WFN and the Canadian Neurological Society Announce a New Department Visit Program

Morris Freedman, MD, FRCPC; Guy Rouleau, MD, PhD, FRCPC, OQ; Wolfgang Grisold, MD; Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC; JeanneTeitelbaum, MD, FRCPC; and Dan Morin

Morris Freedman, MD, FRCPC

The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) Department Visit Program was initially developed in support of the WFN’s Africa Initiative to provide educational opportunities for young neurologists living in Africa. The success of the program is exemplified by the participation of Turkey, Austria, and Norway, which have served as host countries to African neurologists and have provided funding for the visits.

Guy Rouleau, MD, PhD, FRCPC, OQ

At the World Congress of Neurology in Chile last year, Dr. Raad Shakir, president of the WFN, suggested to Dr. Morris Freedman, newly elected WFN trustee from Canada, that the Department Visit Program be expanded to include Canada as a host country. The proposed goal was to support the Central and South America Initiative Network. Canada welcomed Dr. Shakir’s suggestion as an opportunity to contribute to the international education of neurologists.

Wolfgang Grisold

Dr. Guy Rouleau, director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and newly appointed Canadian delegate to the WFN, along with Dr. Colin Chalk, president of the Canadian Neurological Society, Dr. Jeanne Teitelbaum, president of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation, the umbrella organization of which the Canadian Neurological Society is a member, and Dan Morin, CEO of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation, all enthusiastically endorsed the concept of the Department Visits. Shortly afterwards, with the guidance and assistance of WFN Secretary General Dr. Wolfgang Grisold, and WFN Education Committee Chair and Co-Opted Trustee, Dr. Steven Lewis, the joint WFN-Canada Department Visit Program was launched with a formal announcement and call for applications in early March 2016.

Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC

Under Dr. Guy Rouleau’s supervision, the Montreal Neurological Institute will be the host site for the first Department Visit to Canada. The Montreal Neurological Institute was founded in 1934 by Dr. Wilder Penfield and has become the largest specialized neuroscience complex in Canada. Among its specialized clinics are those for movement disorders, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscle diseases, pain, brain tumors, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Last year, it received more than 42,000 ambulatory patient visits. More than 28,000 diagnostic tests were carried out, and neurosurgeons performed some 1,800 procedures. The Montreal Neurological Institute has long been a leader in the training of neurologists and neurosurgeons, and it is the principal site of McGill University’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience, the largest graduate neuroscience program in North America. Always at the forefront of innovation, the Montreal Neurological Institute has been the gateway to Canada for technologies such as encephalography (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and computer-assisted tomography (CT). More information about the Montreal Neurological Institute can be found at www.mcgill.ca/neuro/about.

Dan Morin

Jeanne Teitelbaum, MD, FRCPC

The Canadian Neurological Society will be the host society of this Department Visit program. The Canadian Neurological Society was established in 1948 as an organization of neurologists and neurosurgeons. In 1965, the original Canadian Neurological Society was dissolved and two new societies were created to represent the two distinct groups, i.e., the modern day Canadian Neurological Society and the Canadian Neurosurgical Society. The mission of the Canadian Neurological Society is to enhance the care of patients with diseases of the nervous system through education, advocacy, and improved methods of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. The Canadian Neurological Society and the Canadian Neurosurgical Society, along with the Canadian Association of Child Neurology and the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists, are all member societies of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation. More information about the Canadian Neurological Society and the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation can be found at www.cnsfederation.org/.

The Montreal Neurological Institute, founded in 1934 by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield, is the largest specialized neuroscience research and clinical center in Canada, and one of the largest in the world.

The Montreal Neurological Institute and the Canadian Neurological Society will host two neurology trainees or junior faculty who are within five years of certification in neurology to visit the Montreal Neurological Institute for four weeks. To qualify, applicants must be residents of a country in Central or South America. The focus for the visiting neurologists and neurology trainees will be to experience the Canadian neurological system in an international environment, meet new colleagues, and foster future cooperation.

Pioneering research and treatment of epilepsy at the Montreal Neurological Institute, the “Montreal Procedure,” a surgical treatment for epilepsy developed by Dr. Penfield and colleagues, is used all over the world.

Support will be provided for travel expenses, accommodation, living expenses, and cost of health insurance during the stay in Canada.

The evaluation committee consists of two representatives from each of the following: the Canadian Neurological Society, the WFN Education Committee, and the Central and South America Initiative Network.

The initial department visit will take place during late 2016 or 2017, and applications will be accepted until May 30, 2016. More information can be found at www.wfneurology.org/wfn-mni-cns-montreal-department-visit-programme.