|
| INTRODUCTION |
Internet has torn down geographical barriers in such a way that this training, information and communication tool allows "meetings" of professionals from a specific field although separated by thousands of miles. What was difficult and occasional yesterday, to gather determined specialists in the same place and time, today is much easier and with greater possibilities: communication through Internet.
In this way, it is already possible to organize scientific "meetings" of a varying nature to transmit -like in traditional congresses- updates, teaching, experiences, personal and collective ideas, to share the science itself with other colleagues, to learn from others' experiences and to cooperate in the progress of the scientific discipline in question. When this meeting is large enough, it is called a Virtual Congress. It is not necessary to think about the added advantages of comfort, duration, easiness to record the scientific communications, great field of influence, and above all, a meeting through Internet eliminating many difficulties pertaining to displacement, which, as people and workers, we suffer. "almost nobody" can be in two places at the same time.
A Virtual Congress allows a great number of professionals to meet together, who, otherwise, could not participate in the experience. It is a novel activity which, like in traditional meetings has some restrictions, like language or crowding, not including -for the moment- the normal "social" activities of congresses, as we have all known until now.
This tool, without being new, is still little known and hardly developed. This may not be negatively interpreted, but this apparent handicap should be taken as a challenge and remind that, in computer matters within the medical field, Neurology has become a pioneer. And we will try to continue being so. For this purpose, we count with the support of many institutions and we have gathered all the experience possible, but above all, we count with the most enterprising group of medical specialists, strongly connected through other activities like our distribution list and with an average age allowing us to say that we are a group of young pioneers.
Our Virtual Community of Neurosciences , will count with, for this First Ibero-american Virtual Neurology Congress, as many resources as may be capitalized, beginning with our urge to improve, without excluding anybody. Fortunately, we also count with UniNet tools, the experiences offered by the organizers of a previous congress, the Ibero-american Congress of Pathology -coordinated in Spain- the instrumental cooperation of the National Network R+D RedIris and we anticipate the support of different public and private institutions.
A Virtual Congress is a scientific meeting held on Internet, where the contributions and scientific work are published on Web pages, and the participation consists of reading said pages and discussing them through electronic mail and interactive chats in real time with the authors. Although novel, this is not a new experience and its characteristics of organization economy, attendance free of charge, universal circulation and possibilities of participation, make this tool an instrument of unquestionable value and with a brilliant future.
Return to the beginning of the page
| AIMS |
The aims of this I Latin American Virtual Neurology Congress are:
1. - Universally circulate the experience of the Spanish speaking Scientific Community in the field of Neurosciences and exchange knowledge with the International Community, especially the Portuguese one.
2. - Provide a field for communication and relations between professionals on both sides of the Atlantic, mainly between Spain, Portugal and Latin America, overcoming the frontiers imposed by the Anglo-saxon dominion of communications and the differences of economic means in the American countries of Hispanic culture.
3. - Permanent improving and training of the professional involved in the field of Neurosciences suffering geographical isolation, living in places with sparse opportunities of continuous training or lacking the possibility of traveling for whatever reason. The latter is particularly important since it may be a valuable means to link these professionals with the centers of reference and the more favored professionals.
4. - To establish permanent ties of relation between professionals beyond the time-space of the Congress, encouraging the fluid transmission of information and cooperation in the training and communication of professionals dedicated to Neurosciences. This will involve important results in Attendance, Teaching and Research in our field.
5. - An increase of the presence of Neurology professionals in Internet, the most powerful communications tool, whose era has only just begun.
6. - Experience using Internet as a means of caring, teaching and researching, for the sake of Science and Universal Culture.
Return to the beginning of the page
| DEVELOPMENT |
The Congress activities will be developed from October 15 to November 30, 1998, but the exhibition of work will be extended at least for one year.
The abstracts of publications, courses and guest conferences will be published by the neurology journal "Revista de Neurología" and through the Latin American Association of Neurology Journals, which will provide the Congress participation with curricular specific weight involved in any traditional congress.
The entire contents of the Congress will be available on permanent computerized support (CD-ROM type) which will be freely distributed among all the professionals participating in the event.
Return to the beginning of the page
| PARTICIPATION |
Participant registration is free of charge. The registration period will start on May 1, 1998. The term (deadline) for sending the abstracts of free communications and electronic posters will finish on July 15, 1998.
Through the electronic mail distribution list, where all participants will be included, and information in web format through the Congress Bulletin, the pre-congress events will be regularly reported.
The participation will partially follow the activities of traditional scientific meetings, including social activities.
Besides guest conferences and official papers, there will be "oral" scientific communications with their corresponding discussion, (through an IRC-Scientific network) and on poster (in web format), with no more restrictions than those imposed by the scientific committee.
During the pre-congress phase, the participants so requiring it will be provided with the theoretical and practical teaching to train them in the handling of Internet tools, including chat programs in real time and web page design.
Certificates will be issued for all professionals participating in the Congress, to be added to their curriculum.
Return to the beginning of the page
| ORGANIZING COMMITTEE |
The Call came from the Moderation Team of the Neurology List in Spanish. Our project, included in the widest framework of the Virtual Community of Neurosciences submitted to RedIRIS, gathers the previous experiences developed by the Spanish Society of Health Informatics, SEIS, the institutions acting as co-sponsor and finds its first guarantee in the Revista de Neurología (Rev Neurol) enabling the circulation of the Congress in conventional formats and permitting that the participation achieves, from a scientific and curricular standpoint, an impact similar to an ordinary congress. UNINet , the IRC university server network, provides its Web and IRC server infrastructure to give the Congress a great speed of access and interaction capacity between participants and attendants.
The initiative has been approved by the Scientific Societies with its presentation in the annual ordinary Meetings of the Valencian Society of Neurology and the Catalonian Society of Neurology which offer the organizational infrastructure to hold the event. The following associations have also recognized and cooperate in the organization of the event: Central American Association of Neurology, Honduran Association of Neurology, Spanish Society of Health Informatics, Spanish League Against Epilepsy, Andalusian Society of Neurology, Murcian Society of Neurology, Argentinean Society of Neurology and the Rediris Medical Lists, Spanish Society of Child Neurology, the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Mexico, Society of Neurology of Castilla La Mancha and the Mexican Society of Child Neurology.
The organization continues its work of explanation and circulation of the initiative among scientific societies related to Neurology and expects their gradual adhesion to the project. We intend to involve all the Hispano-Portuguese Scientific Societies in the field of Neurosciences in the Congress.
The Organization Committee consists of the following professionals:
DAVID EZPELETA ECHÁVARRI. Congress Information Coordinator. Neurologist. Madrid. dezpeleta@cvneuro.org
Return to the beginning of the page
| SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE |
President of the Scientific Committee
Dr. Antonio Culebras ancufe@hotmail.coms
Secretary of the Scientific Committee
Dr. Angel Pérez Sempere aperez@cvneuro.org
Members
Dr. Roman Alberca ralbercas@meditex.es
Dr. Gregorio R.P. Albiusi abiusi@bigfoot.com
Dr. Fernando Barinagamenteria FBarinaga@compuserve.com
Dr. Félix Bermejo fbermejop@meditex.es
Dr. Enrique Botia ebotia@cvneuro.org
Dr. Antonio Bové above@galenics.com
Dr. Jose Bueri jabueri@sanofi.com.ar
Dr. Juan Burguera Hernandez jburguerah@meditex.es
Dr. Cristobal Carnero ccarnero@cvneuro.org
Dr. Manuel Carvajal mcarvaja@sol.racsa.co.cr
Dr. Carlos Casas Fernández ccasas@forodigital.es
Dr. José Castillo mecasti@usc.es
Dr. Nelson Chinchilla nchinchilla@globalnet.hn
Dr. Jaume Coll Cantí jcollc@meditex.es
Dr. Josep Dalmau Obrador dalmau_josep_o/mskcc_neurology@mskmail.mskcc.org
Dr. Oscar Del Brutto odbrutto@telconet.net
Dr. Carmina Diaz Marín cdiazm@medynet.com
Dr. Exuperio Diez Tejedor ediezt@meditex.es
Dr. Jacinto Duarte jduarteg@meditex.es
Dr. Joaquín Escudero
Dr. Conrado Estol cjestol@starnet.net.ar
Dr. Isidro Ferrer iferrer@sakma.com
Dr. José M. Ferro jferro@MAIL.TELEPAC.PT
Dr. Otto J. Fustes ottojhf@aol.com.br
Dr. Jesús Gómez-Plascencia jgomezp@udgserv.cencar.udg.mx
Dr. Fernando Gracia fegra@sinfo.net
Dr. Francesc Graus graus@medicina.ub.es
Dr. Josep Maria Grau Veciana jgrauv@meditex.es
Dr. Miguel Angel Hernández Pérez mhernandezp@meditex.es
Dr. Javier Jiménez Jiménez
Dr. Luis Javier López del Val jllopezd@meditex.es
Dr. Jose Maestre Moreno jmaestrem@meditex.es
Dr. Jose Feliz Marti-Massó martima@i2000.es
Dr. Eduardo Martinez Vila emartinezv@cun.unav.es
Dra. Rosario Martín rmarting@medynet.com
Dr. Jordi Matias-Guiu jmguiu@cvneuro.org
Dr. Marco Medina marco@ns.gbm.hn
Dr. Adolfo Minguez aminguezc@meditex.es
Dr. Santiago Mola smola@cvneuro.org
Dr. Jose Manuel Moltó Jordá jmmolto@abonados.cplus.es
Dr. Jaume Morera jmorerag@meditex.es
Dr. Luis Guillermo Palacios ineurolo@epm.net.co
Dr. Julio Oscar Prost jprost@INTRAMED.NET.AR
Dr. Pedro J Serrano pserrano@meditex.es
Dr. Carlos Singer neurosing@aol.com
Return to the beginning of the page
| CONGRESS LOGOTYPE |
All the colors of the Latin American flags are represented in the logotype , focusing their interests and gather around the "neuron" (neurology). It "action potential" is propagated by the axon (Virtual Congress) to the scientific community.
Return to the beginning of the page
HOMEPAGE | TRAINING COURSES | ELECTRONIC POSTERS | GUEST CONFERENCES | COMMUNICATIONS | INTERACTIVE CHAT
