1st Egyptian Movement Disorders Conference and School: An Excellent Start of a National Meeting

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A movement disorders conference in Egypt marked the first and largest national meeting in Africa and the region, with a remarkable impact on education and training of neurologists and other specialties in the field of movement disorders.  

Among the African and regional countries, Egypt has the highest number of neurologists — more than 4,500. The Egyptian Movement Disorders Chapter of the Egyptian Society of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery, chaired by Prof. Hatem Samir and Prof. Ali Shalash, organized the 1st Egyptian Movement Disorders Conference and School on July 27-29, 2022.  

The International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society (MDS) endorsed and supported the meeting through the MDS Outreach Program, which aims to raise the visibility of movement disorders education in strategic or underserved areas of the globe. 

On the second and third day, the conference covered all aspects and updates of the field, including neurophysiology, surgical treatment, advanced therapies, pediatric MDs and several other hot topics. It also featured an MDS plenary session and poster presentations to showcase the prominence of Egyptian research and research groups within the movement disorders field. The MDS session included outstanding lectures by Prof. Francisco Cardoso (President of the Movement Disorder Society), Prof. Kailash Bhatia and Prof. Joaquim Ferreira. Additionally, five international and regional experts participated in the meeting with Egyptian experts. 

The Egyptian Chapter Board, which aims to promote skills of Egyptian young neurologists, successfully dedicated several hands-on clinical demonstrations and capacity-building workshops to this purpose: MDS-UPDRS Training and a hands-on Botulinum Toxin in Movement Disorders workshop.  

The Egyptian Organizing Committee offered more than 100 grants to enable young neurologists from different Egyptian regions to attend the school and the conference. Overall, more than 200 neurologists attended the meeting, with encouraging and marvelous feedback. Awards for the best case presentations and posters encouraged increased participation. The support of the MDS-African Section via the MDS Outreach Program and the experience of Egyptian MDS leaders contributed to the success of this meeting, and also raised the visibility of movement disorders education and awareness of MDS resources and benefits. 

The excellent feedback and engagement of Egyptian neurologists indicate the importance of this meeting to fill the gap in training and education in this field. To achieve this, it will be useful to encourage other African countries to establish their national meetings by promoting the vast resources and support available through MDS, including the MDS Outreach Program.  

We are looking forward to the next meeting and aim to host and support more neurologists from Egypt and other African and regional countries. 

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