First online Huntington’s disease course for the Spanish-speaking community reaches 700+ global participants   

The success showcases the value of Spanish-language format and removing language barriers to reach a broad, diverse audience. 

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The first Spanish-language online course to focus on Huntington’s disease attracted nearly 800 participants.  

The free four-session Spanish online course, “An update on Huntington's disease: From epidemiology to management and counseling,” was directed by professors Pedro Chana (Chile) and Mario Cornejo-Olivas (Peru), with 10 expert faculty from Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Canada. It took place on four consecutive Fridays in July 2023, followed by an interactive Q&A session.  

The course was enabled by the collaboration between the MDS-Pan American Section (MDS-PAS) and the European Huntington’s Disease Network (EHDN).  

Targeting Spanish-speaking clinicians, scientists, residents, students, and other healthcare professionals, the course attracted an impressive 784 participants from 35 countries and focused on the following topics: 

• The basics of HD: history, epidemiology, genetics and etiopathogenesis 
• Clinical features, phenotypes and differential diagnosis 
• Stakeholder’s perspectives: patients, families, healthcare providers, community) and regional experiences on the management of HD across the Americas 
• Pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of HD: novel therapeutic approaches, and genetic counseling 

The course also shed light on the unique challenges and characteristics of Huntington's disease in Latin American countries, like HD clusters in Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, and Colombia with difficulties in establishing the real prevalence and incidence rates of HD in Latin America. The sessions offered extensive information on differential diagnosis and management, considering regional differences and comprehensive information for clinical practice, incorporating guidelines for genetic counseling and non-pharmacological interventions like palliative care. 

The course's success surpassed the organizers' expectations. It attests to the unique value of its Spanish-language format, thus removing language barriers to better reach a broad and diverse audience. 

A few quotes from course feedback:  

• “I will recognize potential red flags in the evaluation of patients with movement disorders.” 
• “I will improve the multidisciplinary therapeutic approach for patients with HD.” 
• “It is a real pleasure to be able to take these needed courses, as they enrich our professional practice.” 
• “Very accurate and updated information. The course and faculty were awesome!” 

Thank you to MDS-PAS and EHDN for supporting this course, as well as the course faculty for investing time to train clinicians and scientists with the aim to improve clinical care and management of HD across the globe.  

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