EPIPED 2027-2029

Dear colleagues
 
The program of the 2027 EPIPED course is now released. As for the previous 3 editions (2017-2019; 2020-2023; 2024-2026) the course will take place at the city of Girona, in Spain, from Wednesday May 5^th in the afternoon to Saturday May 8^th lunchtime.
 
EPIPED, is an international, CME-accredited, highly interactive educational program, designed as a 3-years cycle, bringing together, each year, internationally recognized experts with not more than 45 certified neurologists/child neurologists. Registration for the full cycle is not obligatory.
Launched in 2017, EPIPED has already trained 190 clinicians from over 30 countries through plenary lectures, case-based workshops, and small-group mentoring modules, providing interactive and practical learning
 
EPIPED is recognized as a core-course of the ILAE-EUROPE educational curriculum; the University of Barcelona Master in Epileptology; and the Postgraduate Childhood Epilepsy Course of the University of Leuven (KUL). It is also endorsed by the European Reference Network for Rare and Complex Epilepsies, ERN EpiCARE and leading scientific societies such the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS) and the Academia Iberoamericana de Neurología Pediátrica (AINP).
 
Considering that not more than 45 applicants will be admitted, please submit now the pre-registration form.

EPIPED 2027 Training Program (4th cycle; Year 1)
 

• The 2027 practical cookbook of ASMs: from mechanisms to interactions.
• Genotype-Phenotype associations in Focal Cortical Dysplasias and MOGHE
• Recognizing and treating Sleep-related paroxysmal events  
• Recognizing and treating Early onset Epilepsies in children & neonates
• The windy road from first seizure to specific ASMs in children
• When the aetiology guides the classification
• Become an epilepsy Neurosurgeon by watching videos
• Considering behaviour & Cognition when choosing ASMs
• Real-world experience with new ASMs
• From semiology to surgical treatment of Long-term Epilepsy Associated Tumors (LEATs)
• Phenotyping Focal seizures in children
• VNS – how to choose the right patient and appropriate stimulation parameters?
• From electro-clinical correlations to Stereo-EEG design
• Rescue medications in practice
• Choosing the most appropriate treatment for metabolic epilepsies

 
Faculty
 
Javier APARICIO (Spain); Alexis ARZIMANOGLOU (Spain); Ingmar BLÜMCKE (Germany); Kees BRAUN (The Netherlands); Jaume CAMPISTOL (Spain); Helen CROSS (UK); Valentina DE GIORGIS (Italy); Luca DE PALMA (Italy) (TBC); Jana DOMINGUEZ (Spain); Carmen FONS (Spain); Sam GEUENS (Belgium); Lieven LAGAE (Belgium); Tatjana LIAKINA (Sweden), Maša MALENICA (Croatia), Lino NOBILI (Italy); Laia NOU FONTANET (Spain); Andrea PALACIO (Spain) ; Marietta PAPADOPOULOU (France) ;. Emilio PERUCCA (Australia); Loreto RIOS (Chile); Alia RAMIREZ (Spain); Martin TISDALL (UK) (TBC); Victoria SAN ANTONIO (Germany), Nicola SPECCHIO (Italy),
 
Hoping that the above program meets your expectations
 
Professor M. Malenica, UHC Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia, Chair Education and Training ERN EpiCARE, member of the ILAE-EUROPE Board and of the ILAE Education Council.
Professor A. Arzimanoglou, Coordinator of the European Reference Network ERN EpiCARE and Epilepsy Program Director, Hospital San Juan de Dios, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
Professor J. Campistol, Professor of Child Neurology at Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
 

 

TREATMENT STRATEGIES IN PEDIATRIC EPILEPSIES (EPIPED): 
  
One of the main missions of the European Reference Network ERN EpiCARE (https://epi-care.eu), in close collaboration with the International League Against Epilepsy and the Paediatric Neurology Societies, is training and education. Complex epilepsies, particularly of childhood-onset, and associated comorbidities, are those requiring multidisciplinary management through clearly identified care pathways. Rare epilepsies with unknown etiology require a specific clinical and consequent early diagnostic screening utilizing a multidisciplinary approach. 

The correct and timely diagnosis of rare forms of epilepsy is crucial for a tailored, successful treatment. 
During the last decade, the development of several new antiseizure medications (ASMs) and pre-surgical evaluation approaches have offered the chance for better care to an increasing number of children and adolescents with epilepsy. As an unavoidable result, best treatment choices become more and more complex, requiring a high level of expertise. 

The aim of the EPIPED Course is to reduce the geographical and knowledge gap by providing neurologists and child neurologists involved in epilepsy care the opportunity for a regular update on best treatment practices. The concept of EPIPED is based on a 3-year cycle of independent annual training courses, developed specifically for child neurologists, physicians and epilepsy nurses caring for patients with epilepsy. 

A limited number of plenary interactive sessions cover different aspects of treatment strategies in children with all types of epilepsies, particularly the rare and complex ones. Topics treated are related to pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, genetics, analysis of ASMs trials, design of clinical trials, pre-surgical evaluation, optimal choice of ASMs, review of existing guidelines (ILAE, NICE, other), data on ketogenic diet, neurostimulation, indications for resective and palliative surgery, pharmacological treatments other than with ASMs, update on the development of targeted therapies.

An important number of interactive modules allow participants, limited to 15 per group, to discuss with experts regarding the best clinical practices and therapeutic strategies. Participants, limited to 40-45, are offered the opportunity to also bring their own clinical cases for discussion of optimal treatment approaches. 
This educational activity is addressing the corresponding learning objectives of the ILAE curriculum (Blümcke et al 2019) .

Seventy neurologists and neuro-pediatricians from several countries attended all or part of the first 3-year cycle, held in Girona, Spain (2017-2019). The second cycle (2021-2023) brought together a total of 142 participants over the 3 years, representing 40 participants per course. Girona proved to be an excellent hosting city facilitating interaction and networking. At the end of the daily sessions, participants have time to enjoy the city and discover some of the varied local gastronomic proposals. 
The organization of EPIPED is also designed to facilitate networking, because we are convinced that it is only through collaborative working and sharing that an increased number of individuals with treatment-refractory epilepsy will have the cause of their epilepsy appropriately diagnosed and treated. 
The success of the first three cycles (2017-2019, 2021-2023 & 2024-2026) and the numerous requests from those that already participated, easily convinced us to renew the experience and to organize a fourth 3-year cycle (2027-2029) of intensive training and interaction. 
We take this opportunity to thank all our educational partners over the years.