ICNApedia - News

The International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) was founded on 12 September 1973, during the Xth International Congress of Neurology in Barcelona, Spain.

The Foundation
The International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) was founded on 12 September 1973, during the Xth International Congress of Neurology in Barcelona, Spain.

The Articles of Association were approved by Royal Decree by Baudouin, King of Belgium on 14 August 1974. The registered office remains in Belgium but the Associations day to day business is transacted from offices of the Executive Office-Bearers of the day.

The Purpose
As set out in the Constitution, the general purpose of the Association is:

1. To create a non profit association of child neurologists and members of allied professions from all parts of the world dedicated to promoting clinical and scientific research in the field of child neurology and encouraging the recognition of child neurologists competence and scope of practice.

2. To provide at an international level an outlet for interchange of scientific and professional opinions for the benefit and advancement of the neurological sciences in infancy and childhood.

3. To establish international scientific meetings, international co-operative studies, publications, translations, audio-visual material and to encourage international exchange of teachers and students in the field of child neurology.

Details: ICNA; News; Published: 12 August 2011; Last Updated: 09 February 2020; Hits: 2150

The International Child Neurology Association was founded in 1973 to improve the care of children with neurological disorders worldwide, promote training in child neurology, and support research and international cooperation.

It is estimated that 70% of children with disabilities live in resource-poor countries¹ and most of these children have neurological impairments. The prevalence of common neurological conditions such as epilepsy is higher in resource-poor countries than the West.² Furthermore, the burden of acute neurological conditions such as seizures in these countries is also considerably higher than in the West. For example, neurological features occur in 20% of children admitted to a Kenyan district general hospital.³ Yet despite this significant burden, there are few personnel or facilities available for the management of neurological conditions in these parts of the world.

There is a considerable lack of medical personnel in many resource-poor countries. For example, there are less than 10 doctors per 100 000 people in many African countries, compared with 230/100 000 in the UK.⁴ There are few doctors with any neurological training. Thus, in many countries in Africa, there are no child neurologists. In those countries that have child neurologists, these doctors have not been able to obtain proper training, but often rely on a 6-month period in a Western centre on which they are expected to base their clinical expertise. These periods often provide experience that is not relevant to their home countries. Furthermore, these attachments have become even more problematic in Europe with the restrictions on employment of doctors from outside this region. But many doctors and other health care personnel without specialist training are interested in child neurology, and are keen to learn more, improve their expertise, and set up services for children with neurological conditions and neurodisabilities. So what can be done?

The training opportunities in resource-poor countries are limited, but are improving. Many of these countries have national societies of child neurology and/or developmental medicine, which organise local symposia for continuing medical education. The number of regional societies is also increasing, and these societies are often able to host larger meetings and attract more international speakers and medical practitioners interested in child neurology.

One of the remits of the International Child Neurology Association is to provide educational seminars throughout the world. These seminars are organised in collaboration with local medical societies, and draw upon the expertise of its members to provide lectures, case discussions and in some instances workshops. Furthermore, International Child Neurology Association supports a website (http://www.icnapedia.org/) that provides web-based access to appropriate papers and management protocols. On the website there is access to training programmes throughout the world. These initiatives are being taken up by doctors in resource-poor countries, helping the development of child neurology in these regions.

The International Child Neurology Association's ability to meet its goals comes through expanded membership (http://www.icnapedia.org/icna/membership/membership_of_the_icna_2007040111/). It represents a tangible mechanism by which Western paediatric neurologists can support child neurology in resource-poor countries. Furthermore, members can contribute to the Help Every Region Organize fund that supports members from countries where incomes are lower. But, there are also other benefits of membership. Each member receives a copy of the International Review of Child Neurology series for each year of membership. Books on Neurodisability, Stroke and Leucodystrophies are about to be published. Finally members obtain discount congress fees for the International Child Neurology Association international conferences on child neurology. These are held every 4 years, with the next one in Cairo in 2010 (http://www.icnc2010.com/), after which the conferences will be held every second year.

Thus, there are many ways in which International Child Neurology Association supports the development of Child Neurology in under resourced countries, but more support for International Child Neurology Association is required from, paediatric neurologists from Western countries.

CHARLES RJC NEWTON
Professor of Tropical Neurosciences and Paediatrics, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya;
Neuroscience Unit, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK

References

1. Helander E. Prejudice and dignity: an introduction to community based rehabilitation. New York: United Nations Development Programme, 1993.
2. World Health Organization. The World Health Report: 2001: Mental health: new understanding, new hope. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2001.
3. Idro R, Ndiritu M, Ogutu B, et al. Burden, features, and outcome of neurological involvement in acute falciparum malaria in Kenyan children. JAMA 2007; 297: 223240. Links
4. United Nations Development Programme. Human Development Report 2007/2008. New York: Palgrave Macmillian, 2007.
This article appears as an Editorial in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology Volume 51, Issue 7

Details: Charles Richard Newton; News; Published: 22 June 2011; Last Updated: 09 February 2020; Hits: 525

In an effort to increase the communication between local child neurology societies and the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA), the ICNA Executive Board has approved a newly formed Council of Delegates (COD). Our long term plan is to have each national or regional child neurology society send a delegate to the Council of Delegates (COD).

To date, the COD includes over 40 child neurology organizations. The mission of this COD will be to increase communication and foster collaboration among our local child neurology societies, and between these local societies and the ICNA. The delegates to the COD are determined by each local society.

The ICNA Educational Committee seeks to support speakers from ICNA to regional pediatric or child neurology conferences. The ICNA would support round trip economy airfare for a speaker to give 2 talks at a local conference. The local conference committee would be responsible for housing and registration. Please contact Prof. Kenneth J Mack for more details.

If you would like to contribute any items to future editions of the ICNA Newsletter, please let Professor Ken Mack or Professor Wilmshurst know. If you would like to make any contributions to the website ( http://www.icnapedia.org/ ), please let Prof Ken Mack or Dr Biju Hameed aware of your needs.The COD is a very exciting development for the ICNA. We truly believe that this effort will help to foster international communication and collaboration.
Kenneth J. Mack, MD PhD
International Child Neurology Association
Mayo Clinic
200 First St SW Rochester,
MN 55905
507 284 3351
507 284 0727 (fax)

ICNA Council Of Delegates

The Council of Delegates is loosely based on the WFN and will be made up of a delegate from each national or regional child neurology society.The purpose of this COD will be to increase communication and foster collaboration among the regional societies, and between these local societies and the ICNA.The delegates to the COD would be determined by each local society.

Prof Kenneth J. Mack will serve as liaison between the ICNA Board and the ICNA COD.The list has different levels of representation from major organizations to smaller groups. The COD is not a fixed exclusive group but an open committee but would not have specific “power” or voting rights over ICNA.

Society	Delegate
Asian and Oceanian Child Neurology Association	Yoichi Sakakihara,M.D
Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists	Richard Webster
Baltic Child Neurology Association	Tiina Talvik
Barnenevrologisk Interessegruppe (Norway)	Björn Bjurulf
British Paediatric Neurology Association	Finbar O'Callaghan
Chinese Child Neurology Society (CCNS)	Dr Yuwu Jiang
Child Neurology Society (US)	Jonathan Mink
Child Neurology Society of Slovenian Medical Association	Zvonka Rener Primec
Dansk Neuropædiatrisk Selskab	Dr. Peter Born
Ecuador	Galo Pesantez Cuesta
Egyptian Neuro Pediatric Society	Ibrahim Shoukry
Egyptian Society of Child Neuro-Psychiatry	Ahmed Raouf Ibrahim
European Paediatric Neurology Society	Colin kennedy
European Paediatric Neurology Society	Dana Craiu
Hellenic Paediatric Neurology Association	Dimitrios I Zafeiriou, MD, PhD
Hrvatskog Društva za Dječju Neurologiju (Croatia)	Biserka Resic
Iberoamerican Society of Pediatric Neurology	Hugo Arroyo
Italian Society of Pediatric Neurology (SINP)	Prof. Alberto Verrotti
Korean Child Neurology Association	Dong Wook KIM
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kinderneurologie	Coriene Catsman-Berrevoets
Paediatric Neurology and Development Association of South Africa	Andre Venter
Paediatric Neurology Association of Hong Kong (PNAHK)	Virginia Wong
Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Neuropädiatrie	Maja Steinlin
Sociedade Brasileira de Neurologia Infantil (SBNI)	Marilisa Guerreiro
Sociedad Mexicana de Neurologia Pediatrica	Jose Antonio Infante Cantu
Société Européenne de Neurologie Pédiatrique (SENP)	Prof Bernard Echenne
Spanish Pediatric Neurology Society (SENEP)	Jaume Campistol
Svensk Neuropediatrisk Förening	Martin Jägervall
Taiwan Child Neurology Society	Kun-Lung Hung
Turkish Child Neurology Society	Hasan Tekgül

Details: Dr Kenneth Mack; News; Published: 22 June 2011; Last Updated: 22 May 2021; Hits: 1915

Invitation to submit bids for the ICNC 2016

You are invited to submit a letter of intent to enter the bidding for the 2016 ICNC. A short letter from the key local medical organisers (not the conference management team) should be sent to the Secretary of ICNA (jo.wilmshurst@uct. ac.za).

The letter of intent should be no more than one page long. Selection of who will be invited to make a formal bid is initially based on previous geographical representation and your capacity to hold a meeting for between 1000-1500 delegates. You will be informed in November 2011 whether you are invited to put a complete bid together. Final bid selection for the 2016 ICNC will be made at the Brisbane ICNC in May 2012.

International Child Neurology Congresses 1975 - 2014
1975	Toronto, Canada	North America
1979	Sydney, Australia	East Asia / Oceania
1982	Copenhagen, Denmark	Europe
1986	Jerusalem, Israel	West Asia
1990	Tokyo, Japan	East Asia / Oceania
1992	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Central South America
1994	San Francisco, USA	North America
1998	Lljubjana, Slovenia	Europe
2002	Beijing, China	East Asia / Oceania
2006	Montreal, Canada	North America
2010	Cairo, Egypt	Africa
2012	Brisbane, Australia	East Asia / Oceania
2014	Iguazu Falls, Brazil	South America
2016	Bids invited to host the ICNC 2016	! Inviting Bids Now