What are the ALS/MND Meetings?
Every year, usually in early December, the MND Association of England, Wales and Northern Ireland organises the International Symposium on ALS/MND, a scientific conference on ALS/MND for researchers and neurologists. This event changes location every year to better accommodate an international audience. Each year, a member of the Alliance acts as the local host association.
In conjunction with the Symposium, the Alliance organises additional meetings to serve the broader ALS/MND community: the Annual Alliance Meeting and Allied Professionals Forum. Altogether, the Annual Alliance Meeting, Allied Professionals Forum and Symposium make a full week of ALS/MND meetings for a range of audiences.
General information about all of the ALS/MND meetings appears below. To learn more about the 2020 events, or to register, please visit the Montreal 2020 page.
Annual Alliance Meeting
Three days before the start of the Symposium, the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations holds the Annual Alliance Meeting.
The Annual Alliance Meeting is an opportunity for ALS/MND associations to meet and share advances in supporting people living with ALS/MND. It is an opportunity for representatives of ALS/MND associations from around the world to discuss organisational development and planning, patient care and funding, as well as the role and activities of the Alliance and its Board of Directors.
ALS/MND Connect Session
As an addendum to the Alliance Meeting, we invite each year’s host association to organise a free, open ALS/MND Connect session, usually 2-3 hours long, which allows local people living with ALS/MND and their caregivers to attend an afternoon of presentations by neurologists and researchers and then participate in a question and answer session. This session is also live-streamed on Facebook, so people with ALS/MND from around the world can attend and ask questions online. If you have questions about “ALS/MND Connect” please contact the host association.
There is no need to register for the ALS/MND Connect session. It is free of charge for all attendees, whether in-person or online.
Allied Professionals Forum
On the day before the Symposium begins, the Alliance holds the Allied Professionals Forum (APF).
Audience: Allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, speech-language pathologists, social workers and more, who specialise in ALS/MND
Content: Presentations on practical care strategies and assistive technology innovations for the clinical management of ALS/MND
About: The APF is an educational and training forum for healthcare professionals who specialise in ALS/MND. This international forum offers healthcare professionals from around the world an opportunity to share ideas on good practice in the daily management of people with ALS/MND. The APF has received generous long term support from our friends at the ALS Hope Foundation.
International Symposium on ALS/MND
The International Symposium on ALS/MND is the single largest medical and scientific conference on ALS and related Motor Neurone Diseases.
Audience: Neurologists and researchers who specialise in ALS/MND.
This event is organised annually by the MND Association. Please visit their website for more information about the meeting. If you have questions about the Symposium specifically, please direct your queries to symposium@mndassociation.org.