Welcome to the Website of the WFN!
I wish you a successful year 2024 and we hope that neurology will continue to advance in all aspects in the upcoming year.
For the WFN the new treasurer Prof. Morris Freedman has taken up office in January and follows Prof. Richard Stark, who served 2 periods as the WFN treasurer. I want to thank Prof. Stark for his excellent work for the WFN and for doing this office accurately and diligently. Prof. Freedman has had 2 periods of being a trustee of the WFN, and has been chairing and participating in several committees and activities. The concept of e-learning and the creation of the e-learning hub is one strong area of interest that he has developed for the WFN.
The trustees will, in addition to the monthly meeting, have an extended meeting with the regions in February, and we hope to be able to exchange needs and developments and possibly also discuss future plans and projects.
In September we will have a WFN week from 24-27 Sept. 2024. The trustees will meet in London for a 2-day meeting, and on the second day (25/9) we will have the virtual Council of Delegates (COD) meeting. This COD meeting will include the election of one Trustee, as Prof. Alla Guekht who has served 2 periods as a trustee and is not eligible for re-election. Prof. Guekht is not only highly knowledgable on all topics, but has actively supported all tasks where she was asked to help. In particular, she was crucial for the WFN to achieve the permanent and advancing relations with the WHO and UN, using her knowledge and skills and political visions, and we hope that she will be further instrumental for our global activities.
On September 26 and 27, 2024 the first WFN Digital Neurology Update (WNU 2024),will take place virtually. This will be a virtual 2 day meeting, which will give an update on the most prevalent neurological diseases in the morning sessions, and add teaching courses in the afternoon discussing the most frequent neurological conditions. It will be virtual, and can be accessed either live or upon request. This commitment towards a neurology update is new, and serves to fill the gap between the biennial world congresses for the WFN community. The WFN will continue virtual meetings; At the WCN 2023 the virtual part reached 132 countries, in addition to the in-person meeting.
For 2025 the WCN in Seoul is in preparation, and we are impressed by the activities of the Korean Neurological Society. As with all WCNs we hope for the imprint of the local flavour, and of the large Asian region on this congress. As we learned from the recent AOAN educational day, not only does etiology and epidemiology vary, but also structures and procedures in the health system. The congress will follow the program sequence of all WCNs, but will be one day shorter than before. This follows the international trend to shorten meetings as less time for education is granted in many hospitals and institutions.
We would like to emphasise that the WCN 2025 congress will request the accreditation from the UEMS /EACCME which automatically has accreditation in the AMA and Canadian Royal college of Physicians, and it is hoped also that the Latin American countries will soon be able to be included soon. We have to take care not only of training of neurologists, which is the most sensitive task, but also be aware of the importance of CME/CPD, and carefully monitor influences not only of the pharma industry, but also politics, religion, economy, and the possibility of access.
Congresses are still considered the main format for scientific meetings. In addition to the usually excellent frames they have the possibility of interaction and also informal contacts, for all aspects needed in a scientific community. Several factors have appeared: time allowance for education is shorter than before in many countries, the travel and housing component is not affordable for many, and the congress sites and venues are improving their services, but at high costs. In addition the possibilities of support of pharma industry is decreasing for several reasons, one of them increasing regulations and the need for transparency. Congress fees, although they may be high, often do not cover the costs.
These trends will make the need for low-priced and affordable educational meetings necessary. Virtual meetings, webinars, and other interactive models such as hybrid meetings and blended meetings will increasingly appear and for the WFN, which has a large membership of medium and low-income members, the commitment to bring CME in all parts of the world.
We are already proceeding on this track by supporting the e-learning hub, organising e-learning days, and now the virtual meeting WNU 2024, which will be an update for the most frequent neurological conditions.
Scientific societies such as the WFN have traditionally been member-based scientific societies, focusing on science, development, and the organisation of meetings. The WFN is a federation of member societies, and in its history (1) has continuously fostered and enhanced new developments. The WFN groups had several historical names and are now the WFN Specialty groups.
In the past decades, large medical societies are now evolving into more complex structures, taking on an increasing number of other roles and agendas such as formal education and training, CME, accreditation and recognition, and active engagement in advocacy in micro-, meso- and macro perspectives (2), including increasingly the perspectives of persons with lived experiences.
Examples are the WFN's engagement in several WHO activities, such as the Atlas (3), the result of the ICD 11, and the now successful introduction of some neurological drugs into the WHO's essential medicine list ⧉. In progress is the implementation of the IGAP ⧉, which is a powerful instrument to promote neurology worldwide, and the WFN is committed to bring the content to all member societies.
To achieve these goals—based on advocacy—public relations and communication are important, and these activities change the profile of the tasks of a society and will also call for persons with knowledge and skills to proceed and include public health strategies. This will be needed for the WFN, as well as for many member societies who will have to increase their efforts in advocacy and public health.
My message is not complete if I do not reiterate the WFN's wish for peace and health. The daily informations on violence and human suffering, due to conflicts of war is progressing, and we want to share our sympathy with all victims of war independent of their origin. History has taught us many neurological and neuropsychiatric complications of war have been observed since World War I and World War II, and can still teach us lessons for the future. I add as examples the "jumpy stump" (4), and the history of spinal trauma(5), which are only illustrative examples of neurological damage caused by war and conflict.
Please also consider donating to international rescue organisations.
We look forward for your support of the WFN, wish you all the best regards on behalf of all trustees.
Humanitarian Assistance for Migrants, Refugees and Victims of Conflict LinksThe WFN encourages support to migrants, including refugees, stateless persons and victims of conflict worldwide. As a charity, we are primarily concerned with people with neurological disorders, their access to care and the provision of essential drugs. The following organisations work globally in crisis situations, and we encourage donations to them: |
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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR ⧉ |
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund UNICEF ⧉ |
International Committee of The Red Cross ICRC ⧉ |
The mission of the WFN is to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide, a goal we seek to achieve by promoting global neurological education and training, with the emphasis placed firmly on under-resourced parts of the world.