European Paediatric Neurology Society

European Paediatric Neurology Society
Name	European Paediatric Neurology Society
Abbreviation	EPNS
Formation	1980
Type	Medical society
Headquarters	City of London
Region served	Europe
Membership	Clinicians, researchers
Leader title	President

European Paediatric Neurology Society is a professional association for clinicians and researchers in paediatric neurology across Europe and adjacent regions. It connects specialists from hospitals, universities, and research institutes to advance care for children with neurological disorders through education, research, and guideline development. The Society collaborates with national societies, supranational bodies, and patient organisations to harmonise standards of practice.

History

The Society was founded in 1980 at a meeting attended by delegates from United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other European states, following earlier gatherings such as the International Child Neurology Congress and regional symposia in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Munich. Early leaders included clinicians affiliated with Great Ormond Street Hospital, Robert Debré Hospital, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, who coordinated with organisations like the World Federation of Neurology and the European Academy of Paediatrics. Over subsequent decades the Society engaged with initiatives from the European Commission and partnered with the European Medicines Agency on paediatric pharmacology issues, while aligning training recommendations with the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes and publishing consensus statements alongside journals such as The Lancet Neurology and Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology.

Organisation and governance

Governance is overseen by an elected Council and Executive Committee, including a President, Secretary, Treasurer and committee chairs drawn from academic centres like University College London, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, University of Paris, Sapienza University of Rome and Karolinska Institutet. The Society operates standing committees for education, research, ethics and finance, liaising with partners such as the European Paediatric Association, European Academy of Neurology and patient advocacy groups like European Brain Council affiliates. Statutes and bylaws define membership categories and election procedures, and the organisation maintains legal registration in the United Kingdom while collaborating with national authorities across the Council of Europe and European Union member states.

Membership and chapters

Membership comprises consultant paediatric neurologists, trainees, allied health professionals and researchers from institutions such as Aalborg University Hospital, Erasmus University Medical Center, Hôpital Necker–Enfants Malades, Hospital Universitario La Paz and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. National chapters and affiliated societies include bodies like the British Paediatric Neurology Association, German Society for Neuropaediatrics, French Society of Paediatric Neurology, Italian Society of Paediatric Neurology and Spanish Society of Paediatric Neurology. Membership tiers recognise fellows, trainees and emeritus members and the Society coordinates with examination boards such as the European Board of Paediatrics and specialty committees within the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie.

Activities and programs

The Society runs fellowship programmes, specialist courses and clinical networks linking centres such as Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Rigshospitalet and Vall d'Hebron University Hospital for exchange of best practice in areas including epilepsy, neurometabolic disorders, cerebral palsy and neurogenetics. Clinical registries and quality improvement initiatives are developed in concert with entities like EuroEPINOMICS and the European Reference Networks for rare neurological diseases. Collaborative projects involve research funders and charities such as European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Erasmus+ and organisations like UNICEF when addressing child health policy.

Conferences and publications

The Society organises biennial congresses and thematic meetings hosted in cities such as Lisbon, Vienna, Prague, Ljubljana and Zurich, often co-located with conferences from the International Child Neurology Association and the European Academy of Paediatrics. Proceedings, clinical guidelines and position papers are disseminated through journals including European Journal of Paediatric Neurology, Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology and specialty supplements in Neurology and Epilepsia. The Society also publishes newsletters, training curricula and online resources in partnership with publishers and academic presses affiliated with Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.

Education, training and guidelines

Educational activities include accredited courses, online modules and hands-on workshops addressing topics from neonatal neurology to neuromuscular disease, developed with input from institutions like Great Ormond Street Hospital, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (as an external collaborator), Erasmus MC and university departments at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and Université Paris Cité. The Society issues consensus guidelines on diagnosis and management of conditions such as paediatric epilepsy, mitochondrial disease and neonatal seizures, aligning with recommendations from the World Health Organization and specialist groups like the International League Against Epilepsy and European Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases.

Research and advocacy

Research priorities include epidemiology, translational neuroscience, genetic diagnostics, outcome measurement and health services research carried out in collaboration with research centres like INSERM, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Karolinska Institutet and university hospitals across Europe. Advocacy efforts target policy-makers in the European Commission and national ministries of health to improve access to diagnostics, therapies and multidisciplinary care, working alongside patient organisations such as European Federation of Neurological Associations and charities like Child Brain Injury Trust. The Society engages in grant review panels, multicentre trials and guideline development to influence clinical practice and research funding priorities.

Category:Medical associations based in Europe Category:Neurology societies