PAS Ambassador Program - San Salvador, El Salvador
From 2009-2011 the Medical Board of “Asociación de Ciencias Neurológicas de El Salvador” (ACNES) aimed to develop an educational program for “non-neurologist” health practitioners (family medicine, specialists, paramedics, students, nurses and other health care personnel). Through these courses they provide participants with updates on diagnostic and therapeutic advances of the most common neurological diseases in daily practice to promote early diagnosis, prevention and proper treatment to such diseases.
This year, San Salvador, El Salvador was host to the First Course on Movement Disorders for Non-neurologists, the Second National Course on Practical Neurology for Non-neurologists and the Symposium for Caregivers, Family and Persons with Parkinson's Disease. There were 381 neurologists, neurosurgeons, health care personnel and Parkinson’s disease patients who attended El Salvador’s first Ambassador Program of The Movement Disorder Society - Pan American Section on May 19-21, 2011. Dr. Jorge Luis Juncos, MD (MDS Ambassador) discussed important topics in Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders and other neurological diseases common in daily practice.
The symposium began with a lecture on the “Role of Neurosurgery and DBS in the Management of Parkinson’s Disease” (Mechanism, patient selection and results) by Dr. Jorge Juncos (MDS Ambassador), followed by “Clinical Cases of DBS on the First 3 Patients in El Salvador” by Dr. Luis Ernesto González Sánchez (El Salvador), “Dystonias: Diagnosis, Treatment and Therapeutic Botulinum Toxin Uses in Neurology” by Dr. Ricardo López-Contreras (El Salvador), and “Tremors: Diferential Diagnosis and Treatment” by Dr. Ernesto Cornejo Valse (El Salvador).
Other neurological diseases were discussed by local Salvadorian doctors and the engineer Antonio Contreras Hernandez, president of the “Asociación Parkinson de El Salvador”, who spoke about his personal experience in ¨Learning to Live with Parkinson’s Disease.” Later, Dr. Jorge Luis Juncos (MDS Ambassador) discussed “Parkinson’s Disease: Evolution and Treatment. Patient-centered Perspective” and ended the conference with a panel discussion for all participants and faculty.
In addition to the symposium, a press conference was held to publicize the importance of health education in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders for health care practitioners and the general population. ACNES hoped to promote early diagnosis and better care of these patients through their message to major print, television and radio media in the area.
Photo, top right (Left to right): Dr. Ernesto Cornejo, Dr. Jorge Luis Juncos (MDS Ambassador), Dr. Ricardo López-Contreras
Photo, above (Left to right): Dr. Ricardo López- Contreras (President of “Asociación de Ciencias Neurológicas de El Salvador), Prof. Jorge L. Juncos (Ambassador-Movement Disorder Society-Pan American Section), and Ing. Antonio Contreras Hernández (President of “Asociación Parkinson de El Salvador” speak with members of the media.
Contributed by Ricardo López-Contreras, MD
May 2011
MDS Ambassador Program - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Society of Bangladesh Neurologists Bi-Annual International Neurology Conference
Dhaka, Bangladesh
December 3-4, 2010
Photos: (Left to right): Prof. Heinz Reichman (Speaker), Participants in the session, Prof. Mohit Bhatt (Speaker)
The Society of Neurologists of Bangladesh organizes International Neurology Seminar biannually. This year it was held at the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel, Dhaka on 3-4 December. the first day of the seminar was on Movement Disorders. International speakers and experts were invited to speak on different topics on Movement Disorders. This year Dystonias and its management were highlighted and discussed. Professor Heinz Reichmann from Germany and Professor Mohit Bhatt from India were the two international speakers. They were sponsored by The Movement Disorder Society - Asian & Oceanian Section (MDS-AOS) under the Ambassador program.
Professor Heinz Reichman spoke on the diagnosis and management of Dystonia and Professor Mohit Bhatt's topic was Phenomenology of Dystonia and Secondary Dystonias. Both the lectures were very informative. The session was interactive and the video clips shown by the speakers were well appreciated. The knowledge of the participants was enriched through the discussion on the topics. The seminar was well attended with 150 participants, consisting mainly of neurologists and residents in neurology.
We are thankful to the MDS-AOS especially to the chair Prof. Bhim Singhal and to Ms Catherine Breckenridge for their support.
Contributed by Dr. N. B. Bhowmik
December 2010
MDS Ambassador Program - Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
The annual congress of the Malaysian Society of Neurosciences (MSN) was held in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia) from 21-23 May 2010. The major theme for this year’s congress was Movement Disorders. A panel of international and local Movement Disorders experts were invited to speak on a wide range of topics. The congress was well-attended, with about 300 participants, consisting mostly of neurologists and neurology trainees.
We were extremely fortunate to have Prof. Mohit Bhatt from Mumbai, India and Prof. Kailash Bhatia from London, UK as the main speakers. Prof. Mohit Bhatt’s visit was sponsored by The Movement Disorders Society, under the Ambassador Program. He gave three superb lectures on Wilson's disease, Oromandibular dyskinesia, and Movement Disorders Emergencies, and together with Prof. Bhatia provided stimulating discussion of cases presented by local neurologists during the “Video Rounds” session. The depth of the invited speakers’ experience and knowledge was very evident to all present, and we are very appreciative of the useful knowledge gained during the three-day conference.
The congress organizers are also very grateful to The Movement Disorder Society, and to Prof. Bhim Singhal, Dr. Louis Tan and Ms. Catherine Breckenridge for the generous support provided.
Contributed by LIM Shen-Yang
June 2010
Photo (Left to right): Faculty for “Movement Disorders Day”: Drs. Lim, Shen-Yang (organizer and speaker), Norlinah Ibrahim (organizer and speaker), Mohit Bhatt (speaker and MDS Ambassador), Kailash Bhatia (speaker), Chris Chong (organizer and speaker), Tan, Kay Sin (MSN President), and Samuel Easaw (session chairperson).
Fourth Seminar on Parkinson's Disease - Puebla, Mexico
On March 19th and 20th, 2010, the Fourth Seminar on Parkinson’s Disease was held in Puebla, Mexico, at the Puebla Convention Center. The two-day seminar was attended by 210 physicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, medical students, nurses, psychologists and rehabilitation therapists.
The Seminar was organized by the Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, The Movement Disorder Society, Universidad Popular Autonoma de Puebla, and Universidad Mesoamericana. Faculty included Dr. Leopoldo Rivera Castaño, President of the Mexican Academy of Neurology; Dr. Horacio Senties, Secretary of the Mexican Academy of Neurology; Dr. Ulises Rodriguez Ortiz, Movement Disorders Coordinator of the Mexican Academy of Neurology; and Dr. Mario Alonso Vanegas, Chief of Functional Surgery at the Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia MVS, Cd. de Mexico.
This was the second MDS Ambassador Program held in Mexico. The first program in 2008 featured as MDS Ambassador, Dr. Stanley Fahn, who lectured at the Mexican Academy of Neurology meeting in Puerto Vallarta.
This year’s MDS Ambassador, Dr. Irene Litvan shared very helpful information about the diagnoses of the various parkinsonian disorders including a specific lecture on progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy. She stressed that Parkinson’s disease is over diagnosed. The Congress participants’ learned to diagnose other forms of Parkinsonism, like PSP, without the presence of restriction in the vertical gaze. She emphasized the importance of the clinical diagnosis, and need of paraclinical testing. The video cases she showed were very illustrative. As faculty, Dr. Litvan had the opportunity to visit the sites and taste the flavors of Puebla.
The Seminar’s focus was on Parkinson’s disease. Follow-up seminars will be held on this topic each month at Mesoamericana University. The first day of the Seminar started with the phenomenology in Movement Disorders. Dr. Enriquez Coronel showed videos of patients with a variety of movement disorders. Further presentations by neurologists from Puebla and Tlaxcala City discussed the genetics of Parkinson’s disease, diagnosis and management of Huntington’s disease, chorea, tremor, dystonia, Meige’s syndrome, Wilson’s disease, Tourette syndrome, myoclonus, and ataxias.
The 4th Seminar of Parkinson in Puebla was organized by Dr. Nicolas Rene Moreno Navarro, Mtra. Claudia Medina Navarro, Dr. Ulises Rodriguez Ortiz, Gustavo Gonzalez Gonzalez, a student of BUAP Faculty Medicine, and Margarita Davila Baez.
This is the only annual seminar on Movement Disorders. We are grateful to The Movement Disorder Society, Dr. Irene Litvan and Hope Wallace for their responsibility, work and dedication to furthering the education on Movement Disorders. The meeting was also sponsored by TEVA, Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico, and Merz Pharmaceutical.
Contributed by Guillermo Enriquez Coronel, MD
March 2010
Movement Disorders in Focus - Cebu City, Philippines
Greetings to MDS from the Movement Disorders Society of the Philippines (MDSP). We thank you for having officially accepted us into your folds as an MDS Affiliate Society.
Allow us to highlight the 1st MDSP national convention that focused on the indigenous disorder present in our The Philippines - DYT3 dystonia or X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism (XDP, also referred to as Lubag Disease).
XDP has been recognized for many years, but, for obvious lack of resources, research has been slow, in spite of the efforts of project leader (Dr. Lillian Lee) to circumvent the problem by collaborating with outside institutions. The MDSP feels that it is our responsibility to be keenly aware of the plight of XDP patients, and hopefully garner some outside interest for support in its research projects. Indeed the MDS, through the Asian-and-Oceanian-Section (MDS-AOS), provided a platform for this worthy cause by granting support to this national meeting, held in Cebu City, Philippines from November 18-19, 2009.
Dubbed "Movement Disorders in Focus," this educational activity was held in tandem with the annual scientific conventions of the Philippine Neurological Association (PNA) and the Child Neurology Society of the Philippines (CNSP). We aimed to educate and learn amongst ourselves the current state of XDP researches, amidst a panel of invited international Movement Disorder specialists and Filipino experts alike. The flavor of the meeting was capped by the presence of MDS President, Prof Phillip Thompson, who delivered the PNA Gilberto Gamez Memorial Lecture and participated through the MDS Ambassador Program.
Contributed by Raymond L. Rosales, MD, PhD, FPNA, FPPA
and Roland Dominic Jamora, MD, FPNA
MDS Ambassador Program - Mali
On November 15-18, 2009, the MDS Ambassador Program sponsored Michel Gonce, Belgium and James Bower, United States, to attend the First Bamako Neurosciences Congress in Bamako Mali. Bamako is the capital city of Mali, a country in West Africa. Currently in Mali, with a population of 13 million people, there are six neurologists, all located in Bamako. These neurologists received their training outside Mali, as Mali does not currently have a Neurosciences Program of its own. The Congress was organized with the leadership of Prof. Moussa Traoré, President of the University of Bamako.
All Congress activities were held at the International Conference Center in Bamako. The Opening Ceremony was presided over by the Prime Minister of Mali: Representative President of the Republic, Head of the State. Other figures present included the Malian Minister of Health and Malian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The Congress was divided into Plenary Sessions and Parallel Sessions taking place over three days. During the Abnormal Movements Session, Dr. Gonce lectured on, "Clinical Aspects and Physiopathology of Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome" and Dr. Bower lectured on "Overview of Gait Disorders." Dr. Gonce also presented a series of video cases. At the end of Dr. Gonce's presentation, he held a quiz in which three prizes were awarded. Additionally, during the Congress, Dr. Gonce lectured on "Treatment of Parkinson's Disease" and Dr. Bower lectured on "Neuroepidemiology in Africa." Both doctors' lectures were exceptionally well-received and they have been invited to return for future Congresses.
Over 250 delegates were in attendance from the following countries: Mali, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Djibouti, Morocco, France and Cuba. Prof. Traoré noted, "The Congress is a tremendous opportunity for Senior Neurologists in Africa to strengthen their expertise in a field as specialized, evolving and stimulating as the field of Neurosciences."