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The
medical specialty of neurology is advancing at a rapid pace and
several major innovations in diagnosis and treatment have recently
emerged for the improved care of neurological patients. This will
be the theme of a seminar on "Advances in Neurology," being held
at Aga Khan University (AKU) on December 23 and 24, 2002. The two-day
event will bring together Pakistani neurologists established in
North America with their local counterparts, to discuss clinical
progress in this swiftly changing branch of medicine.
"Neurology used
to be seen as an uninteresting field in which one could do little
for patients, but in recent years the specialty has transformed
itself," observes Professor Wasim Jafri, Chairman, Department of
Medicine at AKU. Dr. Shahid Baig, AKU's Chief of Neurology, says
that such a conference with North American colleagues provides an
ideal forum for neurology specialists to keep abreast of their field
while also developing collaborative linkages for research and training
purposes.
The meeting
is being organised by Dr. Saad Shafqat, Assistant Professor of Neurology
at AKU. The Organising Committee also includes Professor Ashfaq
Shuaib (University of Alberta, Canada), Professor Rashid Jooma (JPMC),
Dr. Sarwar Siddiqui (Civil Hospital), Dr. Shaukat Ali (JPMC) as
well as Dr. Shahid Baig.
Topics to be
covered during the conference include stroke, Parkinson's disease,
muscular diseases and a lethal form of brain hemorrhage called subarachnoid
hemorrhage. One of the sessions will focus on innovations in Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain, a diagnostic technology that
is at the heart of modern neurology practice.
Approximately
half of the speakers have been invited from North America: Dr. Zeba
Vanek from University of California Los Angeles; Dr. Kazim Sheikh
from Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Tahseen Mozaffar from University
of California Irvine; Dr. Naveed Yousuf from Central Illinois Foundation
and Professor Shuaib from Canada. The remaining talks will be delivered
by distinguished Pakistani experts including Dr. Saad Bashir, Dr.
Zafar Sajjad and Dr. Mohammad Wasay. The concluding talk, "Reflections
on Neurology in Pakistan," will be delivered by Professor Akhter
Ahmed, founding chairman of the Neurology Department, Civil Hospital.
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