Attention all Trainee Paediatric Neurologists - consider joining the EPNS!

Dear Trainee Paediatric Neurologists 

Have you considered joining the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS)?  As a trainee there has never been a better time to join the EPNS, so if you are not already a member, please think about becoming one!

It is a thriving and growing Society with over 900 members from all over Europe and beyond. By becoming a member you become part of the Society’s goal to promote clinical care and scientific research in the field of paediatric neurology.

Our annual subscription rates are good value and the 2015 trainee annual subscription fee is the lowest it has ever been at an affordable 20 Euros for the full year! This membership payment gives on-line only access during 2015 to the Society’s Journal (the European Journal of Paediatric Neurology (EJPN)  http://www.ejpn-journal.com/ ) If you are a trainee, this is an opportunity not to be missed!

There are many other reasons for joining the EPNS; please visit our website where you can find more information http://www.epns.info/index.php?c=1  

Here are a few benefits which I would like to tell you about:

• Networking: Membership opens doors and aids contact between colleagues. I find the EPNS invaluable.  New friendships are made, and networks created.  This allows us to advance collaborative research, training opportunities and to define and promote standards for service delivery.
• Training: The EPNS has been organising training courses in paediatric neurology since 2003, specifically aiming at trainees but also at qualified paediatric neurologists who want to refresh their knowledge on certain topics. The aim is to cover most main topics in the syllabus over a three year cycle and to promote contact between individuals in the speciality in different parts of Europe. The 3 year cycle of training courses in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was completed in May 2014. The next cycle of training courses (2015-2017) is taking place in the beautiful city of Budapest, Hungary. Courses are only available to members of the EPNS.
• Congresses: Our next Congress will be held in Vienna, Austria in May 2015 and trainees are eligible for substantially reduced delegate registration fees. Also, for the first time there will be an EPNS International Symposium on Advances in Neuromodulation in Children. Visit our congress website http://www.epns2015.org/home.html and consider registering. The EPNS would be delighted to meet you in the lovely city of Vienna!
• Fellowships: This is a newly introduced EPNS initiative, and each cycle will be open to candidates who have been an EPNS member for at least 6 months, with the current year membership fee paid at the date of application. 3,500 Euros is available to successful candidates to undertake a 3-4 month’s fellowship in a specialised centre. The aim of the Fellowship is to create excellence by offering the opportunity for further qualification or experience in an area of paediatric neurology in terms of clinical practice or research.
• Free Publication: For a limited period only, while stocks last, the EPNS is offering its members (who have paid their 2015 fee) a free copy of the publication ‘Principles and practice of child neurology in infancy’ (Kennedy C (Ed.), Mac Keith Press, London, November 2012), recommended retail price £29.95 or €37.44. Postage and packing costs will be payable, and this cost is a very reasonable 6 EUR. Hurry whilst stocks last! 

I hope you agree, for the sum of 20 Euros it is an opportunity not to be missed! 

It’s very easy to join the EPNS! Our new membership application form can be completed on-line through our website http://www.epns.info/ Please select 'membership' from the top menu, then ‘become a member' to get the application form. Once you submit the form, you will get an email acknowledging receipt. Our membership secretary will then get in touch with you shortly afterwards to formally welcome you to the Society.

In order to qualify for the trainee discount, please also send a supporting letter from your tutor confirming that you are a trainee and the date your training is expected to be completed. Your tutor must be send a supporting letter every 2 years thereafter until the expected completion date of your training has been reached. This will ensure you continue to qualify for the reduced rate. Your supporting letter can be emailed any time to info@epns.info

If you have any questions whatsoever about the EPNS please feel free to email our membership secretary, Sue Hargreaves, at info@epns.info  Sue will be very happy to help you and will get back in touch with you as soon as possible. 

I hope to meet you in Vienna! 

With best wishes

Professor Sameer Zuberi, Chair of the Membership, Public Relations and Website Committee