Giving Back By Barbara Palmer

Take Away

Shared Brainpower

When neurologists gathered at a medical conference to learn from one another, they also took some time to educate the public.

TheAmericanAcademy of Neurology’s (AAN) AnnualMeeting is theworld’s largest gathering of neurologists. This year’s conference, held at the HawaiiConventionCenteronApril9–16,brought together 12,000 attendees from92 countries, and featuredmore than2,500presentationsonthe lat- est advances inresearchandtreatmentofbraindis- orders. The convergence of all that expertise also cre-

ated an ideal opportunity for the launch ofAAN’s first-ever Brain Health Fair, a free public event designedtoeducate the local community about the prevention and treatment of brain disorders. Activities ranged froma “KidZone,”with games

bones” budget thatwas supported through dona- tions and sponsorships — including from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the conference’s head- quarters hotel, where the fair was held. The Hawaii Convention Center helped publicize the event,Phelps said, securing televisionspots andoth- ermedia coverage. Manyof the fair’s30exhibitorswere voluntary

health-care organizations, which AAN did not charge to exhibit.Corporate sponsors, including pharmaceutical companies, tended to hang back a little, Phelps said,waiting to see howthe first year would go. Organizerswerenervous, too.“Wehadnoidea

“We went into the event thinking it would be a monumental success or a monumental failure—not anything in between.”

andactivities demonstratinghowthebrainworks, to a keynote outlining the latest advances and dis- coveries in neurologicmedicine.Workshops cov- ered topics includingAlzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, headaches, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, and trau- matic brain injuries and sports concussions. The fairwasmore than an academic exercise,

according toChristineE.Phelps,deputy executive director ofAANand theAANFoundation.One in six people in theworldwill suffer froma neu- rologic disorder, Phelps said, yet “people are fuzzy aboutneurology.”She added:“Weknewwe could be successful bringing professional expert- ise tothe local community.”Theneurologistswho volunteered to speak and teach at the fair, Phelps said, were “enthusiastic from the minute we brought this up.” The Brain Health Fair operated on a “bare-

howmany peoplewould showup,” Phelps said. “We went into the event thinking it would be a monumental success or amonumental failure — and there was not going to be anything in between.” She added: “We thought ifwe got 300 to400[attendees], thatwouldbe respectable.”The actual turnout—1,400people—was thebest that AAN could have hoped for, because any more would have exceeded the capacity of the ballroom where the fairwas held. Nowthat theBrainHealth Fair has proved to

be a success, corporate sponsors are eager to sup- port it. It’s virtually certain that the eventwill be repeated next year, when AAN meets in New Orleans. “We felt collectivelywe can bring a great message tothose suffering frombraindisorders and their caregivers,” Phelps said. “There is hope and help to get you through a tumultuous time.”

ON_THE_WEB: For more information about AAN’s 2011 Neuro Film Festival (see Take Away, at top right) — including links to this year’s entries — visit http://patients.aan.com/go/about/neurofilmfestival.

34 pcma convene September 2011 ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT HANSON

Sharing Stories AAN’s Brain Health Fair involved the public in more than just learning about the prevention and treatment of brain disorders. It also gave them a chance to share their stories. Entries from the

association’s second annual Neuro Film Festival—chosen from more than 100 short films submitted to the contest— were screened at the fair. There is no entry fee for the contest, which asks entrants to upload a no-more- than-five-minute film about a neurologic disorder to YouTube. The grand-prize

winner and runner- up earned cash prizes and a trip to Hawaii. AAN also asked viewers to choose a “Fan Favorite”; members of the general public cast more than 100,000 votes.

Barbara Palmer is a senior editor of Convene.

Giving Back is sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, www.fairmont.com.