I am a member of the neurology society of Vietnam, which have nominated me for the trustee position. In support of my candidacy, I will provide some biographical information about my qualifications and experiences.

I was born in North Vietnam and moved with my family to South Vietnam in 1955 as a result of the war. I was one of the first Vietnamese to come to Germany in 1967 to study medicine at the University of Freiburg. I specialized in neurology and psychiatry. Marriage brought me to the U.S. in 1982, where I continued my training, first with a residency at the Medical University of South Carolina and later with a 3-year fellowship at Columbia University and London’s National Hospital for Nervous Disease.

My journey with the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) began in 2002, when I was given the honor to serve as a member of the Publication Committee. I was entrusted with the task of improving upon World Neurology. At the time, the newsletter was printed in India and mailed to subscribers worldwide. To reduce costs and expedite circulation, I proposed the transition to an Internet-based newsletter with regional interests. This proposal was later implemented as the current World Neurology.

My association with the WFN gave me the opportunity to safely develop educational programs for Vietnam, as it had just begun opening its doors. I developed the International Neurology Forum, consisting of a short course focused on one topic lasting one to two days. This format was the product of repeated observations that physicians from developing countries did not demonstrate high retention of new techniques learned from broad, lengthy meetings. However, when trained collectively in a large group in their own countries, there was a much higher chance that their practice patterns would change collectively. I organized the forums later in different developing countries, such as Mongolia, Indonesia, Tanzania, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

I also have served on the Publication, Fundraising, Membership, and Education Committee, the Editorial Boards of World Neurology and the Journal of Neurological Sciences. I have joined with my other three colleagues to edit a textbook, International Neurology, with the contributions from more than 200 neurologists from 50 countries around the world. This book is now in the second edition. I have published over 180 scientific papers and six books.

Reasons for Candidacy

As the WFN continues its endeavor to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide, it serves as the bridge connecting different national neurology societies together. Its collective knowledge and strong moral standing lend the support to different national neurology societies to become a professional society with its own standing and as a pillar of democracy in their countries. I believe that I will be able to assist WFN to promote and sponsor initiatives that can leverage growth in neurology in regions of need, such as Africa, Central Asia, parts of Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. Toward this goal, I believe that the WFN communications processes can be further improved to push for low-cost education in developing countries.

Goals

• To protect and grow the visibility of the WFN brand
• To continue to modernize WFN communication and processes
• To assist in developing education programs worldwide.

Personal Qualities and Experience

The role of trustee requires a balance of experience, energy, and teamwork. I believe I will contribute effectively to the stable growth of the WFN, the fulfillment of its mission, and the achievement of the stated goals.

Listed are some of the positions that I have held, or currently occupy, supporting my candidacy:

Clinical professor, neurology, UC Riverside

President, International Association for Parkinsonism and Related Disorders (IAPRD) (2015-present); Chair, Education Committee, IAPRD (2005-2015) Member Congress Fundraising Committee, IAPRD (2013-2015)

Member, Publication and Website Committee, WFN (2002-2012); Fundraising Committee, WFN (2005-2009), Membership Committee, WFN (2005-2007 and 2009-2013), Research Committee on Parkinson’s Disease, WFN, (2004- 2010), Education Committee, WFN (2013- 2017), Membership committee, WFN (2018- present)

Member, Lawrence C. McHenry Award Subcommittee, AAN (2007-2011), International Subcommittee, AAN (2013-2015), International Committee, AAN (1995-1997)

Member, Liaison/Public Relations Committee, Movement Disorder Society (2006-2010), Strategic Planning Committee, Movement Disorder Society (2014-2015)

Ad Hoc reviewer, American Academy of Neurology (2007-2008)

Section editor, Journal of Neurological Sciences (2013-present); Journal of Neural Transmission (2008-2017)

Editorial board: Journal of Neural Transmission (2006-2008); Parkinsonism and Related Disorders (2005-2013); Journal of Neurological Sciences (2006-2013); eNeurological Sciences (2015- present) Future Neurology (2007-present); World Neurology (2003- 2013); Neurology International (2009-present); Romania Journal of Neurology (2013-present) •

Jean-Marc Léger started his career in neurology in 1980 at the University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière and University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), France, where he trained in general neurology and clinical neurophysiology. He was then nominated as full-time senior neurologist in 1987 in the Department of Neurology, then Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire (IHU) de Neurosciences, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, and received his post-graduate degree (Habilitation à diriger des Recherches) from University Paris VI in 1991. He is currently co-chair, together with Dr. Eymard, of the National Referral Center for rare Neuromuscular Diseases, that was built up in the IHU de Neurosciences/Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (IHU/ICM), at University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, in 2004.

Dr. Léger’s clinical and research interests are in the field of peripheral neuropathy and in particular chronic immune-mediated neuropathy. He has authored and co-authored more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and contributed more than 30 chapters to books on neurology, mainly in the field of diagnostic features and therapeutic trials in vasculitic neuropathy, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, multifocal motor neuropathy, and paraproteinaemic neuropathies. He served as editor-in-chief of the Revue Neurologique for eight years and as member of the editorial board of Brain for five years, is currently member of the board of the European Journal of Neurology, associate editor of the Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System, and was appointed as co-editor-in-chief of Current Opinion in Neurology in 2017.

Dr. Léger is past president of the Société Française de Neurologie, in which he served as secretary general for eight years. He served as vice president, then officer of the Management Committee of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS), and as chair of the Training and Education Committee of the EFNS. He acted as chair of the Local Organizing Committee of the EFNS Congress in Paris in 2004. He is also past member of the Board of the Peripheral Nerve Society, and organized its biennial meeting in Saint-Malo, France, in 2013. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN), corresponding fellow of the American Neurological Association, and was nominated as fellow of the European Academy of Neurology (FEAN) in 2018.

He also acted as delegate of the SFN at the WFN Council of Delegates from 2005, and actively participated to the World Congresses of Neurology from 2001. He actively participated in the International Congresses on Neuromuscular Diseases (ICNMD) organized by the WFN Research Group in Neuromuscular Diseases for 20 years, being a member of the Congress Programme Committee of the ICNMD International Congresses in Nice 2014, Toronto 2016, and Vienna 2018.

He actively participated on behalf of the SFN/EFNS/EAN/WFN in International Teaching Courses in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Czech Rebublik, Moldova, Turkey, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, Senegal, Vietnam, China, Chili, Brazil, and Australia.

He was elected as titular member of the Académie Nationale de Médecine, France, in 2016. •

I am honored to be nominated for the position of the WFN Trustee. The achievements of the WFN for more than 50 years of its history are tremendous. I hope to be able to contribute to the accomplishment of the WFN mission – to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide – on the background of my clinical, academic, and administrative expertise and the experience gained while being involved in clinical practice, research, high-level initiatives, and events in epilepsy, stroke, cognitive impairment, and other brain diseases in collaboration with WHO, as well as professional organizations in many areas of neurology.

Neurology has been a vital and integral part of all my life. I inherited the passion regarding neurology from my late father. I was fortunate to have outstanding mentors, and now I am happy to teach young doctors, guiding them in clinical practice and research, with more than 25 completed PhD and doctoral dissertations.

With a background in general neurology, I have been taking care of patients for 30 years. My PhD was in EEG monitoring in carotid surgery and doctoral dissertation —  in brain plasticity and restoration after stroke. Currently, I am doctor of medical sciences, director of Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, professor of neurology at the Russian National Research Medical University, supervising the regional stroke center and neurological clinic in the huge multidisciplinary hospital in Moscow.

My main areas of research are epilepsy, post-stroke cognitive impairment, restoration after stroke, and neuroepidemiology. I have the privilege of being a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of the Neurological Sciences, the WFN journal, European Journal of Stroke,  Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, author of more than 170 PubMed-listed publications, including over 60 papers in peer-reviewed international journals and book chapters, several books/ manuals, and national guidelines. I received several prestigious international and national awards, including the AAN Bruce S. Schoenberg Award.

Of more immediate relevance to the nomination for the WFN trustee is my expertise gained while working for more than 15 years on the WFN Education Committee. I am proud to belong to the team fostering the education worldwide and successfully developing important educational initiatives, including Continuum. Being involved in the international collaboration through education, several Eastern European countries eventually joined the WFN.

I am the secretary and the WFN delegate of the National Society of Neurologists. For several years, I worked as the chief neurologist of Moscow, where meaningful improvement of care for patients with stroke, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis has been achieved.

WFN maintains strong partnerships with the World Health Organization — a rare privilege among professional organizations. I acquired experience that may be useful for the WFN and the World Brain Alliance, as for many years I have contributed to the significant WHO activities in non-communicable diseases, including the 68th WHA Resolution on epilepsy, mhGAP, and several WHO initiatives in dementia and Parkinson’s disease. I feel privileged to be involved in the work on bringing back stroke to neurological diseases in ICD11, which is a major achievement for future neurology.

Following our president’s approach to develop cooperative strategies, I can be instrumental in promoting productive and effective collaboration, also in the framework of the World Brain Alliance, with the key professional organizations in brain diseases, namely, International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and World Stroke Organization (WSO), where I am honored to be significantly involved, being the ILAE vice president, member of the WSO Educational Committee and Steering Committee of the Action Plan for Stroke in Europe. For many years, I have been an invited lecturer/chair to the WFN, EFNS/EAN, ILAE, and WSO Congresses; a member of the Organizing/Program Committees of the international and national meetings in brain diseases.

I came from a country situated geographically in Europe and Asia with many regions different in their ethnic, cultural, economic, and historical background. I have been involved in developing neurological education and care in Eastern Europe, managing a range of available resources, from quite appropriate to limited; this experience in recognition and addressing specific needs could be of value in implementing the WFN mission.

There are many examples that women can effectively contribute to medicine, research, and administration. WFN has no women among the elected trustees; it might be beneficial for the WFN to aim for a gender balance in the leadership.

I would be honored, if elected, to serve the WFN as a trustee, to enrich traditions and implement the WFN strategy, fostering the new developments and collaboration with member societies and neurologists all around the world, prioritizing communication, education, and partnership. •

I have had the honor to serve as a WFN Trustee since 2015. I now have the privilege of also serving as the newly appointed Chair of the Membership Committee.

I have served as the Canadian delegate to the WFN, a member of the WFN Education Committee, and Co-Chair of the eLearning Task Force of the Education Committee, alongside Prof. Riadh Gouider from Tunisia. I have also served as president of the Canadian Neurological Society, Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences, and Federation of National Specialty Societies of Canada. My clinical and research foci are on dementia.

I am honored that the Canadian Neurological Society has nominated me for re-election as a WFN Trustee. I am also proud that Canada has initiated a WFN Department Visit program for young neurologists from Central and South America through the efforts of Prof. Guy Rouleau, director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Canadian Delegate to the WFN. I am also proud of the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform, which has its base at the Montreal Neurological Institute, and which is well-positioned to serve as an integrator and facilitator of education worldwide.

Achievements

I have taken an active international leadership role in education. Since 2005, I have focused on eLearning using videoconferencing as an electronic medium to bring together health care professionals from across the globe within a virtual classroom. This has been done within the context of international videoconference rounds in behavioral neurology. The goal is to develop greater international communication and links in behavioral neurology, and to transfer knowledge at the basic science and clinical levels internationally through joint educational programs. The audiences are multidisciplinary and include neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, family physicians, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, and psychologists, as well as trainees in these disciplines. I was awarded the prestigious Colin Wolf Award from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, for this initiative.

An important development that was modeled on the international behavioral neurology videoconference rounds was the formation of international neurology resident rounds in 2008, i.e., the Neurology International Residents Videoconference and Exchange (NIRVE) that promotes international collaboration among neurology trainees. Participating sites have included Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ethiopia, France, Jordan, Nigeria, and Russia. In addition to the rounds, NIRVE has led to resident exchange visits.

I have collaborated with Prof. Riadh Gouider to create a special series of international videoconference rounds in Behavioral Neurology involving Africa and Canada, and which has been supported by a WFN grant.

Goals

My major goal as WFN trustee is highly focused on education through eLearning and is directly related to the mission of the WFN to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide by promoting “global neurological education and training with the emphasis placed firmly on under-resourced parts of the world.” I will continue working hard to achieve this goal through innovative eLearning programs involving our network of international sites for videoconference rounds that target neurologists, allied health care professionals, and trainees in neurology and related disciplines. The ongoing programming series will involve both developing and developed countries with a view to transferring knowledge from one to the other in both directions with all participants as equal partners.

A new goal is to significantly expand this eLearning network and broaden the focus from our highly successful behavioral neurology series to include a broad spectrum of disciplines within neurology.

I recognize the financial challenges facing under-resourced parts of the world and the barriers that this poses for successful knowledge transfer through eLearning. However, in keeping with the mission of the WFN to promote global neurological education and training, I will apply all the resources at my disposal to help fulfill this mission with full emphasis on under-resourced regions.

In addition to my goal related to eLearning, I hope to have a major impact on increasing membership in the WFN through my new position as chair of the Membership Committee. Furthermore, I will serve the WFN in any other way that I can.

I have a vision, a clear sense of direction, and the focus to facilitate knowledge transfer for enhancing brain health across the world, especially where it is needed the most. This will require extensive collaboration and coordination involving many people with diverse needs, and across many countries. Those who know me say that I am an excellent team player and organizer, qualities that are essential for success in promoting education and training in neurology worldwide. •