Dr. Sahar M. A. Hassanein Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Neurology unit Faculty of Medicine - Ain Sham University
I have been a qualified Pediatric neurologist for almost 20-years, but my journey with child neurology began about 28years ago when my daughter was diagnosed as congenital hemiparesis due to perinatal stroke, she is an inspiring real-life hero. I am experienced in various fields of Pediatrics and child neurology, education, and conducting clinical research and publications, in Pediatric department, ASU since 1990. In addition, I got experience in hospital management and Joint Commission International (JCI) quality assurance and spent 13months as director of the Children’s hospital, ASU.
I always thought the ACNA is a unique platform having a comprehensive and global view of child neurology in Africa. I hope to take hands with my ACNA colleagues, who did great efforts to improve the lives of all African children through:
(1) Developing educational programs and training initiatives for resource-poor countries. As the creator of undergraduates and postgraduates’ eLearning courses of ASU and an admin since 2016, gave me experience in eLearning and Telemedicine. I hope to expand the scope of educational activities beyond the traditional ones and to set-up eLearning, telemedicine, and tele-education for emerging countries, where unmet needs across Africa are numerous.
(2) Development of registries.
My involvement with registries started in 2012 with the IPSS (International Pediatric Stroke Study in Canada), American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM), and TREAT-NMD. I have already been serving on the Executive Committee of the IPSS since December 2020.
(3) Fostering collaboration with other associations; to work with IPSS, AACPDM, and TREAT-NMD as African partners.
(4) Promoting advocacy by increasing awareness, promoting good practice. We can set-up global African clinical practice guidelines, which I could help with as a committee member of Egyptian clinical practice guidelines.
(5) Fostering research in low-resource settings according to our prevalent diseases and suiting our resources.
I am a child neurologist based in Nairobi,Kenya. I teach neurophysiology at Kenyatta University School of Medicine, and lead the clinical neurology service at the Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital: the largest tertiary children’s hospital in the East African region. I support supervision and training for the child neurology fellowship programme in Kenya which I helped found. I am also the founder and executive director of Afya Research Africa, an organization with an annual budget of USD 600K - 1M, whose core mission is to support access to sustainable quality health care services by under-served rural communities, and promote evidence synthesis and utilization by health workers.
I was instrumental in the founding of the National Epilepsy Coordination Committee, an umbrella organization that brings together stakeholders working in epilepsy in Kenya, and supports awareness and development of policies and guidelines in epilepsy. Recently, I have worked to promote access to genetic testing by children with neurological diseases in Kenya; improve capacity in neurophysiological services; facilitate access to medicines by children with spinal muscular atrophy; and promote regional collaboration in child neurology practice, research and scholarship. I maintain research interests in sickle cell disease, epilepsy and infectious encephalopathies.
In seeking the position of chair of the ACNA committee, I am interested in promoting ACNA’s mission to develop access to care; promote training; and advance research and collaboration in child neurology, in Africa. My work aligns with this mission and reflects a commitment to further ACNA’s objectives in my own small way. My background in developing organizations and leveraging technology for health solutions will serve in pushing ACNA’s agenda for access, capacity development, research, and collaboration.
I have the honor to present to you my candidacy for the position of Chair of ACNA committee. My decision is motiveted by this following reasons :
- My seniority (1989);
- My professional experience;
- My position as the head of the first pediatric neurology department in Tunisia exclusively dedicated to the care of children and adolescents with neurological diseases, recently upgraded and renovated and the director of the research laboratory focused on neurological diseases in children and adolescents, allowing translational research from the patient's bed to the bench and vice versa, both located within a multipurpose and unique National Institute Mongi Ben Hmida, exclusively dedicated to neurosciences ;
- Actually president-elect of the Tunisian Child Neurology Association (www.tcna.tn)since 18 July 2020 up to July 2023. The TCNA is opened to all the African pediatric neurologists in a purpose to contribute to the development of pediatric neurology in Africa.
- Many national and international collaboration networks are already developped (Europeen Pediatric Neurology Society (EPNS), Société Européenne de neuropédiatrie (SENP), Moroccan Association of Pediatric Neurology (AMNP), Lybien, Mauritanien, Algerian pediatric neurology study groups, large social networks ...);
- I am supported by a team of motivated young and senior’s graduates neuropediatricians and the TCNA Office. So, I feel ready: 1- To take on my mission as chair of the ACNA committee as a driving force for the development of pediatric neurology in Africa in the fields of training, education, care, prevention and research, in a friendly framework of collaborative and leadership exchange with the ACNA committee and ACNA memberships, taking into account the needs and specificities of each African region. 2- To Represent ACNA and advocate the interests and needs of the ACNA at the ICNA level.
Project_for_the_development_of_the_pediatric_neurology_in_Africa-_Pr_I._Turki.pdf
Chahnez Charfi Triki was born in Sfax, graduated from the University of Sfax, Tunisia. She completed her postgraduate training in child neurology in University Catholique Louvain in Brussels and Kremlin Bicêtre in France. As a lecturer at the University of Sfax, she founded a child neurology unit and later a child neurology department at the Hedi Chaker Hospital in Sfax (https://www.medecinesfax.org/fra/s196/pages/56/CHU-H.-Chaker).
Right from the start of her career, she was challenged by the lack of comprehension on behalf of neurologists and pediatricians regarding the particularities of treating children suffering from neurological diseases, who considered neuropediatrics to be only the physicians of those who are disabled. The treatment of these patients made her aware of the relevance of parents' associations and research to enhance the care of these children. She was the instigator of the development of 6 scientific and parents associations in Tunisia. Dr Triki established a care center for children with cerebral palsy, followed by a regional network for the early treatment of children with cerebral palsy, and later by the Tunisian Association of Cerebral Palsy.
The management of children with epilepsy was challenged by a limited knowledge of this subject, which was not an area of interest for neurologists and pediatricians. A master's degree in epileptology was created in 2000 and made available online in 2005. This master's degree has allowed the dissemination of updated knowledge on epilepsy to physicians in Tunisia but also in several African countries (Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Niger, Mali and Chad). The implementation of a drug-resistant epilepsy unit in child neurology depatement in Sfax was followed by the launch of a European research project (www.seedtwinning.com) focusing on the improvement of the epileptic encephalopathy management.
The objectives of this twinning project are to strengthening the expertise of researchers at the University of Sfax about the clinical and genetic diagnosis of EE. Her tenure as chair of the IBE in the Mediterranean Region and chair of the ILAE in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has allowed Dr. Triki to execute her program for improving knowledge and support for epilepsy. During her tenure of 2017-2021 as ILAE-EMR chair and with the collaboration of the EMR office, Dr. Triki has initiated two annual regional epilepsy courses in French and English, a fellowship program for young epileptologists, a visiting professors program, and most notably during the pandemic, an educational webinar program about epilepsy in both French and English for the EMR region.
Since April 2021, this program has evolved into a collaboration with the regional office in Africa. In order to assist doctors in the proper interpretation of the EEG, a website has been created (http://www.eeg.devsfax.org). To sustain these activities with future boards, a workbook has been made available to the new board members. Dr. Triki has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles. Dr. Triki has organized an ICNA workshops in Sfax, Tunisia in 2015. She has been an active member of the ICNA Executive Board since 2018, serving on both the Education and Nominating committees.
Uduak Offiong MBBCh, FWACP(Paed), M.A. (Child Health) Department of Paediatrics , University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada, Abuja Nigeria +234-8036184216 uroffiong@yahoo.com
As a child health specialist living and practicing in a developing country, I see first-hand the socio-economic burden of neurological disorders. As in my country, I believe the same for other countries in Africa. The ACNA was raised as a channel to address the challenges of care for children living with neuro-disabilities in Africa. These challenges were itemized during the inauguration of the association.
Despite the hard work over the years, the challenges still remain. As I ponder on the responsibility of leadership of the African Child Neurology Association, I see the greatness of the responsibility but also the possibilities of moving closer to the vison of the association. Having actively participated in leadership positions as head of department, national secretary and treasurer, I have found my strength in being able to coordinate human and material resources to achieve laid out goals. Working in these positions have sharpened my administrative abilities and have given me the opportunities to mentor others. My team building and communications skills will help in the area of furthering the growth in the membership of the association as well as in collaboration among sister associations within and outside the continent.
This collaboration I find most important as there is a great need for training, African derived data which in turn will give a clear picture to potential research funders of the needs within, drive research and help the development of management protocols. All these will give a stronger voice to the ACNA in advocating for African children living with neuro-disabilities. As I lead, I learn too. Being able to work with leaders past and present will be an enriching experience for me as I harness my skills while learning new ones. My greatest motivation in desiring this position is to serve. I ask for that opportunity.