WFN CME PROGRAM EXPANDS

"A very good, unique educational program for neurologists"

(Participant from Croatia)

 The WFN CME program is targeted at countries where there is an unfulfilled need for neurological educational material.  To date, twenty-seven countries are participating in the program.  Participating countries and their coordinators are:

Bulgaria (Ekaterina Titianova), Croatia (Slava Podobnik)#, Cuba (Francisco Miyares), Cyprus (Marios Pantziaris), Czech Republic (Otakar Keller)#, Egypt (Anwar Etribi)*, Ethiopia (Zenebe Melaku), Guatemala (Luis Salguero), Honduras (Marco Medina)#, Hungary (Anita Kamondi), India (Sudesh Prabhakar), Jordan (A.A. Kurdi), Lebanon (Antoine Aouad), Lithuania (Jalius Jatuzis)#, Morocco (Mohamed Yahyaoui), Pakistan (Sardar Alam), Philippines (Amado San Luis), Poland (Zbigniew Stelmasiak), Romania (Cristina Tiu), Russia (Alla Guekht)#*, Slovenia (Simon Podnar)#, South Africa (Pierre Bill), Sri Lanka (Udaya Ranawaka)#, Tunisia (Najoua Miladi), Turkey (Aksel Siva)#, Uruguay (Mario Medici and Laura Fojgiel), Yugoslavia (Slobodan Apostolski and Jelena Drulovic)#

* sub-centres established; # certificates awarded

Courses so far have included "Epilepsy", "Iatrogenic Neurology", "Neuroimmunology", and "Neck and Back Pain."  Those planned for the future include "Acute Stroke Management", "Sleep Disorders", "Headache Update", and Critical Care Neurology

An education co-ordinator, appointed by the national neurological society, is responsible for the organisation of the program in their country.  Member countries receive two free mailings a year of three titles of Continuum.  Generously donated to the program by the American Academy of Neurology, Continuum comprises specially designed, problem-based, interactive courses.  The WFN journal, Seminars in Clinical Neurology, is also used in the program, and the first issue on "Bladder Bowel and Sexual Dysfunction" is now on-line: WFN Seminars in Clinical Neurology.

Discussion groups enhance the effectiveness of the courses, and the progress of the program in each country is monitored by the WFN through participant feedback.  To date, responses are positive and encouraging, with individuals emphasising the relevance of courses to their daily clinical practice, the opportunity to access information frequently unavailable to them, and the benefits of well organised discussion groups that enhance the courses.

New countries wishing to participate in the program are welcome.  Further details are available from Dr Theodore Munsat, Director of the program (email: theodore.munsat@tufts.edu; fax: +617 527 9467), or Monica Brough, Administrative Assistant (email: broug@globalnet.co.uk; fax + 44 1689 874318).