NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Australian & New Zealand Association of Neurologists

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Melbourne Wednesday 6 June 2012 at 8.00 am

A G E N D A

1. Apologies 2. Minutes of Previous Meeting 3. Business Arising from Minutes 4. Secretary’s Report 5. Membership

5.1 New Member Announcements 5.2 Change of Membership status 5.3 Reduced subscription fees for members over 70 years

6. Treasurer’s Report and Adoption of financial accounts 7. Appointment of Auditors 8. President’s Report 9. ANZAN Committees 10. Brain School 11. Election of Councillors 12. Election of President Elect 13. Overseas Training Positions 14. Relationship with RACP 15. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 16. Future Annual Scientific Meetings

2013 – ANZAN ASM, Sydney 5-9 May 2014 – ANZAN ASM, Adelaide 18-22 May 2015 – ANZAN ASM, Auckland tbc

17. Date of AGM in Year 2013 18. Other Business

Alan Barber Honorary Secretary

May 2012 NB: Agenda papers are available from ANZAN website: www.anzan.org.au or on request

MINUTESOFTHE58thANNUALGENERALMEETINGOFTHEAUSTRALIANANDNEWZEALANDASSOCIATIONOFNEUROLOGISTS

HELDAT8.24AMONTUESDAY17THMAY2011ATHOTELGRANDCHANCELLOR,HOBART

PRESENT:Abernethy,DavidAhmed,RebeccaAldous,LucieAnderson,NeilAndrews,ColinAouad,PatrickArcher,JohnBadve,MonicaBarber,AlanBlackie,JeffBurke,DavidBurrow,JimBurton,KeithBuzzard,KatherineCampbell,BruceChild,NicholasCostello,CraigCrump,NicholasDarby,DavidDewey,HelenDunne,JohnFaragher,MarkFloate,DavidFrith,Richard,Gardner,HelenGates,PeterGerraty,RichardGhougassian,DanielGordon,JamieHammond,GraemeHand,PeterHenderson,RobertHerkes,GeoffHersch,MarkHewer,SarahHo,SusanHurelbrink,CarrieJohnston,Heather

Kiernan,MatthewKiers,LynnKiley,MichelleKilfoyle,DeanKing,JohnKnezevic,WallyLance,JimLander,CecilieLawson,JohnLeHeron,CampbellLethlean,KeithLueck,ChristianLynch,ChristopherMacdonnell,Richard,Mahant,NeilMariott,markMatar,WalidMatkovic,ZelkoMaxwell,IanMcKusker,ElizabethMcLaughlin,DanMcLeod,JamesMerory,JohnMorris,KatrinaNg,KarlNogaski,JosephO’Neil,JohnOlrich,GregOxley,ThomasPhillips,MattPresgrave,CraigPurdie,GrantReardon,KRoberts,LeslieSchwartz,RaymondSimpson,MarkSnow,BarrySpies,Judith

Staples,ChristopherStark,RichardStorey,CarolynStorey,ElsdonSue,CarolynSymington,GraemeTan,KeeMingTaylor,BruceThompson,PhillipTu,Hans

Tuck,PhillipWalker,EricWijayath,ManoriWilkinson,IanWilliams,IslaWong,AndrewWood,JonathonWorthington,JohnYan,Bernard

APOLOGIES:Chan,JosephineDavis,StephenDonnan,GeoffEadie,MervynHallpike,JeremyKenny,GeoffreyMcCombe,PamMcCrory,PaulMorris,JohnRodrigues,Julian

1. WelcomeTheChairmanopenedthemeetingat8.24pm

2. MinutesofPreviousMeetingsTheminutesoftheAnnualGeneralMeetingheld19thMay2010weretakenasreadandsignedascorrect.

Acceptanceoftheminutes:Moved:RichardMacdonellSeconded:RichardStark

3. BusinessArisingFromMinutes

Therewerenomattersarising.

4. HonorarySecretary’sReport

TheHonorarySecretarywaspleasedtoreportthatthepreviousyearhadbeenbusyfortheExecutiveandtheCouncil,withmanyachievements.HenotedthattheexecutivemeetseveryfortnightbyteleconferenceandthattheCouncilmeetsfourtimesperyear.HecommentedoncorrespondencewithRichardButterworththeAssociationofBritishNeurologistsSACChairwithregardtotryingtoestablishareciprocalfellowshipforthreeUKtraineestodocoretraininginAustraliaandNewZealand,whichisduetocommencein2013.Hecommentedthathewouldbesendingoutrequestsforinterestearlynextyear.TheHonorarySecretaryalsonotedthathehadbeenworkingcloselywithPeterHandandRichardMacdonelltotryandstreamlinetheprocessesofenteringintotraining.Heexplainedthattheyarenowinthepositionwherethenumberofregistrarsapplyingismorethanthenumberofpositionsavailable,whichrequiresclearandtransparentprocesses.HealsocommentedonthecontinuallyimprovingrelationshipwiththeRACP.HenotedthattheRACPisreviewingitsgovernancestructurestoimproveopaquereportinglines.TheHonorarySecretarythankedPeterHandformakingthetransitionsosmooth.

AcceptanceofReportMovedRichardStark

SecondedRichardMacdonell

5. NewMemberAnnouncementsFull: YashGawarikar SoumyaGhosh

AinhiHaNerissaJordanChristinaLiangRamChandlerMalhotraKellyBertramEmmaBlackwoodJasonBurtonSanjeevTanejaNeilHutchingsShueyParvathiMenonLukeChenStefanBlumAnnFrench

AffiliateinTraining: SalmanKhan

JessicaSylvester JustineWang KarenSank TeddyWu DavidBourke WallaceBrownleee HeidiBeadnall BenjaminTsang

CatherineDingIanWilsonSujithAyyapanTapuwaMusukaAlexandraSeewan

Associate: VanithaderiParmanand HankaLaue‐GizziJuniorAffiliate: PatrickAovad AnnaSchultz SamuelBolitho AlexanderLehn AnushaSurender

GabrielDabscheckCorrespondingAffiliate:

ShrishAcharyaGurjitChohan

Thefollowingchangesinstatuswerenoted:AffiliateinTrainingtoFull: BrendanBootAssociatetoFull: YashGawarikarJuniorAffiliatetoAffiliateinTraining: NabeelRiazSheikh TomOxleyFulltoRetired: A/ProfJohnBalla

Resignation: JehanSuleimanDeceased: JohnVernea

6. Treasurer’sReportandAdoptionoffinancialaccountsTheTreasurerspoketoherreport.

TheFinancialReportwaspreparedbyANZAN’sauditorsSpoonerTinworth&Co.Theaccountsareproducedbyanaccrualmethod.MembersareremindedthattheANZAN’sfinancialyearruns1Marchto28February.Asannualsponsorship,conferenceincomeandexpenditureisreceivedandpaidinadvance,theaccrualmethodprovidesamoreaccuratereflectionofthetruestateofourfinancesthanthealternativecashmethod.MemberswillnotefromtheFinancialReportasat28February2011thatthefinancialstatusoftheAssociationremainssound.CopiesoftheFinancialReportareavailablefromtheAssociationSecretariat,orthemembersideoftheANZANwebsite.Cashasat28February2011:ChequeA/cearninginterest: $215,000CashManagementA/catcall: $836,000NeurophysiologyA/c $83,000**TheNeurophysiologyWorkshopaccountiskeptseparatefromthemainANZANaccounts;however,ithastobereportedwiththeotheraccountsforcalculationofGST,andisincludedinouroverallposition.Theday‐to‐daymanagementoftheaccountremainsunderthecontrolofDavidBurkeinconsultationwiththesubcommitteeresponsiblefororganisingtheneurophysiologyconference.ItmustberememberedthattheamountofCashatBankshownintheFinancialReportisdeceptivelylarge,astheJournalisnotrequiredtobepaiduntilaftertheendoftheANZAN’sfinancialyear.AtthetimeofwritingtheJournalpublishershadnotinformedtheAssociationofthecostoftheJournalfor2012,althoughthecostisexpectedtobefavourableduetothestrongAustraliandollar.Inaddition,Iwouldliketoinformmembersthat160memberstodatehaveelectedtoreceiveane‐copyofthejournalwhichwillreducecostsfurther.MemberswillnotethatANZANdonated$100,000totheResearchFoundation.WithoutthisdonationANZANwouldhavemadeanoperatingprofitofapprox$30,000for2010‐2011.Mainsourcesofincomefor2010‐11

(a)AnnualSponsorships $115,000 (b)AnnualScientificMeeting $381,000 (d)Members’annualsubscriptions $223,000

(e)Interest $34,000Expensesfor2010‐11

(a) Journal $120,000(b) AnnualScientificMeeting $370,000(c) DonationstoResearchFoundation $100,000(d) Other/Administrative $236,000

OneofthemajoractivitiesofANZANistheASM.AnnualSponsorshipwasintroducedin2002asastrategytoattractsponsorshipincomeinyearswhentherewasnoAnnualScientificMeeting,anoverseasAnnualScientificMeeting,oraconjointmeeting(suchasin2002whenthemeetingwasheldconjointlyinVancouverandtheupcomingAOCN2012meeting).AnnualSponsorsreceivebenefitsinadditiontotheAnnualScientificMeetingandthisstrategyhassucceededinstabilisingtheAssociation’sincomestream.However,asAnnualSponsorsalsoreceivemeetingspecificbenefits,itisimportanttorecognisethattheAnnualScientificMeetingissubsidisedbyAnnualSponsorship.Thehighlysuccessful2010meetinginMelbournewasheldattheMCG,avenuechoseninlargepartduetothenominalvenuehirecomparedtoomuchgreaterfeesfortheconventioncentres.TheMelbournemeetinggeneratedaprofitof$11,000.Subscriptionincomehasbeenadequate,althoughitdoesnotcoverthedaytodayadministrativecostsoftheAssociation,whichhaveincreasedmarginallyreflectingtheoperatingactivitiesandgrowthoftheAssociation.ThefinancialviabilityofANZANreliesonasuccessfulAnnualScientificMeetingsupplementedbyAnnualSponsorship.TheAssociationhasdeterminedatpreviousAGMsthattheJournalofClinicalNeuroscienceisourofficialjournalandthatsubscriptionisincludedinthemembershipfeesofallmembers.CouncilhassincedeterminedthatFullandAffiliateinTrainingMembersresidentincountriesotherthanAustraliaandNewZealand,AssociatemembersandRetireeshavetheoptionofnotsubscribingtothejournal.Categoriesofmembershipwereintroducedin2005toaccommodatethoseundertakingfulltimestudy,orparentalleave.Thesubscriptionfeeforthesecategoriesisa50%reductionintheusualfeeforeachcategory(i.e.FullorAffiliate).ThesememberswillstillreceiveasubscriptiontotheJournalofClinicalNeuroscience.ThecoordinationoftrainingAustraliawide,andtheaccreditationofcoretrainingsitescontinuetohaveminimalimpactonthefinancesoftheAssociation.ThecostofsiteinspectionsisreimbursedbytheRACP.MembersareremindedthatCouncilrecommendedmembershipsubscriptionratesalignwithchangesintheCPIandanyadditionalexpensesbroughtaboutbyunforeseencircumstanceswillbeputtomembersatanAGMifandwhenthisshouldarise.ItisrecommendedthatsubscriptionratescontinuetoalignwithCPIfor2011‐12.

SpoonerTinworthwereappointedauditorsattheMay1999AGMandtheycontinuetoprovideanefficienthandsonauditprocess.Reappointmentoftheauditorisrecommended.

MovePeterHandSecondedRichardStark

7. AppointmentofAuditors

There‐appointmentofTinworth&Cowasrecommended.

MovedRichardFrithSecondedElsdonStorey

8. President’sReport

ThePresidentspoketohisreport.Itismyprivilegeandpleasuretosummarisethefirstyear'sactivitiesofthecurrentANZANExecutive. TheExecutive,ablysupportedbyMandyJones,hasmetregularlybothface‐to‐face and by teleconference dealing with the many facets of ANZAN and its day‐to‐dayactivities. AlanBarber, Secretary, has taken up his rolewith enthusiasm and has been agreat support. His report covers the areas relevant to his portfolios. Michelle Kiley hasquicklymasteredthecomplexfinancialissuesofANZAN,andtheinvestmentpoliciesoftheEducationandResearchFoundation,andyoucanbeassuredthatour financesare inverycapable hands. We are privileged to have Mandy Jones as our Executive Officer. ThecombinationofhervastcorporateknowledgeandabilitytodealefficientlywiththemanyANZANissueshasbeenagreatsupporttoallofus.ThismeetingisthelastatwhichPeterHandwillpresenthisreportasChairoftheSpecialtyTrainingCommittee.Thisisabigjobwhichhasfrustrationsaswellasrewards.Whilemosttraineesmovethroughthetrainingprogrammewithoutanydifficulty,thereisasignificantamount of background work involved in assessing their progress and reporting to theCollege.Inaddition,theoccasionaltraineerunsintotroubleforonereasonoranotherandPeter hashandled thesedifficultieswith aplomb. WhilePeter has recently expressedhispleasurethathistenureisabouttoend,wewanttoensurethatheisadequatelyrecognisedfortheworkhehasdone.The activities of ANZAN over the past year are summarised under the following broadheadings:1. RelationshipBuilding

(a) There is ongoing work with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians toensure thatwehaveamutuallyrewardingrelationship. Thereare thenaturaltensions that occur between a specialty society and the broader collegestructure. It is important that ANZAN, alongwith other specialty societies, isappropriatelysupportedbytheCollege.Tothisendweareworkingtowardsanenduring memorandum of understanding which will explicitly set out the

expectations and responsibilities of both the college and ANZAN. We lookforwardtohavingaclearstatementaboutmutualrecognitionandthesharingofresources.

(b) Weareworkingtostrengthenrelationshipswithcolleagueswhohaveperhapsfelt less supported by ANZAN. This includes those neurologists practicing inruralandremoteareas. JohnArcherwillbereportingatthismeetingfromtheANZANRuralNeurology Sub‐committee. Wewelcome rural representation atthenextcouncilelections.OurPaediatricNeurologycolleaguesare involved intheHobartMeetingandwehaveongoinginputfromPaediatricNeurologyatthecounciltable.

(c) There is an important relationship between ANZAN and the annual sponsors.Thereareagainthenaturaltensionsthatoccurbetweenaspecialtysocietyandpharmaceuticalsponsors.WeareworkingtowardsamoreexplicitstatementofANZAN’sexpectationsofsponsorsandwhattheycanexpectfromusinreturn.Although there have been suggestions that we might have a "sponsor‐free"annualscientificmeeting,thiswouldresultinamuchhigherregistrationfeeandfewer international speakers and the viewof the executive is thatweneed tocontinuewith the support of our sponsors,with a clear understanding of ourexpectationsofthem,andwhattheycanexpectfromus.

2. EducationandTraining

The majority of the work for the ANZAN executive and secretariat is involved ineducational opportunities for trainees and neurologists, especially the AdvancedTrainingProgramme.

(a) TheMatch,devisedandrunbyRichardMacdonell,continuestoensurethatwehave a selection of appropriate trainees and that they are placed in themostappropriate training positions. There is an increasing number of core andelectivetrainingpositionsinAustraliaandNewZealand.Itisimportantthatweproducewell trained clinical neurologists as theprimary "product" ofANZAN.Richard as Chair of the Education andTraining Committeeworks tirelessly toselect the best applicants, ensure the training positions are of the higheststandardandthatwesetappropriatestandardsofcompetenceforourtrainees.

(b) There are multiple training opportunities for registrars including theneuropathology course, EEG course, EMGweekend and the registrar’s clinicalneurologyweekend. EachoftheserequiressubstantialsupportfrommembersofANZAN,allgiveninavoluntarycapacity. Ithankallofthosewhohavebeeninvolvedinorganisingandpresentingatthesetrainingweekends.

(c) Brain School continues as a major educational resource for trainees. Theproblemsoflastyearseemtobebehindus.WithBrainSchoolnowconfinedtoaweb‐basedplatform,thisisbecominganincreasinglyrewardingexperienceforboththepresentersandthetrainees.WhiletherehavebeenpressurestoextendBrainSchoolbeyondthecurrentaudience,wefeelthatthisisauniqueresourcetailored for neurology trainees and we have resisted attempts to open BrainSchoolupmorewidely. BruceCampbellhas takenuptheroleasBrainSchool

co‐ordinatorandwearerelyingonhimtocontinueimprovingtheBrainSchoolexperienceforourtrainees.

(d) The DVD Manual of Neurological Signs has been supported by ANZAN. JohnMorrisandhisteamareprogressingwiththeplansforthistobeproducedbyaninternationalpublishinghouseandhopefullywewillhaveaccesstothemanualwithinthenextyear.

(e) MostofthefocusintherecentweekshasbeentoensurethattheHobartAnnualScientificMeeting iseverybitasgoodaspreviousmeetings. MatthewKiernanand the Programme Committee have chosen excellent international speakersand there is a fineprogrammewhich shouldbeattractive tobothgeneral andsub‐specialty neurologists. Registration numbers are high and we anticipatethiswillbeaverysuccessfulmeeting.

There is ongoing planning for the Melbourne Annual Scientific Meeting inconjunction with the Asian and Oceanian Association of Neurologists, for the2013meetinginSydney,the2014meetinginAdelaideandthe2015meetinginAuckland.

3. Sub‐Committees

ANZAN hasmany sub‐committees, a number of which will report during the AnnualScientificMeeting. Wewill summarise these reports in subsequent publications. Weareindebtedtoallofthosememberswhoserveonthesecommittees.Wehavetakentheopportunity to call on theChairs of anumberof these committeesduring the year tohelp advise us on issues relevant to the sub‐committees andwe thank them for theirsupport.

At this Annual Scientific Meeting we see the retirement of Julian Rodrigues who hasserved on the ANZAN Council for his full term. Each councillor makes a significantcontributiontoANZANandIthankJulianforhiscommitment.

TheExecutivearekeenonyourfeedbackandsuggestionsaboutanyofthe issuesthatarerelevanttoANZAN.

ThePresidentthankedRichardMacdonellforallhisworkoverlast10years.Membersrespondedwithacclamation.ThePresidentinformedmembersthatthisyearsmeetinghasbeenverysuccessfulandhadthesecondlargestnumberofregistrants.HethankedMatthewKiernanforhishardworkinorganisingthemeeting.

AcceptanceofthePresidentsReportMoved:BruceTaylor

SecondedElsdonstorey

9. ANZANCommittees

Reportsweretabledasfollows.

9.1Neuro‐rehabilitationsub‐committee–A/ProfArunAggarwal TheNeuro‐rehabilitationsubcommitteemetduringthe2010ANZANAnnualScientificmeetinginMelbourne.ThemeetingwasattendedbyProfsRichardMacdonnell,AlastairCorbett,A/ProfDrArunAggarwalandDrChrisKneebonewithothermemberssendingapologies.Thecommitteemembershadbeencontactedpriortothemeetingtoobtaintheiropinionsontheagendaitems.CorrespondencewasreceivedfromthePresidentoftheAustralasianFacultyofRehabilitationMedicine(AFRM)inSeptember2009indicatingthatANZAN’spolicyof1sessionaweekfor6monthsexposuretoNeuro‐RehabilitationdidnotachievetheAFRMcriteriaforcompetenceofaRehabilitationPhysicianinNeuro‐Rehabilitation.ItwassuggestedthatNeurologytraineesaccessviavideoconferencingtheAFRM’sBi‐NationalTrainingProgramheldonthelastWednesdayofeachmonthat3.30pm.TheChairmanwillcirculateacopyoftheAFRMBi‐NationalTrainingProgramtoalltraineesandalistofparticipatingfacilities.ItwasalsosuggestedthatasessionofNeuro‐Rehabilitationbeaddedtothe“BrainSchool”program.TheChairmanwilllookintotheavailability.ItwasresolvedthattheANZANNeuro‐RehabsubcommitteewouldapproachtheorganizingcommitteeoftheWCNR2012toincorporatean“UpdatesinNeurology”workshoponStroke,MSandPDintothescientificprogram.Localspeakersweresuggested. 9.2QualityAssuranceReportofQualityAssuranceRepresentative2011–JaneFrithAttherequestoftheANZANSecretariatandtheRoyalAustralasianCollegeofPhysiciansaclinicalindicatorsworkingpartywasconvenedtodevelopnewclinicalindicatorsforNeurology.AfterdeliberationthisworkingpartydecidedtwooftheNationalStrokeFoundationindicatorshadparticularmerit.TheNationalStrokeFoundationwasapproachedandgavepermissionfortheuseofthestrokeindicatorsasindicatorsforNeurology.SubsequentlytheseindicatorshavebeenconveyedtotheRoyalAustralasianCollegeofPhysicians.Atpresenttherearenootheractiveissuesrelatedtoqualityassurance.

9.3WomeninNeurology–CatherineStoryTheWomeninNeurologycommitteehasnotmetduringthe2010‐2011.Thisispartlyduetothefactthatmanyoftheproblemsfacedbyfemalephysiciansingeneralhaveimprovedconsiderablyinrecentyears.Theissueswhichpreviouslyconcernedwomeninparticularincludedaccesstoparttimepositionswhichofferedgoodtrainingopportunities,accesstojobshareagreements,opportunitiestopursuecareersinacademicdepartmentsandleadershippositions.Manyoftheseissueshavebeenresolvedatmanylocallevels.AsurveytakenofwomeninNeurologyin2002providedaninterestingsnapshotofconcernsofwomenatthetime.Thesurveyresultswerediscussedatanopenforumatthetime,butnotpublished.Itishopedandanticipatedthatthesurveywillberepeatedatthe10yearintervalanddeterminehowmuchhaschangedinthepastdecade,andtoproduceameaningfulpublicationoftheseresults. HistoryofNeurology–CatherineStoreyIamverypleasedtoreportthataseminarattheforthcomingAnnualScientificMeeting(2011)willbededicatedtotheHistoryofNeurology.TheHistoryofNeurologyhasalwaysbeenapopularSectionatmanyoftheAmericanmeetings,andwehopethatthiswillalsobecomearegularfeatureinourownprogramming,encouragingthesubmissionoffreeresearchpapersonmattershistorical.Activitiesplannedbythecommittee,otherthantheinclusionofaregularfreepapersession,willbeencouragingmajorcontributionstotheInternationalSocietyoftheHistoryofNeuroscienceeitherattheannualmeeting,orthroughtheirexcellentjournalHistoryofNeuroscience;amajorprojectoforalhistoriesparticularlyfromourseniormembers;acomprehensiverollofmembersofANZANasaninvaluableresourceforfutureresearchonourAssociation. 9.4HeadInjuryinSport–PaulMcCroryBackground:ThiscommitteewasinitiallyproposedbyProfsStephenDavisandRichardFrithafterextensiveUSmediacoverageofadverseoutcomesfollowingconcussioninjuriesinsportaswellasanumberofrecentepisodesinAFLandrugbyleaguewhereobviouslyconcussedathletesreturnedtothefieldonthesamedayastheirinjury.AnumberofANZANmembershadraisedconcernsastothepositionofneurologistsinAustraliainregardtotheassessmentandmanagementoftheseinjuriesandtherolethatneurologistsandneurosurgeonsshouldplay.Currentactivity:Atthisstageanumberofprospectivemembersofthecommitteehavebeenidentified.TheCounciloftheNeurosurgicalSocietyofAustralasiahave

nominatedarepresentative(A/ProfGavinDavis)onthecommitteeashavetheTraumaCommitteeoftheRoyalAustralasianCollegeofSurgeons(ProfGeoffRosenfeld).WemayalsoseekarepresentativefromtheAustralasianCollegeofSportsPhysicians.TheinitialteleconferencewilltakeplaceinMaythisyearandthedevelopmentofformalguidelinesisplannedtofollow. 9.5RuralCommitteeJohnArcherspokefortheregionalneurologysubcommittee.HehighlightedtheneedtoaddresstheissueofregionalneurologyandtheinadequaterepresentationforANZANinregionalareas.Themainproblemisofinequitableservicedelivery.Itwasnotedthatthecommitteewassetuptogiveavoicetoregionalneurologistsanddealswithgeneralneurologygettingarepresentationinruralareas.JohnArchernotedthattheRACPwaskeentohaveinputfromSAandWAtomakefinalreportmorecomplete.JohnArcherinsertedacoupleofrecommendationrelatingtotheexpansionoftrainingopportunities.ThePresidentthankedJohnArcherandsaidthathelookedforwardtofinalreport.

9.6AsiaPacificAffairsCommittee

BernardYanbrieflydiscussedtheAsiapacificClinicalFellowship.Heinformedmembersthatthefirst$50,000wasawardedtoAntoniaKathatafromIndonesia.Henotedthatthe2010recipientJennyMawasgoingtostartclinicalresearchandthattherewasstill$48,000tobeawardedfor2012.ThepresidentaskedBernardYaniftherewasanypossibilityforfurtherfunding.BernardYanansweredthatitwaspossibleandthatBayerhadbeengoodatnotdictatingthings.

10. NeurologicalSpecialitySocietiesNothingtoreport

11. BrainSchoolNothingtoreport

12. ElectionofCouncillors

ThePresidentinformedthemeetingofchangestoCouncil.HenotedJulianRodrigueswouldretirefromCouncilatthisAGMandthePresidentthankedDrRodriguesforhishardwork.JamesBurrowandRobertHendersonwereelectedtoCouncilunopposed.ThePresidentcongratulatedthemandwelcomedthemtoCouncil.

13. OverseasTrainingPositions

TheHonorarySecretaryannouncedtherecipientsfortheOverseasTrainingPositions.Heinformedmembersthatallthecandidatesthisyearhadbeenverystrong.

NicholasChild‐MayoClinicKatrinaMorris–RadcliffHospitalLucieAldous‐RoyalFreeHospitalKatherineBuzzard‐QueenSquare.

TheHonorarySecretarycongratulatedallrecipientsandwishedthemwell.

14. RelationshipwithRACP

ThePresidentnotedthattherelationshipbetweenANZANandtheRACPhadbeendiscussedearlierinthemeetingandreiteratedthattherelationshipcontinuestoimprove.

15. BrainFoundationandNeurologicalFoundationofNZ

ThePresidentinformedmembersthattheBrainandNeurologicalFoundationsremainaregularagendaitem.HenotedthateachFoundationsupportsmattersinrelationtoresearchandANZANisindebtedtotheirwork.Heencouragedmemberstobecomemembersoftherespectivefoundations.

16. JournalofClinicalNeuroscienceElsdonStoreyspoketohistabledreport.OnthelatestavailablefigurestheJournal’simpactfactorhasfallenslightly,from0.67for2006,through0.80for2007and1.19for2008,to1.17for2009.Thislastisnotasignificantdecline,butitisdisappointingthatthepreviousupwardtrendhasnotbeenmaintained,anditistobehopedthatthefigurefor2010(tobereleasedinmid‐June)willshowanimprovement.MyhopeisthattheIFwillincreasetonear2overthenextfewyears,whichwouldmaketheJournalamoreattractivetargetforgoodqualityoriginalresearch.PublicationofqualityreviewsisthebestwaytoimprovetheIFrapidly,andwearenowusuallypublishingtworeviewsperissue.ThanksareduetoNeilAnderson,ofAuckland,forhissterlingworkasAssociateEditor(Reviews).ParticularthanksarealsodueagaintoBernardYan,theAssistantEditorinchargeof“ImagesinNeuroscience”section.Hisuniqueskillsetasadual‐trainedneurologist/radiologistisheavilyusedtomaintainthequalityandinterestofthispopularsectionwhichhasbeenexpandedfrom1to2perissue.

DespitetheimportanceoftheIF,downloadnumbersdeterminetheviabilityoftheJournal.Fulltextdownloadshaverisenfrom144,804in2007,through237,530in2008and328,897in2009,to344,125in2010.SubmissionstotheJournalarestillincreasingrapidly,with990submissionstoNeurologyandNeurosurgerycombinedoverthelast6months,comparedwith682forthecomparable6‐monthperiodlastyearand505fortheyearbeforethat.256ofthe990wereassignedtoNeurologyasdistinctfromNeurosurgery–arateofabout500Neurologysubmissionsperyear.Forthe16monthsfromthestartof2010,justlessthan8%ofsubmissions(157)camefromAustraliaandNewZealand.Thisisarelativebutnotanabsolutedeclinefromthe11%forAustraliaaloneinlastyear’sreport,reflectingthecontinuedgrowthininternationalsubmissionstotheJournalratherthanadeclineinlocalinterest.OthersignificantcontributorsbycountryincludeChina(26%),India(10%),JapanandUSA(9%each),Turkey(8%),Korea(6%),andTaiwan(5%).TheEUcountriescontributed11%inaggregate,withItaly,GermanyandGreecethemostprominent.ItcanbeseenthattheJournalistrulyinternational,witharegionalratherthananationalfocus,complementingANZAN’sincreasingoutreachtoneurologistsintheregion.TheNeurologyrejectionratefor2010was68%,comparedwith59%forthelast6monthsof2009(forcomparison,theNeurosurgeryrejectionratewas63%for2010).Arejectionrateofsomethingover70%isprobablyrequiredtomaintainquality,althoughacountervailingpressureistoensurethatareasonablenumberofarticlesofneurologicalinterestappearsineachissue.Thiscategorizationissomewhatarbitrary,butbymyassessmenttherehavebeenanaverageof11.5perissueoverthelast6months,comparedwith11forthecomparableperiodlastyear.Theaveragetimelagfromacceptancetopublicationisnow7.7months,whichisaboutthesameasthe8monthsreportedlastyear.Thisislong(althoughreducedbyaboutamonthbye‐publicationaheadofprint),butrepresentsmaintainedimprovementoverthelagof14monthsfor2007‐8and10monthsfor2008‐9.Thisreflectsmaintenanceofpreviouslyincreasedeffortandresourcesatthecopyeditingstage.Asalways,IamextremelygratefultothoseANZANmemberswhogivefreelyoftheirtimetohelpwithreviewing.Itisstillevidentthatasmallishpoolofmembersisdoingmostofthework.Mybiggestconcernisexhaustingthegoodwillofthecurrentreviewers.Strokeandpaediatricneurology,andtoalesserextentneuroimmunology,areareasinwhichtheburdenofreviewingfallsdisproportionatelyonafew.Ifyouhavenotbeenaskedtoreviewinthelast12months,itisprobablybecausei)Iamunsureofyourareaofinterest,orii)becauseyouhaverepeatedlydeclinedorfailedtoanswerrequeststoreview,or(worse)haverepeatedlyfailedtoproducereviewsthatyouhaveundertakentoperform.Ifi),pleaseinformme:theAssociationisnowtoolargeformetoknoweveryone,particularlyyoungerthemembers.Ifii),youknowwhoyouare,andIhopethatyouwillseeyourwaycleartoperformingoneortworeviewsperyearforyour

Association’sofficialJournal,andlettingmeknowofyourwillingnesstodoso,sothatIcanresumesendingyouoccasionalrelevantarticles.Oneissuethatemergedduringtheyearwasthatauthorswhosesubmissionswererejectedafterreviewwerenotreceivingthereviewers’(ormy)comments.Ihadbeenunawareofthis(nodoubtmyownfault),andthankJohnWilloughby,aswellasoneoftheauthors,forpointingitouttome.ItturnedoutthatthiswasapolicydeterminedbyProfessorAndrewKaye,theEditor‐in‐Chief,inanattempttoavoidprotractedandtime‐wastingcorrespondencewithrejectedauthors.Myviewisthatitisentirelyappropriate,andindeedusualpractice,forauthorstoseeunfavourablereviews.Suchfeedbackisinvaluableinpreparingfuturesubmissions.WiththesupportofANZANCouncil,wehavehadthispolicyreversedforNeurologycontributions.Ihavenothadanyadditionalcorrespondencefromrejectedauthorsasaresulttodate.AfterdiscussioninANZANCouncil,itwasdecidedthatmembersmaychoosetoreceivetheJournalon‐lineonly,onanopt‐inbasis,iftheywish.Thedifferenceincost(USD139‐asagainstUSD258‐in2011)isdonatedtotheANZANEducationandResearchFoundation.MemberswillsurelybegratifiedtolearnthattheycancontributetosavingboththetheAssociation’sEandRfoundationandtheplanetwiththesamestrokeofapen.TheJournalcostfor2012isexpectedtobeUSD268‐forprint+online,andUSD144‐foronline‐onlysubscriptions.TheAustraliandollar’sstrengthandtheEditorialBoard’sdecisionnottoexpandpagenumbersanyfurtherhaveensuredthatthecostriseformemberswillberelativelysmall.ThecomingyearwillbemyfifthandlastasNeurologyCo‐Editor.AsalwaysIamwillingtoconveyconstructivesuggestionstotheEditor‐in‐ChiefandtheBoard.ThePresidentthankedElsdonStoreyforhisfinework.Membersrespondedwithacclamation.

17. FutureAnnualScientificMeetings

a. 2012–AOCN/ANZAN4‐8JuneMelbourne

b. 2013–SydneyThePresidentinformedmembersthatinitiallythereweresomeplanstoruninconjunctionwithmovementsociety.HoweveritwasdecidedtorunthemseparatelyandthereareplanstohaveitinearlyMay.

c. 2014–Adelaide

d. 2015–Auckland

ThePresidentinformedthemeetingthatthe2015meetingwillbeinAucklandandthattheAssociationofBritishNeurologistsexpressedaninteresttohaveacombinedmeeting.Negotiationsforacombinedmeetingwillcontinue.

18. DateofAGMinYear2012

6thJune2012Melbourne

19. OtherBusinessTherebeingnootherbusinessthemeetingwasclosedat8.50am.

Combined Honorary Secretary and Specialist Training Committee Chair Report

After two years of negotiations, the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) has agreed to three annual fellowships for UK neurology trainees in Australia and New Zealand starting in early 2013. These positions, which will be known as the ABN Australasian Fellowships, will be for one year only and will count as a core training year for the UK trainee. Thanks to all of those hospitals who expressed an interest in taking one of the UK trainees next year.

I can announce that the successful UK trainees were:

Dr Rob Adam, Royal North Shore Hospital

Arvind Chandratheva, Royal Melbourne Hospital

Simon Kerrigan Auckland City Hospital

Each of these hospitals will have one less core training position available in the ANZAN Match. The aim is to rotate these positions around different hospitals every year and I’ll be asking for expressions of interest from Heads of Departments for 2014, early next year.

Training There are currently 82 adult and 15 pediatric neurology trainees supervised by the Specialist Training Committee (STC).

Neurology Advanced Training Program Requirements Handbooks

Training handbooks for both adult and pediatric neurology have been developed, externally reviewed and ratified by the College Education Committee. The handbook will replace the ‘Mango Book’ and provides trainees with a step-by-step guide to the RACP Physician Readiness for Expert Practice (PREP) Neurology Advanced Training Program. The aim of the handbook is to assist trainees to satisfy the requirements for progressing through and completing a training program, and help supervisors to identify training program requirements and facilitate learning experiences for trainees. The ANZAN website already contains information for prospective trainees from the handbook. The Handbooks will be reviewed every year. I’d like to acknowledge the significant work that Peter Hand put into developing the Handbooks and thank members for their help in reviewing the drafts.

Reminder of training requirements

Mini-CEXs

Supervisors and trainees are reminded that mini clinical examinations (mini-CEXs) are a required part of the assessment process. The mini‐CEX is a formative tool for assessing trainees’ clinical skills. For each mini‐CEX encounter, a neurologist will observe the registrar conduct a focused interview or physical examination for 15‐20 minutes in an inpatient, outpatient, emergency department or other setting. The supervisor will give the registrar immediate feedback on his/her performance.

Neurophysiology

Supervisors and trainees are reminded that Level 1 neurophysiology is not an optional part of training. Trainees are required to complete 300 EEGs and 250 EMGs, of which 150 must be ‘hands on’ studies with supervision. It is expected that the registrar will have attended at least 75 studies by the end of the first year training. Support is needed from departments and supervisors to achieve these requirements. Level 2 and 3 neurophysiology training is optional. Further specific details can be found in the ANZAN and RACP websites.

Royal Australasian College of Physicians The College has developed two very useful policies. These are the Progression through Training Policy and the Flexible Training Policy. These policies give greater guidance to STCs and SACs and come into force in July. In summary,

• There is now a limit of 5 attempts at each of the RACP Written and Clinical examinations.

• Registrars must have passed both RACP examinations before entering training.

• All training must be prospectively approved by the STC.

• A minimum load of 0.4 FTE is required for part-time training. This means that there is a time limit of eight years for a three year course like neurology. Part time training, like all training, must be prospectively approved by the STC.

• Trainees can take an additional 24 months of parental leave.

These policies reflect a compromise between those Fellows of the College who believe that trainees should take as long as required to complete their training and those who believe training should be completed within a limited time frame. These policies come into effect on 1 July 2012 for new and existing trainees of all College programs.

The College is in the process of developing a Recognition of Prior Learning Policy and Trainee in Difficulty policy.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about training.

Alan Barber

TREASURER'S REPORT MAY 2012

The Financial Report was prepared by ANZAN’s auditors Tinworth & Co. The accounts are produced by an accrual method. Members are reminded that the ANZAN’s financial year runs 1 March to 29 February. As annual sponsorship, conference income and expenditure is received and paid in advance, the accrual method provides a more accurate reflection of the true state of our finances than the alternative cash method. Members will note from the Financial Report as at 29 February 2012 that the financial status of the Association remains sound. Copies of the Financial Report are available from the Association Secretariat, or the member side of the ANZAN website. Cash as at 29 February 2012: Cheque A/c earning interest: $214,000 Cash Management A/c at call: $899,000 Members will note that these figures are inclusive of the EEG, EMG and Neurophysiology funds, however this year funds held on behalf of the Neurophysiology Workshop has been removed from the main ANZAN accounts. As the funds are held by ANZAN only on behalf of the Clinical Neurophysiology Workshop, and are not general ANZAN funds, the decision to remove them from the ANZAN accounts was made after deliberation by the ANZAN executive, and on the recommendation of the auditor to enable the Association’s accounts to reflect the true financial assets and liabilities of the Association. Main sources of income for 2011-12

(a) Annual Sponsorships $ 254,000 (b) Annual Scientific Meeting $ 377,000 (d) Members’ annual subscriptions $ 239,000 (e) Interest $ 30,000 Outgoings for 2011-12

(a) Journal $ 2,300 (b) Annual Scientific Meeting $ 348,000 (c) Donations to Research Foundation* $ 110,000 (d) Other / Administrative $ 200,000

*The 2012 accounts include a “donation” from ANZAN to ANZAN E&RF, however it should be noted that this is reflected as a donation for accounting purposes only, and represents a transfer of funds held by ANZAN for the Bayer APAC fellowship and a final reconciliation from a WCN2005 sponsorship. One of the major activities of ANZAN is the Annual Scientific Meeting. Annual Sponsorship was introduced in 2002 as a strategy to attract sponsorship income in years when there was no Annual Scientific Meeting, an overseas Annual Scientific Meeting, or a conjoint meeting (such as in 2002 when the meeting was held conjointly in Vancouver). Annual Sponsors receive benefits in addition to the Annual Scientific Meeting and this strategy has succeeded

in stabilising the Association’s income stream. However, as Annual Sponsors also receive meeting specific benefits, it is important to recognise that the Annual Scientific Meeting has been subsidised by Annual Sponsorship. The successful 2011 meeting in Hobart generated a profit of approx $37,000 net of Annual Sponsorship, and includes a Tasmanian Government subsidy of $7,900. In future years a change is sponsorship structure will be introduced. This is covered in the President’s report. Subscription income has been adequate, although in recent years it has not covered the day to day administrative costs of the Association, in addition to the cost of the Journal. The financial viability of ANZAN has relied on a successful Annual Scientific Meeting and Annual Sponsorship. Members will note however a significant decrease in the cost of the Journal from 2011 to 2012. This is due to both a gain on foreign exchange rates from past years, coupled with a significant saving between the previous hard copy subscription and the current electronic subscription (via the ANZAN website). Members are reminded that Council recommended membership subscription rates align with changes in the CPI and any additional expenses brought about by unforeseen circumstances will be put to members at an AGM if and when this should arise. It is recommended that subscription rates continue to align with CPI for 2012-13. Tinworth & Co were appointed auditors at the May 1999 AGM and they continue to provide an efficient hands on audit process. Reappointment of the auditor is recommended. M Kiley 12 May 2012

ANZAN PRESIDENT'S REPORT JUNE 2012

This Annual General Meeting of ANZAN occurs at the time of the combined meeting with the Asian Oceanian Association of Neurologists. We welcome our Asian colleagues to this meeting and look forward to increasing collaboration over ensuing years. The ANZAN Council and executive and have been occupied by the following issues: 1. Education and Training. There is ongoing development of the training

programme for our neurology trainees in association with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. There is refinement of the training requirements and we are putting into place the formal evaluative components of training under the direction of the Education and Training Committee (Dr Peter Hand) and the Specialty Training Committee (Dr Alan Barber). In addition, all of our trainees are now sitting the RITE Exam in their second year to assess their progress in training, but this is not used in any formal way with respect to their evaluation.

We look forward to interviewing applicants for the overseas training positions with there now being two at Queen Square each year, as well as ongoing training positions at Oxford, The Royal Free Hospital, and the Mayo Clinic. Our trainees continue to report very favourably about their experiences at each of these training institutions. As Alan Barber will describe in his secretary's report, we look forward to welcoming the first of the Association of British Neurologists Training Fellows coming to Australia and New Zealand in 2013 for a year of core training. We need to ensure that this is a successful programme. We have been delighted with the response from the number of training institutions that are keen to have one of these trainees for a year. The positions will rotate around different centres from year to year.

2. Sponsorship. For some years ANZAN has had annual sponsorship predominantly from pharmaceutical companies. My belief is that having pharmaceutical sponsorship to pay the day to day running costs of a professional organisation like ours is no longer appropriate. However, having pharmaceutical sponsorship for the the Annual Scientific Meeting, with the sponsors getting certain meeting-related benefits, is appropriate. This sponsorship will be used to support the meeting, with profit coming to ANZAN.. From this year, we will revert to meeting sponsorship only, with specific rights and responsibilities for our sponsors. The net financial result for ANZAN will be no different from the past, but it will clarify the relationships between our organisation and the pharmaceutical companies. I do not believe it is possible for ANZAN to be involved in training future neurologists, supporting current neurologists, and making representation to formal bodies, including issues related to the use of pharmaceutical products, when financial support is directly received by ANZAN from these organisations. There have been suggestions that ANZAN could operate meetings free of any external sponsorship; certainly a lot of the meeting organisation revolves around

the exhibitors, and the need for space for exhibitors can limit meeting venues and certainly increases meeting costs. This is for the current and next council to consider further.

3. Royal Australasian College of Physicians. As I have said previously, we are

inextricably intertwined with the College of Physicians and any discussion of breaking away to form our own professional organisation is not practical. My endeavours to push through a memorandum of understanding between specialty societies and the RACP has taken longer than expected, but you will be pleased to know it was approved by the College Board in March 2012. At the same time we are looking to improve the office facilities that we have within the College precinct in Macquarie Street. While our support staff have tolerated substandard conditions for many years, it is time that we moved to a more appropriate area within the building and hopefully we will be able to report back before too long that our staff will be housed in better surroundings.

4. External Relationships. ANZAN is increasingly asked to make comment on a

variety of issues. Not least of these is support for nominees for Australian awards! In addition, there is an increasing pressure for ANZAN to make comment on the introduction of new pharmaceutical products, and other therapeutic interventions. We rely on our colleagues with expertise in these areas to respond on behalf of ANZAN and I have been very grateful that there has been a considerable amount of work put into areas such as driving guidelines, introduction and funding of new pharmaceuticals and use of medical devices, all done voluntarily and with good grace by our members.

5. Annual Scientific Meetings. This is the last meeting where Matthew Kiernan

will be Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee. Matthew has put an extraordinary amount of work into making sure that our meetings are successful and I thank him for this. Richard Macdonell has kindly agreed to take over as Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee. Our formula for Annual Scientific Meetings with non-competing sessions, and a substantial input from our own members, has been successful and I hope that you continue to regard this meeting as a major part of your ongoing educational activities. Future meetings will be in Sydney 2013, Adelaide 2014 and Auckland in 2015.

6. Electronic Access. We are moving as quickly as possible to a paperless

organisation. The first step has been for members to receive the Journal of Clinical Neurosciences in electronic form and this has benefited the environment and resulted in a substantial saving to ANZAN. I want to make sure that we work towards electronic access for council and other papers and distribution of material to members. The e-bulletin is proving a successful means of communication between the hardcopy newsletters. We are developing a new website and there is a new database at the ANZAN office. We have put in place an electronic banking facility so that fees can be paid by credit card. We will keep you informed of changes as they occur.

7. Journal of Clinical Neurosciences Elsdon Storey has completed his term as

Neurology Editor and we thank him for his sterling work in keeping a strong neurology presence in the journal. Richard Gerraty is the new Neurology Editor.

Please support him and his team by responding quickly to review requests, and consider publishing in the journal. Topic reviews are popular and are a good way for our trainees to gain publication experience.

8. President-Elect and Council. This is the first year for many years where there will be an election for the next president. I think it a healthy move that the membership can determine the next president and I am sure everybody will put their strong support behind the successful candidate. We continue to refresh the council with new members. While council has never been a "regional representative" body, it is important that we continue to have neurologists representing various areas and various styles of practise. I appreciate the work done by the current council members who largely represent the whole body of neurology practice. We value the input from our advanced trainees and I welcome Clinton Mitchell as the new advanced trainee representative on Council.

ANZAN survives as a result of a large amount of voluntary work done by members and, of course, by the excellent work done by Mandy Jones, ANZANs Executive Officer. I appreciate Mandy's good work in managing all of the many facets of our organisation. I want to thank the other members of the Executive Team (Alan Barber and Michelle Kylie) who are great colleagues and who are both doing a superb job in their roles as executive members and as secretary and treasurer respectively.

We appreciate any input from members about how we might provide better support and improve the organisation, and are always keen on innovative suggestions about improving the running of ANZAN.

Richard W Frith

The following Full financial members have been nominated for Council: As there are sufficient available positions on Council, these nominees will all be elected unopposed. Alan Barber Nominated Richard Frith, Seconded: Neil Anderson Christian Lueck Nominated Richard Frith Seconded: Alan Barber Kaitlyn Parratt Nominated Michelle Kiley Seconded: Alan Barber Rick Stell

Nominated: Elsdon Storey Seconded: Olga Skibina

Bernard Yan Nominated: Stephen Davis Seconded: Mark Marriott

The nominees for President-Elect are: Richard Macdonell Nominated: Richard Frith Seconded: Michelle Kiley Pamela McCombe Nominated: John O’Sullivan Seconded: Robert Henderson