and acceptance among the medical community, although missing to return seeing each other in person.
But I remain optimistic and believe that we should take advantage of the experience gained and continue supporting activities such as the successful International Child Neurology Teaching Network (ICNTN), and the interactive presentations by the Future Leaders group. On the other hand, I do believe that in the coming months further progress will be made and we will be able to make a successful and real face-to-face ICNC 2022 in Antalya, Turkey.
We just need to learn how to articulate this return and be able to design hybrid strategies for the future, in which face-to-face education scenarios may coexist with virtual teaching activities. It has been a privilege to work with extraordinary colleagues of the ICNA EB, and I would like to continue doing so.
I am a multilingual paediatric neurologist and rehabilitation physician based in Brussels, professor of neuroscience at the Université libre de Bruxelles, and editor-in-chief of Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. My clinical and research interest is wide, including cerebral palsy, neurogenetic conditions and neurophysiology. I also enjoy developing interdisciplinary educational projects tailored to needs in various regions (in Rwanda, Georgia, etc.).
In addition to being an enthusiastic ICNA member, contributor to ICNC and JICNA, and recipient of the 2012 John Stobo Prichard Award, I have been engaged in a number of other professional groups, e.g. as chairperson of the Van Goethem-Brichant Foundation, past president of the Belgian Society of Paediatric Neurology, past chair of the scientific committee of the EACD, current chair of the scientific committee of the Fondation Paralysie Cérébrale and of the Auschwitz Foundation, member of leadership of the BPNA, AACPDM, and AusACPDM.
I wrote over 300 articles including in top-ranking journals, authored several textbooks (on Angelman syndrome, childhood disability, etc.), co-edited a major reference book on cerebral palsy, and one on ethics in childhood neurodisabilities – and I also write short stories and novels (one of which received an award from the Royal Academy of French Literature of Belgium!), and served as scientific curator to several exhibitions in prominent museums…
Within ICNA, I would like to share my experience and use my clinical, research, editorial, organisational, and cross-cultural skills to facilitate and promote excellence in clinical practice and research, further develop educational activities, and foster collaboration with other organisations, both professional and lay, to improve the life of children with neurodisability. If I can be useful within a specific mandate, I would love to consider the Treasurer position, to which I can bring the rigour and experience gained within the leadership of other groups.
I would like to work with junior trainees, in particular, to promote high quality, needs-driven research and implementation of evidence-based results into practice. I would like to help design teaching and training programmes for professionals and parents in all aspects of childhood neurodisability. I hope to make optimal use to ICNA tools (teaching meetings, ICNApedia, JICNA) to facilitate dissemination throughout the membership and beyond, and develop new educational resources. I see some possibilities for effective synergies between JICNA and DMCN in this regard.
The collaboration with other organisations, big and small, local and wide in reach, is a timely key to strengthen the reach of ICNA in its mission – my experience with various groups, societies and academies provides interesting models for this. Another crucial aspect concerns ethics: ICNA has a major role to play in this dimension. We must maintain high ethical and scientific standards in all our activities and help colleagues, service providers, and policy makers address the many ethical challenges inherent to paediatric neurology in an open, respectful child-centred way.
Dr Biju Hameed MRCPI FRCPCH PhD
Consultant Paediatric Neurology & Neurodisability
Movement Disorder Service
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
London WC1N 3JH
Dr. Hameed is a Consultant in Paediatric Neurology & Neurodisability at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. He has a particular interest in movement disorders and acquired brain injury in childhood, including traumatic brain injury & neurorehabilitation. He is the clinical lead for neurorehabilitation at GOSH. Dr. Hameed trained in Paediatrics and Paediatric Neurology in the UK at Leicester Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, and worked as a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children before joining the Movement Disorder Service at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
Dr. Hameed has been an active member of the ICNA since 2002 and has been a co-opted member of the Executive Board since 2004. Dr. Hameed is also a skilled Linux system administrator and adept at developing web applications using open-source technologies. He is a contributor to several open-source PHP projects and has been the lead developer for ICNA’s web-based Child Neurology Knowledge Environment Platform “ICNApedia” since 2004. He was also instrumental in establishing the infrastructure for JICNA, ICNA Press, ICNA Wiki & ICNA Research Management Systems. He has been an active member of the organizing committee of all ICNCs since 2010.
He has helped organize and contributed to several educational meetings in various countries under the auspices of ICNA. He is a Co-Program Director of the International Child Neurology Teaching Network (ICNTN) and module lead for the ICNTN Certificate Course in Cerebral Palsy. He actively supports the Future Leaders of ICNA (FLICNA) group as a Mentor and is a staunch advocate for open access in Academia; and strives to promote education and research in child neurology and neurodisability breaking barriers to the dissemination of knowledge to and from resource-limited countries.
The ICNA was established in 1973 to promote education and research in child neurology worldwide. I have been fortunate to be part of ICNA's growth & progress in the last decade, establishing the knowledge environment platform, ICNApedia. The ICNA is perfectly poised to work with national and regional societies, leading from the front on education & training, research & advocacy.
ICNA is already carrying out the arduous task of aggregating training curricula globally, generating valuable data to design and manage change initiatives in training successfully. ICNA's advocacy projects continue to increase awareness of the magnitude of the disease burden of neurological disorders amongst policymakers and healthcare workers, which could be further expanded into public and patient education initiatives.
Online science outreach and digital advocacy are crucial for disseminating scientific knowledge to minimize disparities and variations in care and empower regional health care delivery. ICNApedia infrastructure can make available reliable data to stakeholders, thereby directly influencing agenda-setting processes for policymakers. ICNA's collaboration with WHO's Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders is a good example.
The GBOD grants and the visibility JICNA provides would empower researchers in resource limited setting in getting funding for their projects, contributing to fundamental changes in children's lives. Early adoption of cutting-edge web technologies has ensured that the knowledge generated through the biennial ICNCs, and other educational activities has the furthest reach.
The ICNTN, ICNA Research Management Systems (RMS), JICNA, ICNA press, and VLE remain incredible resources for the worldwide neurology community to improve the quality of life of children with neurological disorders and neurodisability. I am committed to the continued development of these resources, which would be key in supporting the Organisation's activities. ICNA has been blessed from the start and still is with outstanding clinician-researchers and visionary leaders supporting such endeavours.
As consultant pediatric neurologist at Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany, my clinical work covers the entire field of pediatric neurology, with special interests in metabolic epilepsies and neurological complications of organ failure and organ replacement therapy in children. After studying medicine in Germany and Ireland, I trained in pediatrics in Germany and the United Kingdom before specializing in pediatric neurology. In 2002 I joined Hannover Medical. At my institution, I am involved in undergraduate teaching in pediatrics and coordinate postgraduate training in pediatric neurology.
Over the last 10 years, I have enjoyed teaching at international courses in Europe, Asia, and the Americas and had the opportunity to contribute to child neurology textbooks. Since 2013 I have served on the Pediatric Commission of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and have supported the implementation of pediatric epilepsy training courses in countries both in Africa and Asia.
I am currently co-chairing an ILAE task force updating the guidelines on neonatal seizures, a project which we hope to complete this year. Besides my own research work and teaching commitments, I serve on the editorial boards of Neuropediatrics and JICNA, aiming to improve distribution of research findings and state of the art review articles. As member of EPNS and ICNA, I tremendously enjoy exchange with colleagues from around the globe, and gained experience in the way international societies work, especially as head of ICNA’s finance committee.
Over the last 3 years, visibility sometimes was limited due to the COVID situation. Nevertheless, networking of child neurologists from all around the globe has continued and ICNA played a big part in this development. The 2020 ICNC / CNS joint congress was a huge success and so is the International Child Neurology Teaching Network (ICNTN). As pediatric neurologist my main goal is to be part of this process and support the further development of its programs and forums. With my experience in education, guideline development and implementation, I aim to help expand the international exchange on diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders in childhood. From my work with ILAE as well as the WHO, I have learned that this is best done in a coordinated way in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, and to ensure an efficient roll out of attainable goals including implementation of guidelines at a local level.
ICNA offers a unique platform to coordinate child neurology between the various countries and societies in the world. Regarding both diagnosis and treatment, knowledge about neurological disorders in children is growing at an enormous pace. Genetic and acquired diseases pose challenges that require a conjunct effort of physicians from different regions. The international society may help to join such efforts, and establish networks bringing together clinicians and scientists in order to expand our knowledge on pathophysiology and treatment options.
Further, the international society can define standards of care and thereby help reduce knowledge and treatment gaps. In summary, I aim to continue serving ICNA in further developing its exciting initiatives, support child neurologists around the globe, and help improve the lives of children with neurological disorders. Within ICNA, I aim to further contribute to the ICNTN and JICNA, with an open mind to new developments arising over the next years.
Professor Helen Cross is The Prince of Wales’s Chair of Childhood Epilepsy and Head of the Developmental Neuroscience Research and Teaching Department at UCL-Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Neurology Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London and Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, UK. Specialising in complex epilepsy, she led the development of the epilepsy surgery programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Her research has been targeted at improving outcomes in early onset epilepsy, specifically in assessing the role of surgery and ketogenic diet, as well as more recently novel compounds in the treatment of rare epilepsies.
She also works on research projects advocating for improved epilepsy care and prevention in Africa and India. She has played a key role in the development of the Paediatric Epilepsy Training courses with the British Paediatric Neurology Association now in many countries worldwide, and translated into Spanish and Portuguese. She has held key leadership roles both nationally and internationally, including President of the British Paediatric Neurology Association 2008-2010, Clinical Advisor to the National Children’s Epilepsy Surgery Service since 2012, elected to the Board of the European Paediatric Neurology Society 2001-2010 and the Board of the International Child Neurology Association since 2014. She was elected to the management committee of the International League Against Epilepsy as Secretary general 2013-2017, Treasurer 2017-2021 and is currently President 2021-2025. She developed, as Coordinator, the European Reference Network for Rare and Complex Epilepsies (EpiCARE) launched in 2017.
The International Child Neurology Association advocates for the health and optimal management of all children with neurological disease, wherever they may reside. We have a responsibility to advocate through communication, education, as well as facilitation of research. These are exciting times for child neurology as we become an interventional rather than symptomatic speciality, but as we emerge from the effect of the pandemic, there will be many areas in child health requiring review and restructure, particularly in the area of prevention.
We will therefore need to work as an organisation to recognise priorities, and work with our community in ensuring the best course of action for ensuring appropriate services for the children within our care Education may work at many levels dependent on geographical area, and those responsible for delivering care. We should build our educational portfolio to address the skills required by all those caring for children with neurological disease – professional or carer. This may involve evaluating different methods of educational delivery.
We also need to build on the work already undertaken with regard to our younger child neurologists, the experts of the future. As we move forward, we should evaluate how we work with other organisations, to build on joint strengths rather than competition, and ensure joint working in transition of care as children with increasingly recognised disorders grow into adulthood. We should work toward a society where all children with neurological disease have access to optimal and timely appropriate management.
Dr Nicola Specchio, MD, PhD
Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital
Institute for Research and Health Care (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
I am Head of the Epilepsy Unit in the Department of Neuroscience at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy. Within this role, I am responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pediatric epilepsy.
My main interest lies with seizure semiology and the classification of epileptic seizures and syndromes, drug resistant epilepsies, developmental and epileptic encephalopathies. I published more than 180 papers in many international journals. I am also a principal investigator on different international clinical trials in patients with rare and complex epilepsies.
I am tutor for the Virtual Epilepsy Academy (VIREPA) of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) leading the course on non-epileptic paroxysmal disorders and the course on epileptic syndromes. I contributed with academic lectures to several International Courses on Epilepsies.
I participated as invited speaker to several national and international congresses.
I am recipient of the Young Investigator Award from the Commission of European Affair of the International League Against Epilepsy (2016) and of the “John Stobo Pritchard Award” from the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) (2020).
I am currently Chair of the ILAE Task force on Nosology and Classification, and since 2020 member of the Global Advocacy Council of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).
I am representative of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Europe and of the Italian Chapter of the ILAE.
I admire the ICNA mission, and I spent the past years focusing my activities on didactic purposes trying to improve the knowledge of child neurology. I believe my education and experiences will allow me to make immediate contributions and further the success of ICNA activity. I have a strong interest in working for a nonprofit organization in a capacity that deals with health and educational activities.
This interest led me to pursue different didactic activities in the fields of epilepsy, both as student and as teacher. In this role, I collaborated with other colleagues to plan, coordinate, and implement a variety of events that benefited the child neurology community. I will be able to meet the time demands with the support of the team members and scheduling all the data collecting tasks.
My core strengths include but are not limited to the following: providing professional, accurate and independent advice on the management of projects with the aim of improving the knowledge and the health care also in low-income countries, trying to work together with patient’s advocacy groups around the world.
To achieve sustainable growth, I might imagine a vision with clear goals to continually improve all aspects of the information and knowledge in child neurology mediated by ICNA. I am incredibly excited about the possibility of starting this work with the ICNA. Thank you for your time and consideration.
A/Prof Kate Riney MB BCh BAO, MRCP (University of Ireland, 1994), MRCPCH (UK, 2000), FRACP (General Paediatrics – 2004, Neurology - 2008, Royal Australasian College of Physicians) and PhD (University College London, 2008) is a Paediatric Neurologist specialized in Epileptology working at the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH), Brisbane, Australia. She is Neurosciences Research Lead and Clinical Lead, Neurophysiology Working Group at QCH. She has served as director, public officer and chief executive for the Australia and New Zealand Child Neurology Society for the period 2010-2017, including co-chairing the local organizing committee for ICNC/AOCCN 2012.
She has served the Epilepsy Society of Australia (as secretary) and the International League Against Epilepsy (2021-2025: Medical Therapies Commission, Plant Based Therapies Task Force (chair), Paediatrics Commission Transition Task Force, Program Innovation Task Force, EpilepsyDiagnosis.org and Terminology Task Force, Review Task Force; 2017-2021 Nosology and Definitions Task Force, Medical Therapy in Children Task Force; 2013-2017: Commission on Classification and Terminology, EpilepsyDiagnosis.org and Syndromes Task Force; 2009-2013: Diagnostic Website Task Force).
Her PhD was granted for research into advanced imaging in children with MRI-negative refractory focal epilepsy. She has authored ~70 publications with h-index of 22, contributed to book chapters in the Oxford handbook series and epilepsy textbooks and is principal investigator for the lead Australian site for several international multicentre clinical trials and research registries. She is advancing to Professor level at the University of Queensland (2022) with a long track record in teaching. She has developed and manages an online epilepsy diagnostic and teaching resource (www.epilepsydiagnosis.org) for the ILAE that is accessed by >15,000 users per month and used by international universities for medical student teaching.
If I was considered for membership of the executive board of ICNA, my vision for the organization would be to continue the mission of the 1973 founders of the ICNA, Sabine Pelc and John Stobo Prichard, which focussed on fostering collaborations between child neurologists, through the ICNA, to achieve improvements in the neurological care of children, no matter where they were in the world. As 2023 will be the 50th anniversary of the founding of the ICNA, my vision would be to use this milestone to acknowledge and celebrate the history and achievements of the organization to date, promote the organization, consider feedback from members, consider strategic planning and organizational structure, and develop achievable relevant goals for the ICNA for next 5 to 10 years ahead. I would use my enthusiasm and effort to assist in further building ICNA as the world-wide forum for collaboration to promote clinical care and scientific research as intended by the founders. I would actively assist all current ICNA endeavours, including all educational and training events, and I would bring my experience in roles in the Australia and New Zealand Child Neurology Society (2010-2017) and International League Against Epilepsy (2010-current) to the Executive Board to help further the organizations goals.
I am a child neurologist and epileptologist, and Clinical Professor at Perth Children’s Hospital, Australia. I direct the Child and Adolescent Epilepsy Program in Western Australia. After undergraduate training in Christian Medical College, Vellore, and post-graduate training in Paediatrics at the PGIMER, Chandigarh, India, I moved to Australia. I completed paediatric neurology training in Australia and in New York, USA. I have undertaken sabbaticals in Canada and Italy.
I have mentored and supervised paediatric and neurology trainees and examined undergraduate and postgraduate students. My research has been focused on childhood epilepsy and neonatal neurology. I have published over 70 papers and have edited a book on Neonatal Seizures. I am on the ILAE taskforce on Neonatal Seizures. I have given invited grand rounds and lectures in Bangladesh, Canada, France, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam.
My leadership and organisational skills have been acquired in a multitude of national and international organisations. I have served as Director of the Australia New Zealand Child Neurology Society (2012-2018) and am currently on the National Council of the Asia Oceanic Child Neurology Association. I have served the Epilepsy Society of Australia, as Vice-President (2006-2009) and chaired the Education Committee.
I am on the committee of the Australian Epilepsy Clinical Trials network. I was the Head of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth (2006 –2016) and have been the Secretary of the PMH Clinical Staff Association and served on various committees. I have been on the Executive Board of the International Child Neurology Association since 2014 and served on the following committees - Education and Research Committees since 2014, Scientific Committee of the International Child Neurology 2012, and ICNApedia. I am on the Editorial Board of Journal of International Child Neurology Association (JICNA).
I think of the International Child Neurology Association as a global neural network that shows plasticity, adaptability, and growth, modulating its connections to initiate and incorporate advances and challenges in child neurology, that aims to enhance, support, and strengthen brain, nerve and muscle health of children across the world. I have been on the Executive board of ICNA since 2014 and have been involved in many of the teaching, education, and research activities. ICNApedia, the Child Neurology Teaching network, the promotion of future leaders of ICNA, IRCN book series, JICNA – the journal, are some of the many exciting arms of ICNA, that facilitate communication between our members and associates and promote education, teaching, camaraderie, and research.
I would be honoured if elected to the position of secretary of ICNA. My extensive international experience (trained and worked across 5 countries and 3 continents) has made me realize the unique role ICNA can have in preventing neurodisability and promoting neurological wellbeing for children from diverse geopolitical, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. My vision is for a vibrant ICNA that promotes bidirectional respectful collaboration between its members.
An ICNA that is aware of and helps address the priorities and challenges encountered in different parts of the world. An ICNA that endeavours to tackle the inequities in health services for children with neurological disorders. An ICNA that facilitates discussion regarding ethics and finance in neurological care. An ICNA that promotes education, research, and training in child neurology, as well as advocates for its members in order to optimise the care of children with neurological dysfunction.
Mitsuhiro Kato, MD, PhD
Professor of Department of Pediatrics at Showa University School of Medicine
Director in charge of Internationalization Promotion Committee of the Japanese Society of Child Neurology (JSCN)
Editorial board member of Pediatric Neurology, Auditor of the Japan Epilepsy Society, and Councilor of the Japan Society of Human Genetics ktmthr@gmail.com
Mitsuhiro Kato graduated Yamagata University in 1988 and underwent training in Pediatric Neurology at Tottori University (1991-1992) and worked at University of Chicago (2001-2003) to advance his research interest in brain malformations. In 2002, he initiated a research project to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental and epileptic encephalopathies and found several responsible genes particularly for Ohtahara syndrome, such as ARX, STXBP1, SPTAN1, GNAO1, etc. He served as one of editorial board members of Epilepsia (2011-2017) and also one of genetic commission members of ILAE (2013-2017).
He organized a group of pediatric neurologists and neuroradiologists to discuss the undiagnosed cases in Japan, so called Zao seminar or the Annual Zao Conference on Pediatric Neurology, in 1996, which is now successfully making progress in communication and collaboration in the field of pediatric neurology with more than 1,300 members. His research interest continues to reveal the connection between structural disorders, such as brain malformation, and functional disorders, such as intellectual disability, movement disorders and epilepsy. Recently, his group found ATP1A3 as the causative gene for polymicrogyria (Sci Adv 2021). He also led a clinical trial of sirolimus for focal cortical dysplasia type II (Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2022).
The COVID-19 pandemic and a recent tragic invasion to the Ukraine make us difficult to move globally, however, the role of the ICNA is being questioned because of such an era. Thanks to the spread of the internet environment and our enthusiastic effort to facilitate the communication with video conference, we can recognize what we should do and we can keep up with the progress of child neurology. I would like to promote the following issues as EB if elected.
Professor Wang-Tso Lee is now the Professor and Chairman of Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, and Professor of Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. He is also the President of Taiwan Child Neurology Society. He is actively participating in different neurological activities in both Asian regions and the world.
He also has good connections in both clinical and research fields with other neurologists in the world. His researches focus on neurometabolic diseases, neurotransmitter diseases, and movement disorders. His Lab and team are working on the different gene functions related to movement disorders and neurotransmitter diseases using different approaches, including iPSC.
To provide better services to children with different neurological disease in the world, the ICNA should become the platform for sharing the knowledge of individuals from various countries. We should also encourage educational activities supported by ICNA to generate treatment guidelines, clinical diagnostic algorithms, and research activities of different levels. To establish better future for ICNA, we should also facilitate research and clinical collaborations among different regions, particularly for younger generation.
To achieve the mission of ICNA, we should also maximize its membership and encourage the active participation of its existing members from different countries. In the era of COVID-19 pandemic, we can also distribute the clinical knowledge using both telemedicine and other modern teaching methods. As a leading organization in the world for child neurology, ICNA should also establish meaningful partnerships with other important NGOs that work for children to provide better future and services for the kids.
Dr. Yuwu JIANG, male, 53 years old. He got his MD and PhD in 1992, 1998 from Peking University Health Science Center respectively. He worked as a post-doctor in the Medical School of Johns Hopkins University from August 2003 to June 2005. He is the Chair and Professor of Dept. of Pediatrics, Director of Pediatric Epilepsy Center, in Peking University First Hospital, and chair of pediatrics faculty in Peking University Health Science Center (PUHSC).
He is vice chair of Chinese Association Against Epilepsy (CAAE) and chair of The Innovation & Translation Commission of CAAE, vice chair of Chinese Pediatric Society (CPS), chair of Chinese Child Neurology Society (CCNS), chair of Chinese Association of Pediatric Neurologists (CAPN), vice chair of Chinese Association of Clinical Geneticists. He is the member of both ILAE (International League Against Epilepsy) Medical Therapies Task Force of the Paediatrics Commission and ILAE Terminology Task Force, the Co-opted member of ICNA (International Child Neurology Association) Executive Board. He is the Editorial Board member of Epilepsia Open (associate editor), Journal of Child Neurology, Epilepsy research, World Journal of Pediatrics and Chinese Journal of Pediatrics (associate editor). He was guest professor at University of Manchester, and awarded Distinguished International Academician by University of Minnesota, USA in 2010.
His Research interest is molecular and genetic mechanism of epilepsy and related developmental brain diseases, supported by multiple grants from China National Key Research Project, National Natural Science Fund of China, etc. He has published more than 110 original papers in international (55 papers) and domestic journals as the first or corresponding author.
ICNA is the biggest academic and professional association of child neurologists around the world which aim to advance the care of children with neurological problems throughout the world and to promote the communication and collaboration among the worldwide child neurologists. I was the secretary general of the joint congress of 9th ICNC/7th AOCCN in Beijing in 2002, and I attended as invited speakers in the 10th~14th ICNC. From 2014 to now, I was Co-opted member of ICNA Executive Board. I love to be a child neurologist.
I consider ICNA as a great career and wish to dedicate myself to it. I am the director of Child Neurology Center in Peking University First Hospital, the first established and nowadays still biggest child neurology center in China. As the head of the leading unit, I have very good relationship and friendship with almost all leaders of child neurology centers in China. I am chair of Chinese Child Neurology Society (CCNS) which support me to be one of the candidates for ICNA board member.
Therefore, I think I have most chances and very willing to unite our Chinese child neurologists to promote child neurology and ICNA in China, and finally benefit all patients here. I believe, with the help of ICNA, the CCNS will become one of the most active and high academic group in the big family of ICNA in near future, and child neurology in China will have a brighter future.
Conflicts of interest
I haven’t got any conflicts of interest for being a candidate for election to the ICNA Executive Board.
Chahnez was graduated from the Sfax university (SU), and did a postgraduate training in child neurology (CN) at the UCL (Brussels) and Kremlin Bicêtre (France). She founded a CN department in Sfax. To improve knowledge and the care on CN, she developed a training program, founded 6 associations in Tunisia, created a care center for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and the Tunisian Association of CP. She developed two postgraduate online training in epileptology and CN, a virtual CN consultation at Conakry hospital and established a research laboratory in CN and coordinate a H2020 Twinning in DEE.
Dr. Triki is also involved in the international effort to improve care for children with neurological conditions. She was elected President of the BIE and then of the ILAE in the Eastern Mediterranean region. During her 2017-2021 tenure as chair of ILAE-EMR, she launched annual regional epilepsy courses in French and English, a fellowship, visiting professor program and, during the pandemic, an epilepsy educational webinar program in French and English, which has evolved since April 2021 for EMR-Africa program.
Dr. Triki has been a member of the ICNA for over fifteen years and of the ACNA since its inception. She held a workshop in 2015 and obtained ICNA approval for her postgraduate training program. She has been an active member of the ICNA Board since 2018 and is a member of the Education and Nominating Committees. She is also a member of the International Child Neurology Training (ICNTN) conducted by the ICNA since 2021 with a program of webinars and training modules.
Dr Triki have also been involved in the WHO effort on neurological disease and brain health. She was co-chair of committee and expert member for several topics about child neurology. Dr. Triki has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles.
It is with great honour that I confirm my willingness to run for the general secretary position and board member. My vision is to make ICNA the most comprehensive source of knowledge and to ensure that all health professional, regardless of location or language, have access to educational resources and research that are essential to understanding, diagnosing and treating children with neurological diseases (CND) through the following strategies:
Strengthening education: Advocacy to Include CND in the undergraduate training. Strengthening the post-graduate training in different regions and languages. Establishment of regional courses, visiting professor and fellowships programs.
Unify all members around ICNA: By involving them in committees and research activities. Step forward and help countries with few specialists through virtual/face-to-face consultations, development of CND units and associations. Help local and regional associations to achieve their goals through administrative and scientific assistance.
Enhancing and strengthening research: better access to clinical trials and research funds on CND worldwide. Advocacy for the establishment of a clinical investigation centers for children. Establishment of multicenter studies and international platform for training on the methodology of research.
Public Health: Training modules and practical care guidelines, adapted for each region, for primary health care personnel in regions with few specialists.
Advocacy actions: Advocacy that CND are included in all training, congresses and international advocacy efforts for the development of the neurological diseases.
I believe that my experience as a member of the board of the ICNA, chair of regional ILAE and BIE, member of the WHO working group, coordinator of two programs of training and a strong advocate in the development of child neurology in Tunisia have given me a better understanding of how to lead and boost an international organization and will allow me, through my position in the board, to lead the ICNA towards wide horizons.
Edward Kija is a consultant Paediatric Neurologist from the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and Muhimbili National Hospital, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. He received undergraduate and post-graduate training in Dar-Es-Salaam and subsequently sub-specialty training in Paediatric Neurology at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, South Africa where he graduated in 2015.
A recipient of the 2016 CNS Bernard D’Souza award, Edward pioneered the establishment of a Paediatric Neurology Unit with dedicated inpatient and outpatient service, currently attending 80-100 patients in outpatient clinics and 10-20 inpatients per week. Nationally, he has been involved in developing the National Paediatric Standard Treatment Guidelines and National Essential Medicine list where the management of Epilepsy and other neurological conditions were incorporated which facilitated the availability of medications including anticonvulsants across the country. Edward is the country Lead for the Paediatric Epilepsy Training (PET), with over 150 health workers trained so far.
Internationally Edward is member of the East African Academy of Childhood Disability, an Executive Board Member of International Child Neurology Association, Executive Board Member of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) African Commission, member of the ILAE Paediatric Commission and a member for the Task Forces on Access to Medicines and Transition to Adolescent.
He has been involved in several multi country research projects, currently leading a WHO study assessing neurodevelopmental outcome of children who received immediate Kangaroo Mother care and Genetics Childhood Onset Epilepsies in Tanzania.
The International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) is an important global organ for promoting child neurology services around the world. For many years, ICNA has been able to connect clinicians providing child neurology services across the globe.
As a board member, I would like to strengthen the remarkable work that has been done by previous leaders in three main areas, training, research and equitable access to appropriate child neurology care.
In training, I would strengthen virtual and physical training to child neurologists and clinicians attending children with neurological disorders. I would arrange educational seminars and webinars that will provide updates on management of various neurological conditions. I would also wish ICNA working with other institutions and governments to encourage formal training of paediatric neurologists particularly in Sub Saharan Africa where there is significant scarcity of this expertise.
Secondly, I would like to see strengthening of research collaboration among Paediatric Neurologists to improve the research output particularly in resource limited countries. The research output in resource limited countries is very limited thus impacting what the world could learn from the diversity of disease conditions and comorbidities from these areas. Strengthening research collaboration will further the understanding and thus improve child neurology care based on locally generated evidence.
Thirdly, I would like to strengthen the involvement of ICNA at a global and national levels in promoting equitable child neurology services by improving accessibility of equipment, medicines and formally trained personnel who can deliver appropriate care. ICNA can facilitate raising of awareness for child neurology services across countries and thus lobby for more resources be allocated for these services.
I do believe a stronger ICNA will play a significant role in promoting training, research and raising awareness for more resource allocation to facilitate equitable child neurology services across countries.
I followed my medical studies at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar where I obtained my graduations with PHD in Medecine and Certificate of Special Studies in Neurology. After that I went to France for 2 years (2002-2004) Training in Pediatric Neurology attested by an Interuniversity Diploma. During the training, I was successively at Pediatric Neurology Department of Bicetre (under supervision of Pr Marc Tardieu) and Montpellier (under supervision of Bernard Echenne). At the same time I followed a training in genetic medicine with a diploma «Conseil Génétique et Diagnostic des maladies génétiques».
Since 2004 after I came back in Senegal I am Research professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar with a current status of Full professor and I manage University Diploma in Pediatric Neurology. My research interests are epilepsy, cerebral palsy and childhood stroke.
In addition, I am the President of Senegalese Association of Neurology and Senegalese league Against Epilepsy.
INTERNATIONAL CHILD NEUROLOGY ASSOCIATION must be a strong tool for developping pediatric neurology around the world. ICNA must federate all available resources around the world beyond the cultures and languages. The development of multilingualism is a mean to integrate many non-English speaking countries. ICNA can help the countries and professional associations to develop pediatric neurology by training programs supervised by ICNA. Information and communication technologies and the mobility of professionals can be used to support training programs in the field of pediatric neurology. It will be also necessar to se t up and build research programs on pediatric neurology.
Dr. Pauline Samia is a Paediatric Neurologist, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Paediatrics at Aga Khan University in Nairobi. She is a holder of an MPhil in Paediatric Neurology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Dr Samia has served as a board member of ICNA from 2018 – 2022. During this time, she has served as the chair of the advocacy committee. Under her leadership, several projects were undertaken including publication of three advocacy statements of the ICNA. She has been a regular reviewer of JCNA submissions and also supported ongoing work under the education committee. She was invited to make platform presentations at the ICNC/CNS congress held virtually in 2020 and since then has coordinated a review publication with ICNA colleagues based on the symposium on “Neuro-infectious Diseases: Measles vaccination- current situation and consequences - a global perspective” at this congress.
Pauline Samia has long held research interest in paediatric neurology conditions prevalent in the local Kenyan setting and has led research projects in Epilepsy, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy. Improving understanding of bio-psychosocial contributors to pre-term births including adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) with the aim of identifying preventable causes of child neuro-disability is another of Dr. Samia’s research interests. Her publications and contributions can be accessed on this link. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/pauline.samia.1/bibliography/public/
Dr. Samia has provided a clinical service which caters to over 250 individual children with various neurology conditions each month for over a decade. This large cohort of children has facilitated her clinical research and also allowed her and her colleagues to set up the first paediatric neurology fellowship training program in Eastern Africa which has already graduated the first cohort. Prior to this, with her support efforts five other Kenyan female paediatricians had been accepted into training as paediatric neurologists.
I have consistently contributed to the mission of the ICNA since joining in in 2010 particularly so as an executive board member from 2018 – 2022. I would wish to continue supporting the activities of the board particularly through research, advocacy and education committees. I would like to contribute to the completion of the evaluation of Paediatric fellowship training project and to implementation of recommendations that follow on from this endeavour. Facilitation of training of Paediatric neurologists particularly in low resource areas would be an impactful way to improve the quality of life for children living with neurology conditions though improved access to appropriate management.
Training Paediatric neurologists equip them with the capacity to be change agents and powerful advocates for the well-being of disadvantaged children. Paediatric neurologists are in short supply globally with this disparity being greatest in Africa. Data and advocacy statements from ICNA could stimulate governments and educational institutions to bridge this gap.
I look forward to an opportunity to complete other planned position statements of ICNA on Post COVID care and practice, pre-natal consultations, end of life practice in neuro intensive care and transition of Child Neurology patients to adult care. I also contribute to the activities of the editorial board of JICNA through submissions and providing peer review. I have encouraged colleagues to submit articles to JICNA to improve its output and would like to continue making these contributions in the future as a board member and help expand JICNA’s visibility and impact.
Equally I contribute to efforts of other organizations such as the ILAE and the Eastern Africa academy of childhood disability and If elected as a board member I would like to strengthen research and advocacy collaborations with colleagues in these other organizations to achieve the mission of ICNA.
Dr Idro is a Senior Lecturer at Makerere University and Consultant Paediatrician/Paediatric Neurologist at Mulago hospital, Uganda. He undertook both his basic medical and Paediatrics training at Makerere University, had his PhD (Clinical Neuroscience) at University of Amsterdam and Clinical training in Child Neurology with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in London.
At Makerere University, Dr Idro coordinates the Paediatrics and Child Health training and directs the Paediatric Neurology and Emergency Paediatrics courses for the program. He runs a large twice weekly general neurology clinic, is an Investigator on several large studies and a Co-Director on two training programs that aim to build neuroscience research capacity in East Africa.
Dr Idro has extensive research and clinical experience in pediatric neuroscience, particularly, understanding brain injury in children. His paediatric neuroscience research group in Uganda is conducting studies to characterize regional parasitic and viral brain infections and diseases such as the nodding syndrome, understanding their pathogenesis and sequelae, childhood epilepsy and stroke, and developing both supportive treatment and clinical trials for definitive treatment. He was part of the WHO Committee that developed the 2015 severe malaria management guidelines. His research, mentorship and clinical work has been recognized with multiple awards including the Sheila Wallace Award of ICNA, J Kimani Outstanding Neuroscientist Award of the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa, 2015 Medical Research Council (UK) African Research Leadership Award, and the 2019 Inaugural Greenwood Africa Award.
Dr Idro is a founding member of the International Pediatric Stroke Organization, has served on multiple commissions of the ILAE and is completing his first term as an Executive Board member of ICNA. He is also the Immediate Past President, Uganda Medical Association. He regularly writes and conducts patient education programs on neuroscience on the electronic media.
In my current term, among other items, I served on the research, advocacy, education, and burden of disease sub-themes, contributed to two ICNA position papers, continued to link with sister organizations including the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Brain Research Organization, led several large Paediatric Epilepsy trainings based on the British Paediatric Neurology Association training program for Paediatricians from west, east and south Africa, organized and taught on the regional European Academy of Neurology courses in Africa, contributed to the development of the curriculum and launch of newly introduced Paediatric Neurology training in Kenya and worked with the media and patient advocacy groups on patient and public education on multiple issues neuroscience. I will continue to build on these programs in the next term to further grow ICNA and child neurology in the region. Specifically, I will:
