An appeal from the President of ICNA

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing today to ask for your support for the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) and its activities. As you know, the work that ICNA performs is now entirely financed from funds raised. Membership is now free and has grown considerably to over 1,500 since we implemented this policy. ICNA is committed to generously helping and supporting colleagues from the developing world in their efforts to elevate standards in the practice of child neurology and neurodisability. ICNA has ambitious plans to advance this cause through educational programs in developing countries.

The International Child Neurology biennial congresses and the International Review of Child Neurology (IRCN) book series are highly valued for their scientific content and have been highly successful over the years. An open access free electronic journal (JICNA) is ready to be launched in the New Year. In 2012, we had a mini-symposium on ‘Epilepsy in Developing Countries’ in Uganda and an educational program in Mongolia. In addition, many of you attended the Congress in Brisbane, Australia. These were all highly successful.

In 2013, there were educational programs in Pune, India (January), Cape Town (February), Myanmar (February) and Lithuania (May). In all these programs, speakers pay their own airfare but local expenses are covered by the host country. Many of you have volunteered to be speakers and consultants in clinics and have been included in our programs. 2014 brings new programs all over the globe. Our biennial Congress will be in Iguazu Falls, Brazil in May and many of you will be attending. An ‘Autism in Africa’ workshop sponsored by NIH will be held in Accra, Ghana in April. Smaller teaching sessions will be held in Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines. As we are about to embark into a new year of promises and aspirations, I reach out for your valued support.

Please consider making a donation to ICNA. No amount is too small! Since you are an international group, I expect donations to be highly variable in the amount. It is perfectly OK to donate US$25 (or more) and be listed as a donor on the ICNA website. Seriously, we need this support. Please visit the ICNA webportal at http://www.icnapedia.org to make your donation. We prefer not to have paper checks because of excessive bank charges.

Thank you, and best wishes for the holiday season and a very happy and prosperous 2014. On a personal note, my term as President of ICNA expires in May 2014 and Dr. Ingrid Tein (Toronto) will be taking on this leadership role. However, I will remain as Chairman of the Educational Committee and continue to organize global teaching activities with your support.

Harry T. Chugani, MD
President, ICNA (2010-2014)