Neurology experts to gather in Tralee

Irish Neurological Association Annual Meeting will spotlight cutting-edge research and clinical insights in neurology

The 61st Annual Meeting of the Irish Neurological Association (INA) will take place on 15-16 May in the Rose Hotel, Tralee, Co Kerry. As in previous years, the meeting is being held in collaboration with the Irish Institute of Clinical Neuroscience (IICN).

The event opens on Thursday morning with welcome remarks from INA President Dr Helena Moore.

Dr Moore is a Consultant Neurologist and Clinical Director at the Bon Secours Hospital Tralee. Dr Moore graduated from University College Galway in 1988. She carried out her specialist training in both Ireland and England, completing training schemes in Cork University Hospital and the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK. She has a specialist interest in dystonia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

“I am personally indebted to [Ms] Colette Fitzpatrick and [Ms] Mary McConville for organising this meeting,” Dr Moore said in a message to delegates in advance of
the meeting.

“Many thanks also to our industry sponsors. I look forward to welcoming you all to Tralee in May and thanking the IICN for their support.”

I look forward to welcoming you all to Tralee in May and thanking the IICN for their support

Opening sessions

In keeping with previous meetings, the individual sessions will be chaired by leading experts in the area.

The first session, centred on epilepsy and neurophysiology, offers an overview of contemporary issues in seizure management – from national prescription trends of anti-seizure medications to rare genetic cases and cutting-edge molecular insights from stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) electrodes.

The focus then shifts to neuroinflammation and multiple sclerosis, with an update on the evolving treatment landscape. Key talks will delve into unclassified synaptic autoantibodies, the impact of disease-modifying therapies during pregnancy, and ethical quandaries in autoimmune encephalitis care.

As always, poster viewing will remain a cornerstone of the event, offering attendees a chance to engage in smaller, expert-led discussions. Guided tours will cover key specialist areas. The first of these tours will be held after lunch, with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and headache among the topics to be discussed.

The programme continues with a dedicated neuromuscular session, which will spotlight cutting-edge work in mitochondrial disorders, amyloidosis, and genetic variations in motor neurone disease, among others.

The day concludes with the INA business meeting and a special session for neurology trainees, before culminating in a celebratory dinner and drinks reception – a valued opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and reflect on the day’s themes.

Friday

Friday morning opens with a Pfizer-sponsored symposium chaired by Dr Martin Ruttledge. The session will feature guest speaker Dr Stewart Tepper, Professor of Neurology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, US.

Dr Tepper will present on ‘Rimegepant: A dual approach to managing migraine – acute treatment and episodic migraine prevention’.

This will be followed by a session on neuropathology and neurosurgery. These talks will explore a clinicopathological study of the clinical diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, the evolving impact of tumour classification, and ventriculopleural shunt in the management of complex hydrocephalus, in addition to other topics.

The Friday poster tours will focus on neuromuscular, movement disorders, and general interest topics, paving the way for the Noel Callaghan Guest Lecture.

Noel Callaghan Guest Lecture

This year the Noel Callaghan Guest Lecture will be delivered by Prof Geraldine McGinty. Professor of Clinical Radiology and Population, Weill Cornell Medical School, US.

The title of Prof McGinty’s talk is ‘An inclusive future for healthcare: Provider-driven, patient-powered, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled’.

Prof McGinty completed her medical training in Ireland at the University of Galway before moving to the US for residency at the University of Pittsburgh, where she served as Chief Resident. She went on to complete a Fellowship in women’s imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2000, she earned an MBA from Columbia University.

An internationally recognised expert in imaging economics, Prof McGinty was elected Chair of the American College of Radiology’s Board of Chancellors in May 2018 – the first woman to hold this position. She joined the faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City in 2014 and was appointed Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs in 2021. Since 2017, she has also taught in the Executive MBA/MS in healthcare leadership programme, a joint initiative of Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

Prof McGinty currently serves on the board of 4D Medical (4DX) and is also a board member of her alma mater. From 2014 to 2021, she was a Non-Executive Director of IDA Ireland.

Prof McGinty’s published research has focused primarily on imaging payment models, including recent work on bundled payments for breast cancer screening. Her current interests include the transformative impact of AI on medical imaging. She has spoken on this topic at prominent forums, including the Turing Institute and the World Health Organisation focus group on AI in healthcare.

In 2015, she was named Radiology’s Most Effective Educator by Aunt Minnie, a leading radiology news site with over 140,000 members. A strong advocate for inclusion, Prof McGinty has been widely recognised for her efforts to advance the careers of women in medicine. She received the Jessica M and Natan Bibliowicz Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty and, in 2019, she endowed a scholarship at her alma mater to support a female physician pursuing an MBA.

Close

The final session of the meeting is a session on movement disorders. This will begin with a talk focusing on the experience of an Irish centre in utilising continuous subcutaneous infusion of foslevodopa/foscarbidopa for advanced Parkinson’s disease. It will be followed by a talk on the impact of subcutaneous continuous dopaminergic stimulation on gait and another on the successful rescue of severe cervical dystonia through electrophysiologic mapping for optimised botulinum neurotoxin treatment. Attendees will also hear about novel approaches to understanding dystonia through a combined neurobehavioural-neurophysiological task, insights into oculomotor differences in PARK2 Parkinson’s disease, and the integration of EEG and eye-tracking to explore social cognition and emotional facial expression recognition in cervical dystonia.

The meeting will conclude with the announcement and presentation of awards, recognising outstanding contributions across oral and poster presentations.