Chapter Name: Argentinean League Against Epilepsy (LACE)
Report By: Damian Consalvo (President)
Publications:
None
Summary of Activities:
ARGENTINEAN EPILEPSY CONGRESS 2018
Dr. Samuel Wiebe, president of the ILAE (CAN), Dr. Orrin Devinsky (Online presentation) (USA) and Dr Christian Bien (GER) were the guest to our annual congress. Dr. Santiago Galicchio, past-President of LACE, was our local guest. The congress had 380 participants from all over the country. Dr Samuel Wiebe was designed as Honorary Member of LACE due to his contribution in the Epilepsy field.
A special tribute for the death of Dr. Natalio Fejerman was held by the President of the Local League, Dr. Damián Consalvo. Natalio was a neuropediatrician and epileptologist, pioneer in Argentina, Latin America and the world. He was president of LACE and ILAE vice president. He was an extraordinary mentor, he was a great teacher of generations of neurologists and medical students. As part of this tribute, the Scholarship for young epileptologist for a trip to the American Epilepsy Society Meeting was given the name of "Dr. Natalio Fejerman”, to the best work presented. The juries were Dr. Santiago Galicchio, Dr. Alfredo Thomson and Dr. Roberto Caraballo, and the winners Dr. Carla Chicco and Dr. Andrés Guzmán.
ARGENTINEAN EPILEPSY CONGRESS 2017
Dr. Helen Cross (UK), Dr. Andrés Kanner (USA) were the guests at our local meeting. Doctors Dileep Nair, Patrick Chauvel, Juan Bulacio and Jorge González Martínez were participants of a special course of Epilepsy Surgery. Dr. Silvia Kochen was our local guest. A special tribute was made by Dr Santiago Galicchio, president of LACE at this moment, to Dr Ricardo Cersósimo for his contribution in the development of pediatric epilepsy in Argentina. The Scholarship to the best work, for a young epileptologist was established for a first time, and the prize was a trip to the American Epilepsy Society Meeting. The juries were Dr. Verónica Campanille, Dr. Alfredo Thomson and Dr. Roberto Caraballo, and the winner was Dr. Eliana Garino.
LACE MEETINGS INSIDE THE COUNTRY
In the last few years different cities inside the country hosted meetings organized by LACE. Salta, Córdoba, Rosario, Mendoza, Neuquén and Tucumán were the elected cities.
The idea of this kind of meetings is to reach doctors inside the country in order to improve training in the field of epilepsy and to discuss difficult cases with the experts. The last meeting was held in Tucumán, with the presence of more than 60 attendees.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
LACE has also contributed to support the National Epilepsy Law (25404), to achieve compliance with it. This law helps epilepsy patients to have access to diagnostic and treatment procedures for their disease. The list of members has been refined and new members were added. We added new benefits too: access to the journals Epilepsy and Epileptic Disorders, for the LACE members.
Web page and social networks
There has been a continuous updating of the website and has maintained a fluid contact by mail with the LACE members. It has also become efficient dissemination of the ILAE activities on the web page. LACE finally landed on the social networks, having great acceptance and dissemination of the activities and information.
Epilepsy week
Every year in September, in conjunction with Neurological Argentinean Society, the Week of Epilepsy is celebrated, with talks in different entities (In Buenos Aires city and in the rest of the country), aimed at reaching the community.
Challenges:
Be more in contact with people for the goverment, trying to improve the patients access to specialized medical care, diagnostic studies and treatment of the disease.
Future Plans:
NEXT ARGENTINEAN EPILEPSY CONGRESS 2019:
Our next meeting will be in Buenos Aires City, on September 19 and 20. It is confirmed the presence of Dr. Rubén Kuzniecky (USA). Dr. Jaqueline French (USA) Will be our guest too, by an online presentation. Admission to the event is free of charge for the LACE members.
The next meeting inside the country will be in May, in Mendoza. Dr iscia Lopez-Cendes will be our guest.
LACE is organizing the first online basic course of epilepsy, for young doctors, free of charge for LACE members.
Officer Election Date: Will be at the end of our local Congress in September 2019.
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