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.

chahnez-triki-motivation-statement.docx

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