The World Federation of Neurology

Abstract

Continuity and change describe the activities of the current administration. The continuity is reflected in the successful congresses, our publications, including World Neurology and the Journal of Neurological Sciences , and its educational activities, including CONTINUUM for developing countries, a joint program with the American Academy of Neurology. We are building on the work carried out by my predecessor as President, Johan Aarli, who has a longstanding record of working closely with the WHO. He was a key participant in the projects that led to the publication of the WHO monograph “Neurological disorders: public health challenges” (2006) and Atlas: Country Resources for Neurological Disorders . The WHO is revising the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Our Secretary General, Raad Shakir, is Chair of the Neurology Expert Committee advising on the revisions to ICD-10 that will lead to the ICD-11. Bo Norrving, President of the World Stroke Organization, chairs the Stroke Subcommittee. Stroke no longer will be listed under “cardiovascular diseases,” but appropriately under the brain, a remarkable achievement, given the long struggle that this has entailed. Vladimir Hachinski, MD, DSc, FAAN Donna Bergen, Chair, Applied Research Committee, represents us at a major WHO initiative. The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) recently joined nearly 50 other major international organizations at the second meeting of the WHO's mhGAP Action Programme: Scaling up Care for Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders (http://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap/enindex.html). When I was Vice President, I began a process that resulted in moving the World Congresses from a 4- to a 2-year cycle. The main purpose is to take neurology to those who cannot travel internationally. For the first time in its history, a World Congress of Neurology will be held on the African continent, a tangible result of Johan Aarli's Africa initiative. Beyond the already planned meetings of Marrakesh …