Interactive lectures and skills development highlight brain health training course in Africa.
By Dr. Yousef Patel
South African neurology registrar participants.
The 15th European Academy of Neurology-African Federation of Neurology (EAN-AFAN) Regional Training Course for Sub-Saharan Africa was held Nov. 27-29, 2025, in Windhoek, Namibia. The Regional Training Courses are academic initiatives organized under the auspices of the AFAN and the EAN (and other supporting global neurological associations such as the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), Movement Disorder Society, International League Against Epilepsy, American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and others). The courses are aimed at strengthening neurology residency training across the continent.
The program facilitates interactive, high-quality lectures presented by leading regional and global experts on critical and contemporary topics in neurology. It also provides structured opportunities for practical skills development, particularly within the domains of neuroelectrophysiology, stroke medicine, and neurogenetics.
This year’s Regional Training Course was hosted by the University of Namibia at the Hage Geingob Medical Campus. The program attracted over 100 neurology residents from more than 15 African countries, underscoring its extensive regional reach and fostering a strong spirit of continental collaboration. The teaching faculty comprised a distinguished cohort of local, regional, and international neurologists and academic leaders.
From left to right: Prof. Jeremy Tanner (AAN) and Prof. Lawrence Tucker (AFAN).
The meeting was further enriched by the presence of senior representatives from global neurological organizations, including Prof. Paul Boon, past-president of the EAN, Prof. Lawrence Tucker, president of the AFAN, and Prof. Steven Lewis, then president-elect of the WFN. The Peter Nyarango Auditorium offered a well-equipped and conducive environment for high-quality scientific discourse, facilitating meaningful interaction between trainees, faculty members, and senior neurologists.
The overarching theme of the course, “Neurology Without Borders,” underscored the principle that the advancement of brain health in Africa represents a shared continental imperative. This challenge cannot be isolated within, nor compartmentalized across, individual nation states. And it should not be divorced from global experiences, research endeavors, and international perspectives.
Neurology resident participants from Africa.
Africa must assume a meaningful and confident role in contributing to global neurological research and innovation. The region must also lead efforts to address the substantial and complex barriers to brain health on the continent — challenges that are further compounded by economic inequality, food insecurity, political instability, and resource limitations.
A central strategy to achieving this vision, and one prioritized by the Regional Training Course, is the deliberate cultivation and consolidation of robust regional networks. These networks bring together neurology trainees, early career neurologists, senior clinicians, and academics who have been instrumental in pioneering and advancing the field of neurology across Africa.
The program incorporated a broad range of subthemes. These included:
- Epilepsy
- Neuroinfectious diseases
- Neurological emergencies
- Stroke and movement disorders
- Pediatric neurology
- Dementia
- Headache disorders
- Brain health in Africa
Prof. Paul Boon (EAN) presenting a talk on epilepsy.
The lectures were delivered by an accomplished and dynamic faculty, the majority of whom were neurologists actively practicing within the African context. Beyond the delivery of core clinical knowledge, speakers deliberately contextualized their presentations by highlighting the real-world challenges and constraints inherent to neurological practice across the continent. Guest lecturers from Europe and North America — including Prof. Boon, Prof. Jeremy Tanner, and Prof. Lewis — further enriched the program by sharing global perspectives, specialized expertise, and international experiences with both trainees and faculty members.
In addition to formal didactic sessions, the course featured interactive case presentations and hands-on practical workshops conducted over the three-day program. The case presentation sessions provided a valuable platform for trainees to present clinically challenging and instructive cases, while senior clinicians facilitated discussion and imparted structured clinical reasoning and diagnostic approaches.
From left to right: Prof. Paul Boon (EAN), Dr. Ahmed Tidjani (neurology resident from Cameroon), and Prof. Osheik Seidi (AFAN).
The workshop tracks encompassed electroencephalography (EEG) interpretation, nerve conduction studies and electromyography, acute stroke assessment and management, and neurogenetics in Africa. Collectively, these workshops afforded trainees meaningful opportunities to acquire and refine essential practical skills within key subdomains of contemporary neurological practice.
One of the central messages, and most urgent calls to action, emphasized throughout the program was the responsibility of trainees and early-career neurologists to actively commit to advancing and leading brain health initiatives across Africa. Senior academics and faculty members underscored the dynamic and evolving challenges confronting the continent. They highlighted the imperative for the next generation of neurologists to assume leadership roles in the future through collaboration, innovation, and the purposeful strengthening of existing networks and projects.
Attendees and faculty at the 15th Regional Training Course for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Trainees were repeatedly reminded that a core objective of the program was to foster meaningful professional connections with peers and faculty, thereby facilitating the development of sustainable collaborative and mentorship relationships. The program was deliberately structured to promote both formal and informal engagement among participants. Senior trainees shared practical insights and experiential guidance regarding final board examinations with colleagues preparing for their exit assessments. These peer-to-peer interactions were regarded as exceptionally valuable, given that preparation for final qualifying examinations represents a significant and universal concern among neurology trainees.
Dr. Osheik Seidi (left) receives a certificate of appreciation from Prof. Lawrence Tucker and Prof. Steven Lewis.
The program was carefully designed to maintain a deliberate equilibrium between didactic instruction, practical skills development, and the cultivation of professional relationships. Dedicated time was allocated following each session to enable participants to engage in substantive dialogue, pose critical questions, and offer reflective feedback to the teaching faculty. Senior lecturers consistently assumed an active mentorship role, providing sustained motivation, encouragement, and intellectual inspiration to trainees throughout the course.
Prof. Seidi Osheik ensured that participants were repeatedly reminded of their professional, medical, and scientific responsibility to advance brain health across Africa. Drawing on personal reflections and professional experiences from his distinguished career, he illustrated pathways through which neurologists may evolve as clinicians and scholars while making meaningful contributions via public health initiatives and institutional capacity building.
Prof. Steven Lewis (left) shares the stage with Prof. Lawrence Tucker during a practical session on clinical neurological examination.
The often-underemphasized domain of ethics within neurological practice was highlighted on multiple occasions by Prof. Tucker. He reinforced the fundamental principle that neurology, like all medical and scientific disciplines, must be firmly grounded in robust ethical frameworks that guide both clinical decision-making and research endeavors.
The 15th Regional Training Course represented a valuable and transformative opportunity for senior trainees and early career neurologists to broaden their academic and professional horizons through a combination of theoretical instruction, skills acquisition, and purposeful networking.
Attendees participate in an examination as part of a practical clinical neurophysiology session.
Participants were also exposed to the realities of brain health in Africa. These include the substantial challenges faced by the continent within an increasingly complex and unpredictable global landscape, as well as the innovative solutions currently being pursued by regional and international stakeholders. Such pedagogical initiatives constitute strategic investments in human capital and are poised to yield enduring benefits for the African continent.
The responsibility now rests with the participants to translate the knowledge, skills, and networks acquired through the program into sustained action, thereby committing to the continued advancement of brain health in Africa.
Special thanks to the EAN, AFAN, and the other supporting global and regional neurological organizations. •
Dr. Yousuf Patel is a third-year neurology registrar training at the University of Stellenbosch/Tygerberg Hospital Complex in Cape Town, South Africa.
