by Paul Boon, EAN President
Dear EAN members, friends and colleagues,
Now that the year is well underway, it is my pleasure to give you a brief update on some key EAN events and new initiatives that have come to fruition in the first half of 2023.
You will already be aware that we have recently hit quite a few milestones on the way to the 9th Annual Congress of the European Academy of Neurology on 1-4 July. Most importantly, registration for EAN 2023 opened on 31 January and reduced early fees are available until 26 April. Full EAN Members can also benefit from further reductions if they join or renew before 31 May. So, now is the time to act! Make sure your membership is secure for 2023 and register for the congress right away. It is my wish to see as many of you as possible onsite in Budapest, but the online participation options will also be fantastic, so I there is a way to get involved for anyone interested.
On the subject of involvement, I am delighted to report that abstract submission for the congress closed with a new record for an EAN onsite congress! Throughout December and January, more than 2,318 abstracts were submitted; the highest number we have ever received. Those abstracts are now being reviewed to assess their suitability for inclusion in our congress programme, which is already looking fantastic. The EAN 2023 Programme Planner is bursting with Plenary Sessions, Symposia, Teaching Courses and much more, so I urge you to explore and start refining your plans for a busy four days in July.
Our congress is obviously the centrepiece of the year for the EAN, but every year our calendar gets increasingly busy throughout, and two large events that are particularly important to us have recently had dates confirmed for 2023.
First, the National Neurological Society Forum will take place on 29 March. This is a unique and essential opportunity to connect with the presidents and delegates of all our national partners, to not only update them on our own progress across all spheres of activity, but also to absorb their feedback and answer questions. This chance to share information about new initiatives and discuss the support we can offer is a crucial part of our relationship with the national neurological societies.
The second large event on the horizon is the EAN Brain Health Summit, set for 9 May. Following the success of the very first EAN Brain Health Summit last year, this will now become a bi-annual even, targeting high-level political stakeholders and key players in the neurology field who play a vital role in supporting us in our mission to advocate for brain health. Speakers and details will be announced in due course, but in the meantime mark your calendars and catch up with the videos of last year’s original summit here, as well as the Brain Health Event, which we hosted at the European Parliament in December, here.
EAN is in the final stages of work on its Strategic Research Agenda. Hundreds of experts from across EAN’s 29 scientific panels have indicated major research priorities and gaps across the full spectrum of neurology. In addition, further review and input from patient representatives is being sought and publication of the agenda is anticipated in spring 2023.
Finally, I would like to share a word on two great new EAN projects that have been launched in recent months.
The EAN Leadership Programme is the realisation of a key EAN priority to invest in future leaders in neurology. Over the course of two years, it offers participants an extensive programme of training in essential leadership and advocacy skills that are not usually part of traditional curricula. For any existing or aspiring leaders interested in enhancing and gaining knowledge in this field, I would recommend reading more from our Education Committee Chair, Irena Rektorova, in her recent article on the programme.
The second new project is the EAN Congress Spin-Off with Masterclasses, which will take outstanding lectures from the previous EAN Annual Congress as a starting point for discussion in a number of masterclasses, during a one-day in-person event. The first edition is taking place in Salzburg, Austria, on 17 March under the heading ‘The role of Complement Inhibition in Neurological Rare Diseases: from Myasthenia Gravis to other muscle diseases’. For more details about this exciting new event, please visit the Congress Spin-Off page on the EAN website, here.
I look forward to seeing you in Budapest or online for EAN 2023 in July. Until then, have a wonderful winter and a joyful spring.
Best wishes
Paul Boon, EAN President
