David R. Schreier1, Christopher Traenka2, Rebekka Kurmann1, Arseny A. Sokolov3
1 Dept. of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital. 2 Dept. of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, Basel. 3 Dept. of Neurology, CHUV, University Hospital Lausanne.
The Swiss Association of Young Neurologists (SAYN) was founded on the 31st of October 2014 in Interlaken during the annual meeting of the Swiss Neurological Society (SNS) by a group of young and enthusiastic Neurology trainees. It was supported by and organised from the beginning on as part of the SNS. Since inception the SAYN is structured as an executive committee and core group. The executive committee consists of four people: the president, the vice-president, and two additional members. The core group consists of the task groups and local representatives of A-level hospitals (University based or equally qualified).
In June 2015, the first weekend-long workshop was held in Chexbres where the SAYN (executive committee and core group) members were better able to better connect and the needs of Neurology trainees could be identified. At that stage, already 8 out of 8 A-level hospitals were represented in the core group, and the following task groups were active: academic development, clinical training, and private practice. As a result of the workshop, a new task group “communication” was founded, a membership scheme was developed, projects further developed or initiated and outlined (e.g. SAYN initiated scientific and career sessions during the SNS annual meeting, field specific overview related to academic development), and new aims set.
The second workshop was held in October 2015 in Bern following the annual meeting of the SNS, during which the SAYN membership scheme was approved. As a result of the workshop in Bern, the responsibilities of the two additional members in the executive committee were revised to (I) head of events and (II) head of sponsoring and international contacts, and other parts of the structure of the SAYN were slightly adapted. In the following months, the SNS gave its approval to the SAYN to acquire sponsoring, and the SAYN recorded its first official members. Meanwhile, the introduction of the SAYN in all A-level hospital, which started in 2015 by holding short presentations, has been accomplished. The SAYN was presented also during other events.
The third workshop was held in April 2016 on the Monte Verità, for the first time supported by industry sponsors. On the Monte Verità, the first bylaws were formulated, representing another milestone in the history of the SAYN. In addition, the first elections and re-elections of the executive committee happened, and a new task group “social events” was founded.
Preceding, during, and after the 2nd congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Copenhagen, the SAYN connected with the Residents and Research Fellow Section (RRFS) of the EAN. In addition, the SAYN was invited to introduce itself as part of the general assembly at the EAN congress. A key point of that presentation was also the proposal of a Europe wide Mentoring Programme, which now is in development and will soon be presented to the RRFS and the other interested national young Neurologists societies.
Currently, the SAYN has 52 members (06/2016), and still 8 A-level hospitals are represented. The next workshop is scheduled for September 2016, again following the SNS annual meeting or the 2016 meeting of the Swiss Federation of Clinical Neuro-Societies which the SNS is part of respectively. A highlight of that workshop will be the participation of the RRFS and the other young neuroscience societies invited by the SAYN.
Further information can be found on the official SAYN-Website (www.swissneuro.ch/SVJN) or by contacting us (young-neuro@imk.ch).
