Chapter Name: Iran
Report By: Mahmoud Motamedi

Publications:

none

Summary of Activities:

Since our chapter was officially recognized in September 2017, we still have a head-quarter based in the Iranian neurological association and our website is set up (http://iranilae.org/). Currently, apart from allied members, we have 81 united members that are mainly adult and pediatric neurologists and epileptologists. Monthly meetings were held until the beginning of 2020 and COVID-19 era which limited our meetings to a seasonal schedule.

According to our prior developing program, established in 2018, to make official national epilepsy guidelines, we were able to prepare a national EEG guideline. After getting the approval of the ministry of health, this guideline is being carried out country-wide currently.

The 15th and 16th international Epilepsy Congresses of Iran were held in February 2019 and 2020 in Tehran for three days exclusively on epilepsy.

The 26th and 27th international Congresses of Neurology & Clinical Electrophysiology of Iran were held in Tehran in May 2019 and December 2020, with a six-hour and 11-hour epilepsy teaching courses and workshops respectively.

Brain and mood day conference was held in Tehran in December 2019 with collaboration of our chapter and “the neurology, psychiatry and epilepsy associations”.

Monthly local epilepsy workshops were also held in Tehran, Tabriz, Mashhad, Karaj and Isfahan.

Challenges:

As mentioned in our previous report, unfortunately due to continuation of economic sanctions on Iran and COVID-19 pandemics, there is increasing shortage of medicine and medical instruments that has affected the epilepsy care especially in epilepsy surgery that requires more sophisticated and expensive services and technical prerequisites.

We believe that improvement of epilepsy care and knowledge will never be achieved without collaborative efforts of both ILAE branch and IBE Iranian branches in our country. Therefore, we continue to fortify the existing bonds and we are planning the joint virtual 17th Iranian Epilepsy Congress to be hold in February 2021.

We are very optimistic about the future and we will do our best to increase the international activities and cooperation of the Iranian chapter.

Future Plans:

1- fortification of collaborative activities with Iranian IBE
2- new member recruitment
3- completing the official national guidelines and protocols on epilepsy
4-increasing regional cooperative act ivies like joint conferences

Officer Election Date: 2021