Neuromodulation News: August 2017

President's Message l Executive Board Election Results l Sydney is Selected as 2019 Congress Location l Director-at-Large Election Results l Record Congress Attendance & Video Summaries l Journal Impact Factor Jumps l Expert Panel Coming l INS European and Rio de Janeiro Meetings in 2018 l Neuromodulation Training Modules in Brazil l Italian Chapter's Cadaver Lab l Spanish Chapter Founder Retires l Ways to Get Involved

A Message from the President

Dear INS colleagues and friends,

As our medical society continues to grow and more patients and providers become aware of the potential benefits of neuromodulation therapy, the recurring theme of expansion is on my mind with respect to our field and the INS.

First, we are pleased that the INS 13th World Congress was the biggest and best yet, thanks to strong contributions from the participants and organizers. More people from more countries attended than ever before – 1,650 attendees from 51 countries. Not only that, but the strong scientific program was particularly impressive. We were fortunate to hear from up-and-coming luminaries, and honored Dr. Michael Stanton-Hicks as the fourth INS Giant of Neuromodulation for his lifelong leadership in the understanding and treatment of complex regional pain syndrome.


In the photo, Dr. Michael Stanton-Hicks, center, is flanked by two former colleagues, Dr. Jose DeAndres and Dr. Nagy Mekhail. They introduced him before his Giant of Neuromodulation lecture. Posing after the lecture are, from left to right: INS Past President Dr. Simon Thomson; INS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Robert Levy; Dr. DeAndres; Dr. Stanton-Hicks; Dr. Mekhail; INS President Dr. Timothy Deer; and INS Secretary Dr. Marc Russo.

As usual, multiple tracks each day covered the breadth and depth of current and emerging neuromodulation therapy. In addition to the popular Innovations Day preconference, for the first time, the event included a second preconference that was focused on non-invasive brain stimulation methods and applications.

The venue for the meeting itself also represented an expansion of sorts, since to accommodate overall growth, it was the first time the meeting took place in a conference center.

At the meeting, I was proud to officially announce the 14th World Congress, from May 25 – 30, 2019, will be in Sydney, Australia. This destination adds a new continent to the places where we have held a biennial congress. It is a spectacular location that I hope many of you will put on your bucket list as a fantastic place to visit.

The theme of expansion is evident in a range of other notable efforts coming up:

Around the world, our 21 chapters are being joined by four new chapters in formation, which are based in India, Chile, the Middle East /Gulf States and Iran. We look forward to formally welcoming them, and to expanding access to knowledge about neuromodulation through annual scientific meetings in their region.

Beyond that, two large regional meetings are planned in 2018. A joint annual scientific meeting of INS European chapters will take place Sept. 20 – 22, 2018 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Also in 2018, the second INS Interim Meeting will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Interim Meetings began in August 2016 with an outstanding meeting in Chengdu, China, in conjunction with the 7th annual meeting of the Chinese Neuromodulation Society.

Meanwhile, I am encouraged by the outreach carried out by our committees that represent women in neuromodulation and young neuromodulators.

The International Women in Neuromodulation Committee, iWIN, is planning a plenary session for the 14th World Congress in 2019. The session will highlight the outstanding research and clinical excellence of women in our field. Meanwhile, the Young Neuromodulators Committee is forming a mentoring program. Through this effort, I hope to see an ongoing legacy of excellence being passed forward through the development of new leaders who build and expand upon our commitment to success and continued advancement. Please stay tuned to learn more.

I thank you for your support in the field’s expansion as it grows and matures. As always, our focus on the interests of our patients remains central.

With best regards,

Timothy Deer, MD
President of INS

INS Board Selects Incoming President-Elect and Secretary; Names 14th Congress Chair

At the meeting of the INS Board in June, Dr. Robert Levy, editor-in-chief of the INS journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, was named INS president-elect. Dr. Levy will become INS president in May/June 2018, when INS President Dr. Timothy Deer’s three-year term ends.

At the same meeting, Dr. Konstantin Slavin was elected to become INS Secretary in September when the term of the current INS Secretary, Dr. Marc Russo, ends.

Dr. Russo will serve as chair of the INS 14th World Congress. During his term as congress chair, he will participate in board activities as a director-at-large.

The 2019 INS 14th World Congress Will Take Place in Sydney, Australia

The INS 14th World Congress, Neuromodulation: Leading a Global Medical Revolution, will take place from May 25 – 30, 2019 in Sydney, Australia, with Dr. Marc Russo as meeting chair. Dr. Russo, a native of Sydney, was the founding president of the INS Australian chapter and is completing his term as INS secretary in September.

During the announcement of the 2019 meeting location, he said he would be carrying a stuffed koala as a reminder of the upcoming location, and would be offering to pose with it, as shown in the following photo.

The INS Membership Elects Two New Directors-at-Large

During its meeting in June, the full board of the INS welcomed the two newly elected directors-at-large, Dr. Jason Pope and Dr. Lawrence Poree. There was a strong slate of candidates, and everyone who was nominated is commended for showing a willingness to serve.

INS 13th World Congress: A Strong Scientific Program with Record Attendance – See Summary Videos on the INS YouTube Channel

Those of you who attended the INS 13th World Congress, Neuromodulation: Technology Changing Lives, can attest to its value in presenting the most important developments in our field from an international perspective.

The program in Edinburgh from May 27 – June 1, 2017 had record-breaking attendance; the chart below depicts the 1,650 attendees’ 51 countries:


VIDEO CLIPS HAVE BEEN POSTED of summaries of several sessions:

bit.ly/INS2017-videos

Meeting abstracts will be published in an upcoming online edition of Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. In addition, members may access past congress proceedings at https://inns.memberclicks.net/congress-proceedings.

We are grateful for the efforts of the scientific program committee, organizers, presenters and faculty, and delegates that made the event an unparalleled success.

Next, please plan to join us at the INS 14th World Congress in Sydney, Australia from May 25 – 30, 2019!

Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface Impact Factor Climbs Again

The 2016 Impact Factor for Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface is 2.614, up from its score of 2.409 in 2015. This is the third year in a row that the Impact Factor has surpassed 2.400. Three years ago, the score grew dramatically after the journal increased publication from six annual issues to eight. Not only has that increased rate of appearance provided numerous timely articles for citation, the overall article quality has remained strong.

We are grateful for the skill, talent, and dedication of Editor-in-Chief Dr. Robert Levy, the Editorial Board, INS journal authors, and everyone who played a role in this success. Please remember to submit your best work to Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface.

Please Watch for Upcoming Expert Panel on Deep Brain Stimulation Innovation

The next INS online Expert Panel for members will address "the potential and limitations of recent innovations in deep brain stimulation (DBS)".

Alex Green, MD, a consultant neurosurgeon at the University of Oxford in the UK, has agreed to moderate.

The discussion will include such issues as:

General anesthesia, frameless stereotaxy, usefulness of microelectrode recording, value of new imaging methods like diffusion tensor imaging, and future perspectives of DBS.

Questions that might be addressed include: How to facilitate surgery? Do we save time by means of segmented leads? Does it improve outcomes? How to increase the implant rate among the suitable population?

Large Regional Meetings to Take Place in 2018

Two large regional meetings are planned in 2018. A joint annual scientific meeting of INS European chapters will take place Sept. 20 – 22, 2018 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, with organizational leadership from Benelux Chapter President Mike DeJongste, MD, PhD.

Also in 2018, the second INS Interim Meeting will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 2018 Interim Meeting is being organized by the Brazilian Neuromodulation Society and the Argentinean and Colombian chapters have offered their support. INS Interim Meetings are designed to facilitate meeting attendance for people who might have difficulty traveling to a biennial congress, and the meetings are held during off-congress years. The first one took place in August 2016 in Chengdu, China, in connection with the 7th annual meeting of the Chinese Neuromodulation Society.

Invasive Neuromodulation for Pain Training Program Makes a Strong Start in Brazil

In coordination with the International Neuromodulation Society, Tiago Freitas, MD, PhD, president of the Brazilian Neuromodulation Society, and colleagues have organized a six-module course about invasive neuromodulation for pain, being offered through the Brasilia Pain Institute.

The first module took place May 14 – 15, 2017. “It was a fantastic experience,” Dr. Freitas said. All 15 available spaces were filled by a range of specialists: orthopedists, neurosurgeons and anesthesiologists. The two-day module involved theoretical content the first day and on the second day, participants attended a neurostimulation implant procedure at the Hospital Santa Luzia D’Or.

 
Brazilian Chapter President Tiago Freitas, MD, PhD, pictured at the center right, poses with participants of the first module of the invasive neuromodulation for pain in Brasilia, Brazil.

The INS Italian Chapter Holds Its First Cadaver Course

The Italian Chapter of the International Neuromodulation Society presented its first cadaver course March 31, 2017 in Arezzo, Italy.

The faculty consisted of INS Italian Chapter President Alessandro Dario, MD; INS Italian Chapter Past President Gianni Colini Baldeschi, MD; and INS Italian Chapter Vice-President Genni Duse, MD.

The participants – one neurosurgeon and four anesthesists – had previously passed an examination following a theoretical course in Naples that was offered in conjunction with the annual scientific meeting of the INS Italian Chapter.

In the cadaver course, the participants observed and practiced percutaneous implantation of a spinal cord stimulation system.

Pictured from left to right are: Dr. Carla Di Martino (Mestre) – Dr. Gianluca Agresta (Varese) – Dr. Renata Di Gregorio (Benevento) – Dr. Genni Duse (Padova) – Dr. Alessandro Dario (Varese) – Dr. Dario Tammaro (Napes) – Dr. Elisabetta Saracco (Naples). The participants completed the course at the ICLO Teaching Research Center in Arezzo, Italy.

First Spanish INS Chapter’s Founding President Retires

The founding president of the first Spanish chapter of the INS, Sociedad Española de Neuromodulación (SENEMO), Dr. Francisco Javier Robaina Padrón, is being lauded upon his retirement from his neurosurgery practice in the Canary Islands.

Dr. Robaina Padrón was chief of the Department of Functional Neurosurgery and Treatment of Chronic Non-Malignant Pain at the Juan Negrín Hospital in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

 “Paco Robaina dedicated an important part of his professional life to the treatment of diverse conditions and illnesses through neuromodulation,” commented INS member Dr. José López López.

In addition to his role in SENEMO, which became an official INS chapter in 2007, he was active in other societies and a founding member of the Spanish Society of Pain. His many contributions to scientific literature, Dr. López López noted, include clarifying the mechanisms of regional cerebral microcirculation and its modification through cervical cord electrical stimulation.

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