From the editors

Steven L. Lewis, MD, Walter Struhal, MD

We’d like to welcome all readers to the March-April 2022 issue of World Neurology.

The issue begins with the obituary of Dr. Jun Kimura (1935-2022), former WFN president and renowned electrodiagnostic neurologist, written by his colleague and former mentee, Ryuji Kaji.

In the President’s Column, WFN President Dr. Wolfgang Grisold discusses a number of items, including implications of the current global situation, internal developments and plans at the WFN, an update on COVID with regard to the WFN, the International Global Action Plan (IGAP) of the WHO, and World Brain Day 2022, devoted to Brain Health for All.

Dr. Chandrashekhar Meshram announces the important news that the Padma Shri Award, the highest civilian honor of India and conferred by the president of India in New Delhi, has been awarded to Dr. Bhimsen Singhal.

Dr. Meshram also summarizes Dr. Singhal’s remarkable accomplishments.

Drs. Marina Alpaidze, Tsotne Samadashvili, and Alex Razumovsky discuss the successful teaching course sponsored by the Neurosonology Specialty Group of the WFN held in Tbilisi, Georgia, in late 2021, which discussed the use of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography as an essential daily modality in the critical-care setting.

In this issue’s History Column, Dr. Peter Koehler discusses the early endeavors to build a CT scan, with particular reference to the Ukraine pioneers who were integral in this development.

This issue also includes a number of important announcements, including World Brain Day 2022 devoted to Brain Health for All, an announcement for the WFN’s call for applications for 2022 Grants, and an announcement of the upcoming 17th International Congress of Neuromuscular Disease, which will take place in Brussels in early July 2022.

This issue also updates us about a recent important position statement from the American Epilepsy Society about the serious risks associated with use of valproate by women of childbearing potential.

Finally, this issue also includes an obituary of Dr. Paul Kleihues, a world-renowned neuropathologist in the field of brain tumor research who was integral in the WHO classification of human tumors.

We thank all readers for their interest in World Neurology and invite you to submit ideas for contributions. Please send your ideas to stevenlewi@gmail.com. •

 

 

World Brain Day 2022; Brain Health For All

By Prof. Tissa Wijeratne and Prof. David Dodick

World Brain Day (WBD) 2022 is dedicated to the theme “Brain Health for All”  as our brains continue to be challenged by pandemics, wars, climate change, massive disparities in health equity and myriad preventable diseases.

The brain consists of about 100 billion neurons and up to five times as many glial cells. Each neuron connects to about 10,000 other neurons by way of trillions of synapses. The length of these connections end-to-end would wrap around the earth four times. Connections between these neurons help us read, write, watch, learn, plan, think, feel, move, love, and solve problems daily.

The 2022 WBD “Brain Health for All” campaign will focus on five key messages globally:

  1. Awareness: Brain health is vital for mental, social, and physical well-being.
  2. Prevention: Many brain diseases are preventable.
  3. Advocacy: Global efforts are required for optimal brain health.
  4. Education: Education is key to brain health for all.
  5. Access: Equitable access to resources, treatment, and rehabilitation are essential for brain health.

We invite neurologists, neuroscientists, health professionals, trainees, technologists, advocacy organizations, patient support groups, professional societies, and other activists to become part of the 2022 World Brain Day campaign. You can participate by posting our banner advertisement on your webpage and sharing our posts, messages, and videos with your friends and colleagues. You can partner with local neurology societies and organizations to promote these activities. Please encourage people with any neurological disorder and their caregivers to contribute by sharing their story via a short video message (less than 90 seconds) and emailing the video to wbd2022@wfneurology.org. You can visit our website and use the freely available educational resources to lead a successful World Brain Day campaign at your institution or organization this year.

On behalf of the WFN, we, the co-chairs of the WFN’s WBD campaign, look forward to virtually visiting your association, society, and regional group to work with you to extend the reach and impact of WBD 2022 to every household in your region and country.

Let us work together to optimize brain health for a better world and brighter future. •

Prof. Tissa Wijeratne and Prof. David Dodick are co-chairs of World Brain Day, World Federation of Neurology.

 

 

Padma Shri for Dr. Bhimsen Singhal

By Chandrashekhar Meshram

Chandrashekhar Meshram

The Padma Awards are the highest civilian honors of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. They are conferred by the president of India at an investiture ceremony in New Delhi. The award recognizes public service and significant achievements across a variety of disciplines such as art, engineering, medicine, social work, literature, education, sports, and others.

This year, Dr. Bhimsen Singhal has been selected for the Padma Shri award. Dr. Singhal is one of the most respected and eminent neurologists who has contributed significantly to the growth of neurology in India over the last 60 years. Born in Mount Abu in 1933, he received his training in neurology under Prof. Noshir Wadia at Grant Medical College in Mumbai. He is currently director of neurosciences at the Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences and previously served as professor and head of the department of neurology at Grant Medical College and Sir. J. J. Group of Hospitals in Mumbai. He has trained over 200 neurologists who provide care in urban and rural areas across India.

Dr. Bhimsen Singha

Dr. Singhal is renowned for his clinical skills and compassionate care. He has conducted clinical research, authoring several book chapters and scientific articles. He is recognized for his special expertise in multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, and Parkinson’s disease. He described the entity of megalencephalic leukodystrophy, especially prevalent in the Agarwal community and with international collaboration, identified its gene defect.  He has been associated with the WHO Working Groups for Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Dr. Singhal has served as regional director of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) and has been on its various committees. He continues to be active, seeing patients daily, attending conferences, and spending much of his time on philanthropic activities.

Dr. Singhal has received several prestigious national awards, such as the Dr. BC Roy National Award, the RD Birla National Award, the Priyadarshini Academy Award, the Wockhardt Award for Medical Excellence, and the Dhanvantari Award. He has been honored with named lectureships at the WFN and the Indian Academy of Neurology conferences. The Padma Shri award is particularly special. It recognizes his clinical and academic contributions as well as public service through his non-profit national foundations, highlighted in this article.

In 1998, Dr. Singhal established the Neurology Foundation with its mission of “knowledge and care.” Assistance is provided to patients with neurological disorders through its various programs like Sahay (financial assistance for medical treatment), Upchar (rehabilitation therapies for children and adults from low socio-economic areas), Aanchal (community outreach) and Parvarish (support for professional organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India and the Indian Epilepsy Association).  Since 1998, its highly popular biennial Neurology Update conferences have been attracting neurologists and physicians from all over India. World-renowned neurologists are specially invited to these meetings to interact and update the knowledge of the audience.

President of India conferring Padma Shri on Dr. B.S. Singhal.

In 2001, Dr. Singhal also founded the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society (PDMDS)—a nonprofit charitable organization supporting and rehabilitating persons with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. Over the years, the PDMDS has impacted the lives of thousands of persons with Parkinson’s disease. They regularly attend free sessions in 65 “support centers” spread across India. The majority of them continue to receive support throughout their lives. This PDMDS model has been acclaimed internationally as an effective model of care for developing countries.

In all these activities, Dr. Singhal has been well-supported by his family, colleagues, and grateful patients. His wife, Dr. Asha Singhal, an obstetrician and gynecologist, has devoted her life to the care of underprivileged people. His son, Dr. Aneesh Singhal, is a stroke neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and his daughter Dr. Seema Singhal is a hemato-oncologist (multiple myeloma) at Northwestern University Hospital in Chicago.

Dr. Singhal richly deserves this Padma Shri award. It will undoubtedly inspire future generations of neurologists and promote the growth of neurology in India and other parts of the world. •

Chandrashekhar Meshram is a co-opted trustee of the WFN.

Early Endeavors to Build a CT Scan: The Ukraine Pioneers

by Peter J. Koehler

Some years ago, I presented a lecture on the history of CT and MR at the History of Neurology course of the American Academy of Neurology (2018). Soon after the invention of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) in 1895, two steps needed to be made to improve brain imaging, notably the introduction of contrast enhancement and the production of 3D images.

The first step was taken by the use of air contrast in the ventricles of the brain, inserted directly (1918) or by lumbar puncture (1919). Arterial contrast followed in the 1927. The technique was called arterial encephalography as it was the brain rather than the arteries, in which physicians were interested at the time.

The second problem was, at least temporarily, solved by the introduction of planigraphy, better known as tomography, which was introduced in the early 1930s1. For many decades, a combination of air contrast X-rays and analogous tomography with small amounts of air was applied (PEG or pneumoencephalography). The procedure was quite uncomfortable for the patients. After the introduction of the air directly in the ventricle or by lumbar punction, the patients were rotated in a somersault chair to bring the air into the place of interest in the head. I remember having seen such a patient returning to the ward suffering from severe headache and vomiting. A short film clip of the procedure can be found here: ((46) The Scanner Story (Part 1 of 2 of documentary covering early CT development) – YouTube and go to the section 3.04-4.00 minutes).

Mathematics: The Inverse Radon Transform

Johann Radon (ca. 1920; Wikimedia Commons, public domain).Johann Radon (ca. 1920; Wikimedia Commons, public domain).

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the first attempts to look for a more patient-friendly method were conducted. Interestingly, the mathematical method for the reconstruction of an object from multiple projections had already been discovered by the mathematician Johann Radon (1887-1956) in 1917. Born in Tetschen, Bohemia (now Děčín in the Czech Republic), he studied at the University of Vienna. Due to his near-sightedness, he was exempt from the draft. He was active as a professor of mathematics at several universities in central Europe. His 1917 publication did not have immediate practical applications and was not used by subsequent CT pioneers.

Pioneers in Kiev: Rediscovering the Inverse Radon Transform

What is less well-known is that in the late 1950s, Ukraine pioneers were working on a reconstruction project. Doing research at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) in Kiev and named after the Kiev born aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), two men tried to make the experimental arrangement for reconstruction. Semyon Isaakovich Tetelbaum (1910-1958) studied at the KPI, after which he became electrical design engineer working on projects involving radio and television. In 1940, he became professor at the KPI. Boris Isakovich Korenblum (1923-2011) was born in Odessa, a city in the south of Ukraine, on the Black Sea, and changed careers from the violin to one in mathematics after winning a mathematics competition. He studied mathematics in Kiev. Being of Jewish descent, he escaped from being killed by the Nazis in Babi Jar. Losing his job during Stalin’s anti-Semitic campaign of 1952-1953, he got a position at the Construction Engineering Institute in Kiev, where he stayed until his emigration to Israel and later to the United States.

In 1956, Tetelbaum published “About the Problem of Improvement of Images Obtained With the Help of Optical and Analog Instruments” in Bulletin of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute2. The subsequent year another article by him followed in the same periodical, notably “About a Method of Obtaining Volumetric Images by Means of X-ray Radiation.3” (See Figure 1.) In 1958, Korenblum, Tetelbaum, and Tyutin published an article titled “About a Scheme of Tomography” in the Proceedings of Higher Educational Institutions – Radiophysics4.

Semyon I. Tetelbaum (left) and Boris I. Korenblum.

The articles remained unnoticed in the Western world until Harrison H. Barrett (Department of Radiology and Optical Sciences Center), William G. Hawkins (Department of Mathematics), and Michael L.G. Joy (Institute of Biomedical Engineering) of the University of Arizona published a “Historical Note on Computed Tomography” in 1983. The authors wrote that Tetelbaum “formulated the tomography problem in terms of line integrals and found the exact solution, which is now referred to as the inverse Radon transform.” Korenblum, Tetelbaum, and Tyutin “gave a detailed account of the theory, including a method of fan-beam correction, equivalent to reordering the data, and a discussion of a practical way of handling the singularity in the integrand of the inverse Radon transform.” Furthermore, in their paper, the Ukraine scientists “presented a block diagram of television-based analog computing system for implementing the reconstruction” and estimated the system should be capable of “reconstructing a 100 x 100 image in five minutes.” (See Figure 2.)

One of the authors of the historical note (Hawkins) programmed the reconstruction algorithm and concluded that it performed satisfactorily, although “because it was not computationally efficient, only a 32 x 32 image was reconstructed.”5 As the papers were published in the Russian language, it was difficult to access the contents. More recently, two of the three articles have been translated by Alex Gustschin, chair of biomedical physics in the Department of Physics and Munich School of Bioengineering, Technical University of Munich.6,7 He also provided comments and biographical data on Tetelbaum and Korenblum, but was unable to find information about Tyutin.

So why didn’t Korenblum and his colleagues build the machine in 1958? In 1983, Barrett and colleagues wrote that they “continue to search unsuccessfully for later references to the reconstructed images.” Gustschin suggested that the unexpected death at age 48 of Tetelbaum in 1958 may have caused the end of the project.

Second Rediscovery of the Radon Transform

Figure 1. From Tetelbaum’s 1957 publication.3

Unaware of the publications of Radon or the Ukraine scientists, William Henry Oldendorf (1925-1992), a neurologist working at UCLA, built a prototype to transmit a beam of X-rays through the head and reconstruct its image in 1959-1960. Although the method was patented, he was unable to get it funded.

Figure 2. Functional block diagram of the television-based computing device from Korenblum et al. 1958.4

Working in Cape Town, South Africa, approximately in the same period, and later moving to Tufts University, Allan McLeod Cormack (1924-1998) formulated mathematics of reconstruction for simple attenuating objects with certain symmetry and applied a reconstruction technique (1957) with some success. He constructed an experimental scanner (1963) and only in 1970 he became aware of the solution found by Johann Radon in 1917. The story of Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield (1919-2004) is probably well-known. Working at EMI in London since 1949, he led a design team for building the first all-transistor computer (1958) to be constructed in Britain. Then he did early tests with a laboratory CT using a gamma ray source and single detector.

Figure 3. First clinical CT-scan (October 1971).

In October 1971, the first clinical scan was made. High-resolution images of a 41-year-old woman with a frontal tumor were produced in cooperation with neuroradiologist James Ambrose (1923-2006) at Atkinson Morley Hospital. (See Figure 3.) Cormack and Hounsfield received the Nobel Award for Medicine or Physiology in 1979. A 15-minute documentary on Hounsfield and Ambrose can be found at (46) The Scanner Story (Part 1 of 2 of documentary covering early CT development) – YouTube. •

 

 

References

  1. Lutters B, Koehler PJ. Cerebral pneumography and the 20th century localization of brain tumours. Brain. 2018 Mar 1;141(3):927-933.
  2. Tetelbaum SI. About the problem of improvement of images obtained with the help of optical and analog instruments” Bulletin of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute 1956;21:222.
  3. Tetelbaum SI. About a method of obtaining volumetric images by means of X-ray radiation. Bulletin of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute 1957:22:154-60.
  4. Korenblum BI, Tetelbaum SI, Tyutin AA. About a scheme of tomography Proceedings of Higher Educational Institutions – Radiophysics 1958;1:151-7.
  5. Barrett HH, Hawkins WG, Joy ML. Historical note on computed tomography. Radiology. 1983 Apr;147(1):172
  6. Gustschin A. Translation of Tetelbaum SI: About a Method of Obtaining Volumetric Images by Means of X-ray Radiation. arXiv:2001.03806.
  7. Gustschin A. Translation of Korenblum et al. About a scheme of tomography. arXiv:2004.03750.
  8. Webb S. From the Watching of, 1990. Shadows: The Origins of Radiological Tomography Bristol & New York. Hilger

 

Announcing ICNMD 2022

The 17th International Congress of Neuromuscular Disease will take place July 5-July 9 in Brussels.

On Tuesday, we will have eight teaching courses and two hands-on courses (four hours each with a break in between).

The TC02 (TC02: Diagnosis and Treatment of GBS, CIDP and Autoimmune Nodopathies) & TC06 (Diagnosis of Inherited Neuropathies) are endorsed by the ICNMD/PNS Society

From Wednesday, the program includes a daily morning plenary followed by concurrent scientific sessions (22), workshops (12) and overarching sessions (11). Included are nine sessions for oral presentations and a special session for Regional Aspects of Neuromuscular Diseases – a joint WFN-ICNMD session.

Here are the titles of the four plenary sessions: 

Wednesday, July 6 | Trial Readiness and Advances in Therapy in Hereditary and Inflammatory Myopathies

Thursday, July 7 | The ALS-FTD Overlap Syndrome

Friday, July 8 | Guillain-Barré Syndrome: State of the Art and Challenges (Endorsed by ICNMD/PNS Society)

Saturday, July 9 | New Developments in Diagnosis and Treatment of Myasthenia Gravis and Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome

Here is the link to the preliminary program: https://icnmd.org/program2022/

For more information, contact Barbara Bricalli, program manager of ICNMD 2022 via www.icnmd.org. •

 

 

 

Neurosonology Specialty Group WFN Teaching Course

Meeting discussed use of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography as an essential daily modality in the critical-care setting.

By Marina Alpaidze, MD, PhD, Tsotne Samadashvili, MD, PhD, and Alex Razumovsky. PhD, FAHA, NVS

Conference room at Caucasus Medical Center.

The Neurosonology Specialty Group of the WFN is dedicated to the promotion of science and research as well of education and training in the field of ultrasonic techniques and its clinical utilization. Therefore, international cooperation and the dissemination of scientific information within the field of neurosonology is part of the WFN Neurosonology Specialty Group activities.

The WFN Neurosonology Specialty Group course considering clinical applications of transcranial Doppler (TCD) utilization in neurocritical care and neurosurgery was held Nov. 5, 2021, at the Caucasus Medical Centre in Tbilisi, Georgia. The meeting was conducted under the auspices of the NSG WFN, Georgian School of Anesthesia and Intensive Therapy, and Georgian Chapter of NSG WFN, and the Georgian Society of Cerebral Hemodynamics and Neurosonology.

Razumovsky (top left), L.Tsikarishvili. (bottom left), T. Samadashvili (top right), M. Alpaidze (bottom right).

Among the faculty were Drs. T. Samadashvili, MD, PhD, president of the Georgian School of Anesthesia and Intensive Therapy (NGO) and chair of the anesthesiology department at Caucasus Medical Centre; Lado Tsikarishvili, MD, PhD, chair of the neurosurgery department at Caucasus Medical Centre; M. Alpaidze, MD, PhD, professor in the department of radiology at the Tbilisi State Medical University; and Alexander Razumovsky, PhD, FAHA, NVS, secretary of the WFN Neurosonology Specialty Group.

(From left to the right) L. Tsikarishvili (neurosurgeon), T. Samadashvili (anesthesiologist), M. Alpaidze (radiologist), and A. Razumovsky (neurophysiologist).

This course was designed for different medical specialists, including neurologists, neurocritical care physicians, and neurosurgeons.  Presentations were related to the clinical yield of TCD for neurocritical care applications, specifically for patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury. Different aspects of neurosurgical, critical care, and neurosonology were discussed in detail. Among them were management strategies of cerebral vasospasm after SAH and TBI. Some new trends in the clinical utilization of neurosonology applications were debated. Due to the COVID-19 regulations in Georgia, the meeting offered simultaneous live broadcast for a wide-ranging audience. •

Marina Alpaidze, MD, PhD, is professor in the radiology department at Tbilisi State Medical University. Tsotne Samadashvili, MD, PhD, is chair of the anesthesiology department at Caucasus Medical Center. Alex Razumovsky. PhD, FAHA, NVS, is secretary of the Neurosonology Specialty Group of the WFN.

 

 

American Epilepsy Society Announces Position Statement on Valproate Use in Women of Childbearing Potential

R. Edward Hogan, MD, David G. Vossler, MD

The American Epilepsy Society (AES) president, R. Edward Hogan, MD, recently shared important information about the serious risks associated with use of valproate (valproic acid, divalproex) by women of childbearing potential, as highlighted in the updated AES Position Statement on the Use of Valproate by Women of Childbearing Potential.

Valproate is prescribed across a diverse range of specialties and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder and for migraine headache prophylaxis.

The updated AES position statement highlights specific warnings related to significant risk of fetal teratogenicity and risk of decreased IQ and other neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, in children exposed to valproate in utero, and a contraindication to its use for migraine prevention in pregnant women and women of childbearing potential not using effective contraception.

The statement cites evidence that increased awareness of these important considerations for women of childbearing potential correlates to reduced fetal exposure and risks. Based on this evidence and the epilepsy care experience, AES encourages provider conversations with patients to mitigate these risks, reduce in utero valproate exposure, and promote safe and effective treatment for women of childbearing potential.

AES Council on Clinical Activities Chair David G. Vossler, MD, cited this AES position statement as an important extension of the ongoing work of the Council’s Treatments Committee to monitor and inform AES members about important Drug News and FDA Alerts related to care of people with epilepsy. •

 

 

Dr. Paul Kleihues (May 21,1936-March 17, 2022)

Dr. Paul Kleihues passed away March 17, 2022, at the age of 85 years.

Dr. Kleihues was a world-renowned neuropathologist in the field of brain tumor research. Starting his scientific and professional career at neuroscience and neuropathology institutions in Germany, he later served as director of the Institute of Neuropathology at the university hospital in Zurich, and subsequently as head of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), World Health Organization (WHO). He took responsibility for the WHO classification of human tumors, and was particularly interested in the integration of clinics, radiology, histology, and molecular genetics as fundamental basis for comprehensive and precise tumor typing. His personal professional and scientific activities, in tight cooperation with Dr. Hiroko Ohgaki, left a sustainable legacy in brain tumor classification.

Within the international neuropathology community, Dr. Kleihues was a highly appreciated and benevolent mentor, colleague, and friend.

The IARC commemorates Dr. Kleihues and his achievements in a respectful and compassionate obituary: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/dr-paul-kleihues-21-may-1936-17-march-2022/ •

—Dr. Johannes Hainfellner

Division of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry (Obersteiner Institute) Department of Neurology Medical University of Vienna, Austria

2022 WFN Grants-In-Aid

The WFN mission is to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide, and this year, the WFN is offering up to six grants of up to $25,000 with a maximum spend of $100,000.

Research projects that will be considered for funding include:

  • Education such as research on neurological education and patient education (Please note that grants related to the funding or creation of neurological residency or fellowship training programs will not be awarded.)Improvement of neurological services
  • Regional collaboration
  • Disease-based projects (Please note that pure laboratory or “bench research” projects are out of the scope of this grant program.)

2022 grant applications that are likely not to be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will be preferred.

We look forward to reviewing applications for the 2022 WFN grant program.

Eligibility

Neurologists less than 10 years from graduating in neurology from WFN Member Societies.

Preference will be given to applicants residing in areas of World Bank low/lower-middle-income countries.

Aim

The WFN seeks to fund low-cost, high-impact education and outcome research projects able to be implemented locally (at source). International cooperation is encouraged.

(Please note projects to provide routine health care and ongoing research proposals are not eligible).

Criteria

Projects should be in education, improvement of services (regional or national), or scientific and require the collection of data to test a hypothesis.

Each grant will have to satisfy its terms of the agreement. (See below.)

In the application, please address the following points:

  • Relevance: How does the project directly address the mission of the WFN?
  • Value: What is the return on invested effort in funds and/or time?
  • Viability: Is this a time-limited project with a measurable outcome or is it an initiative that will grow and support the development of further research or initiatives?
  • Synergy: Within the WFN and among committees, initiatives, and task forces, with outside partners, governmental and non-governmental organisations, the WHO, fundraising agencies etc.
  • Please suggest possible partners. For example, a project on stroke would probably be interesting for the WSO, for epilepsy possibly with the ILAE, etc. (See co-sponsored grants.)
  • Evaluation: How will the outcome be measured?
  • Management: Good governance, transparent monitoring, and clear interim and financial reports are required.

Co-Sponsored Grants

The WFN encourages co-sponsored grants. These grants will be co-sponsored by the WFN and a partner organization. The partner organization can be a scientific society (e.g. ILAE, MDS, etc.), a regional society (EAN, AOAN etc.), or a national society. The partner organization will sign a sponsorship agreement with the WFN to define the shared costs and the role of the individual partners in such projects.

Project responsibility and reporting will be shared by the WFN and the partner organization.

Deadlines

  • Application due by July 1, 2022
  • Applicants will be notified of successful funding in due course after the closing date.
  • Once applicants are informed of the decision, funding will begin as soon as it can be arranged thereafter.
  • Applications are to be submitted exclusively using the online WFN grant application form and should include the following:

Application Checklist

  • The name of the lead applicant with curriculum vitae and any sponsoring group
  • Title of the project
  • Description of the project
  • Direct relevance of the project to the mission of the WFN
  • Viability of the project
  • Timeline of the project, dates, and duration
  • Detailed budget in U.S. dollars
  • Name of bank to enable electronic funds transfer and confirmation of the same by the specified bank
  • Approval by a local or institutional ethics committee

All funding must be received through an academic institution account.

Please visit the WFN website for additional information. •

The WFN: Past and Future

Wolfgang Grisold

This is my first column as the WFN president in World Neurology but not my first article in our newsletter, edited by Steven Lewis. World Neurology has become an important source of information for members and serves to communicate information on the WFN.

Before I comment on the present state of the WFN, and the vision for this year and the following years, I want to thank the outgoing president, William Carroll, and all trustees having served in the previous administration, for their huge efforts and devotion to the WFN.

I also want to thank all committees, Specialty Groups, cooperating societies, and the WFN office as well as the professional conference organizer (PCO) (Kenes) who mastered the difficult transition from classic congress to virtual congresses.

Ryuji Kaji, the outgoing vice president, was chair of this successful transition into a virtual congress. The abilities of the PCO also must be commended.

The WFN is a U.K. charity with 123 member societies. The work is supported by the London office, a few external coworkers, and a lean structure.

The WFN is by constitution and voting system in a constant flux in leadership. This year, one new trustee position and a new secretary general will be at disposition at the next Congress of Delegates (COD) meeting and adds to the dynamic effects of change.

The WFN has a robust and detailed structure, which serves as the basis for further improvement and development. This transition of administration will be smooth, and the main targets and goals will be adapted and improved.

In the first Trustee meeting, held Jan. 13, 2022, Prof. Guy Rouleau (Canada) was welcomed into the WFN board of trustees as the new vice president. Prof. Rouleau is from Montreal, Canada, was the delegate of Canada to the WFN, has participated in the WFN department visit program, and is the Congress president for the World Congress of Neurology (WCN) 2023 in Montreal.

The trustees decided on the composition of the WFN leadership until the next COD meeting 2022. The position of the secretary general will be taken by Steven Lewis (U.S.), who has been a long-time supporter within the leadership. We decided to use the opportunity and allow more regional representation, which will include Prof. Chandrashekhar Meshram (India), Prof. Marco Medina (Honduras), and Prof. Riadh Gouider (Tunisia) from the Asian, Latin American, African, and the Pan-Arab regions, respectively.

This is a unique opportunity to have representatives of the regions on the board, and gives the trustees the flexibility to have this option until the next COD meeting, where the election of one trustee and secretary general will take place, and the further composition of the coopted trustees can be adjusted again, within the available positions.

Due to COVID-19 and travel conditions, a traditional first face-to-face meeting with the trustees and the regions was not possible this year. COVID hampers activities on the one hand, and on the other, shows what creative potential this provides to communication, teaching, and virtual congresses. This will be overcome by a 2-day virtual conference, which will give each region and the trustees the possibilities to learn more on the needs of neurology worldwide.

At this time, most terms of office for the committees come to an end, and much effort will be exercised to select the most interested and capable persons as well as to selecting regions and gender.

For the upcoming year, there is still uncertainty on the possibility of live meetings, but it is planned that the WFN leadership will meet with the leadership of the AAN and the EAN this year, at this year’s conferences. Hopefully, it will be possible to also attend the Indian Academy of Neurology and the Asian Oceanian Congress of Neurology meetings, and the WFN will also attend other regional meetings. The annual COD meeting will be this fall, although the site has not yet been determined.

WCN

One important task of the WFN is the organization of biennial congresses, rotating through the regions. After the successful congress with SIN 2021, which was virtual, the next congress is planned for 2023 in Montreal hosted by the Canadian society, and in 2025 in Seoul, Korea.

For both meetings the preparations at different levels are ongoing, and the first congress announcements and calls for Montreal will be appearing soon.

The WCN is an important part of the WFN activities and provides attractive programs with plenary sessions showcasing new and current developments, scientific sessions aimed at specific topics, a large number of abstract presentations, and general education. The WCN aims at high scientific quality and universal approach for many regions as well as communicative aspects between participants and members.

We will aim to have a patient day and will support the activities of young neurologists. For countries in need, adapted fees will be in place according to the income status, and congress bursaries will be available. As lessons learned from the pandemic, we will also provide hybrid activities featuring important topics.

World Brain Day

The WFN has created the World Brain Day (WBD), which has become an important and powerful instrument to facilitate topics and neurological issues globally. This year’s topic will be Brain Health for All, which will put us in contact with many regional societies, as well as reflects the importance of the topic that was started by the WFN last year on the initiative of our Past-President William Carroll. At this stage, the content was composed of videos and webinars that were well received and also stimulated the interest in this topic.

This year, we will work closely with the regions and will enhance our efforts to encourage local and regional events. Visit the WFN website for further developments and try to implement brain health initiatives in your region. As in previous years, we will provide tools, such as posters, press statements, and other useful support that can be adapted and used locally to celebrate WBD.

WHO

From the ongoing activities of brain health and WBD, the close cooperation with the WHO will continue to globally raise the awareness for neurology and provide more access for those in need. The WFN has contributed jointly with the Global Neurology Alliance (GNA) to develop comments and suggestions for the Intersectorial Global Action Plan (IGAP), and the WFN considers this an important step for the global development of neurology.

Traditionally, the WFN has been in close contact with the WHO, such as the involvement in the ICD, the joint publication of the Atlas (Editions 1 and 2) and historically a “white book” (Country Resources for Neurological Disorders) on neurological resources, which dates back to 2006 and needs a relaunch.

The WFN also collaborates in WHO activities related to the COVID pandemic and is engaged in several workforces.

It will be important for the regional societies to engage in local WHO activities as this has been done previously by some regions. This will deal with specific topics and can also increase awareness and possibly impact.

Closely linked with this global activity is the Needs Registry. Looking at needs, the outgoing president, Prof. Carroll, on behalf of the WFN, will finalize a Needs Registry, which is based on a membership survey, and will give more details on the worldwide needs. This important paper will be published on behalf of the WFN and will be of help to better understand neurologic needs and access worldwide.

Education

Education is one of the core missions of the WFN. Education at all levels will be one of our main tasks.

We have a spectrum of educational activities, ranging from the Junior Traveling Fellowships and congress bursaries, to WFN Teaching Centers and Department Visits. Also, educational sessions are part of the WCN. We have an educational day in Africa, a joint headache educational day with the International Headache Society and the Global Patient Advocacy Coalition

(GPAC) and the annual Regional Teaching Course in Africa with the EAN. These activities will be continued and updated. (For details, visit the WFN website). The educational days in Africa have become a good template to reach a large audience, and these educational days can be expanded to other regions. The education day on headache with IHS/GPAC will be continued this year.

We will increase our activities in e-learning, and the e-learning hub on the WFN website, which was introduced last year, and will be expanded. We look forward to seeing how this important instrument will contribute to global educational activities.

We are also determined to look at new educational activities, such as mentorship, advocacy, and leadership. Format hybrid meetings and asynchronous meetings will be considered. New models, such as apps, mini or micro learning, as well as the concept of M (mobile) learning will be evaluated for possible use.

Core Curriculum

The definition of neurology as a field is difficult. Even more difficult to define is the content of a core curriculum. This is due to the large variation of the resources of our membership, which ranges from highest standards toward members with hardly any neurological workforce. Discussions within the WFN on a possible core curriculum have been ongoing for years. Interviews with several members have shown that a basic core curriculum will be important for many members societies to develop neurology and neurological facilities.

For the development of future programs, we will also receive input from the specialty groups and the Global Neurology Alliance, which is composed of world societies, specialist societies, the regions, and specialty groups.

In previous years, this cooperation has been effective and adds to the impact of programs. A good example is the Regional Teaching Course in Africa, which is chaired by the EAN and where the AAN, the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), and the WFN regularly participate. We are grateful to the educational activities of the specialty groups. As an example, at this year’s International Congress of Neuromuscular Disease (https://icnmd.org), a joint WFN-ICNMD lecturer will illustrate the topic of neuromuscular disease in lower middle-income countries.

The content of education is not limited to knowledge and science. We also need to teach advocacy and leadership for neurologists. We must find ways to help our young and trained neurologists find attractive positions and work in and for the WFN.

Our vision is that successful participants of our leadership seminars will be able to participate in the work of committees and leadership and be able to learn and see the organizational needs and requirements.

The WFN has a grant award program with yearly funding. This will be continued and will be mainly directed toward educational activities in both research and practical application.

Publications

The WFN has three publications: the Journal of the Neurological Sciences (John England, Editor), eNS (Walter Struhal, Editor) and World Neurology (Steven Lewis, Editor). These publications help to promote neurology worldwide and are an important source of information and education. We have now established a platform for recommendations from the editors, and hope to be able to synchronize on important topics in the future

Social media is helping to promote new articles and important developments and has become an important part of our communication. The content and targets will need to expand to a larger group, including lay persons, patients, and health care providers.

Internal Work

Based on the WFN structure, we need to improve communication and outreach with regions and member societies. The detailed work with the members societies from last year has increased our understanding and identified some blind spots, which need to be removed.

Internally, the WFN needs to be prepared for the future. In addition to gender, young neurologists, and patients, we will make sure the future transitions of administrations will be smooth and already incorporate the president-elect, which will need a change of the procedures.

Importantly, we will need to consider gender and diversity, the need of young neurologists, and install a platform for patient organizations into the WFN. This will need preparatory work and will require important input from our committees, which will be asked to provide ideas and suggestions.

This work needs strong administrative support from the trustees and organizationally from the office team, which is an important part of our strategy.

In Summary

Communication, increasing the impact of the WFN, and internal adaptations will be the task for the WFN in the next period, and I will use this platform to update and inform on the recent developments.

Despite our own personal regional background and regional interests, we have to strive for a cosmopolitan approach, which by etymology would be best described as “citizens of the world” and describes the spirit of the WFN’s approach.

I look forward serving as the WFN president and building on our robust structure to consolidate and improve the present structures and to encourage and work on future projects. •

 

Email me with your ideas, suggestions and comments: wolfgang.grisold@wfneurology.org

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