VIREPA

VIREPA-Epigraph 2015-3

Emilio Perucca, President | Sam Wiebe, Chair, Epilepsy Education Task Force | Jaime Carrizosa, Chair, Education Commission | Walter van Emde Boas, Chair, Distance Education Task Force

Emilio Perucca

Samuel Wiebe

Jaime Carrizosa

Walter Van Emde Boas

The ILAE VIREPA Distance Education Program started in 2004 as an initiative of the Commission on European Affairs and was formally incorporated into the overall educational activities of the ILAE in 2009. Since its inception, over 650 students from 88 countries have participated in 37 VIREPA courses. Participant evaluations have been consistently and overwhelmingly positive regarding new knowledge gained and the relevance of the courses to professional practice.

The success of any educational enterprise is dependent on the human element and the quality and credibility of the product. VIREPA's course directors and tutors represent a gathering of dedicated experts from around the world committed to the task of providing high quality content. We are extremely grateful to these individuals for their efforts, expertise and commitment.

We put great value on the continuation of the League's distance education activities. To allow global access for greater numbers of participants to the first class educational resources and materials the League has at hand, and to do so in a financially viable manner, some modifications to the League's distance education program are required. These modifications will focus particularly on those VIREPA courses that traditionally were not fully subscribed. For those courses, a new more flexible structure will be implemented, which will reduce the time demands for tutors while allowing a greater degree of software interactivity and a substantial reduction of registration fees for participants. The fully subscribed VIREPA EEG Basic, Advanced and Pediatric courses will continue to be implemented in their current form.

The distance education programs of the ILAE have a strong foundation and tradition, and the Epilepsy Education Task Force is working tirelessly to expand them in content, improve their accessibility and diversify them to meet the need of different types of health care professionals. The VIREPA course directors and tutors have been a cornerstone of these programs and we look forward to working with them to ensure optimal use of their talents and dedication in the continuing evolution of the League's educational mission and programs.

Emilio Perucca, President
Sam Wiebe, Chair, Epilepsy Education Task Force
Jaime Carrizosa, Chair, Education Commission
Walter van Emde Boas, Chair, Distance Education Task Force