Latin-America Initiative

By Prof Marco T Medina
WFN Education Committee
Dean, School of Medical Sciences, National Autonomous University of Honduras

In the last 12 years the WFN started a Continuing Medical Education (CME) project using the WFN Seminars in Clinical Neurology and the AAN continuing medical education journal Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology.  This last program is a partnership between the WFN and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

Since 2001, the AAN and the WFN have each provided six specially designed educational courses each year.   Twelve Latin American countries currently participate, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.  Each country has a WFN Education Coordinator appointed by that society's President.

The WFN has provided a program certification process for programs that wish to have an external review. This has been carried out in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru.

The Education Committee of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), in collaboration with the Postgraduate Direction of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, the Honduran Neurological Association, and the Honduran Secretary of Health helped establish the country's first Neurology Training Program in 1998.   By 2011 the program has resulted in a 60% increase in the national neurologist ratio per inhabitant.

The Honduras Neurology Training Program has provided a valuable model for other developing countries with similar needs for neurological care. Based on this Honduras experience, members of the Education Committee of the WFN have established guidelines for neurology training programs in developing countries.

Panama is planning to start a Neurology Training program with the support of the WFN.

The XIII Pan American Congress of Neurology will take place in La Paz, Bolivia in March 4^th to 8^th, 2012; several educational activities will take place in this congress

1. Munsat T, Aarli J, Medina M, Birbeck G, Weiss A. International Issues: educational programs of the World Federation of Neurology. Neurology 2009 Mar 10;72(10): e46–9.
2. Medina MT, Munsat T, Portera-Sanchez A, et al. Developing a neurology training program in Honduras: a joint project of neurologists in Honduras and the World Federation of Neurology. J Neurol Sci 2007;253:7–17.
3. Medina MT, Munsat T. Continuing medical education in developing countries.  J Neurol Sci 2001;190:1–2.
4. Medina MT, Munsat T. Neurology education in Latin America and the World Federation of Neurology.J Neurol Sci. 2010 Nov 15;298(1-2):17-20.

Useful links

• Revista Cubana de Neurología y Neurocirugía (ISSN 2225-4676)

  www.revneuro.sld.cu

  The mission of the journal is to provide outstanding peer-reviewed articles (original, clinical cases, reviews), editorials, letters and others documents for enhance care, education, and research in Neurology and Neurosurgery.  This journal is freely available via the Internet for immediate open access to the full text of articles serving the best interests of the international research community.