EFNR – WFNR Collaboration

The European Federation of NeuroRehabilitation Society and the World Federation for Neurorehabilitation share the mirrored goals of enhancing awareness of neurorehabilitation, providing training and education with the support of high-experienced specialists and fostering research and collaboration by providing a forum to fuel expertise and channel knowledge exchange at all levels. In other words, a multidisciplinary drive targeted at joining the forces of highly trained specialists and young clinicians to promote science and learning in the field of neurorehabilitation.

Research and education represent one of the most important pillars of collaboration between EFNR and WFNR, with the two organizing or endorsing congresses, teaching courses, trainings, summer schools on stroke, TBI, neurorehabilitation, rare diseases, neuroplasticity, neuroprotection, from which the most important are listed below:

• The World Congress for Neurorehabilitation (WCNR), a biennial event that usually covers + 25 topics on or related to neurorehabilitation;
• The European Congress of Neurorehabilitation, also organized every other year and representing an important scientific and academic hub for regional and global level healthcare professionals;
• The European Teaching Course on NeuroRehabilitation, reaching its 11^th edition in 2021;
• The International Summer School of Neurology, at its 17^th edition in 2022;
• The Task Force for Rare Neurologic Diseases, a newly introduced teaching course, at its 5^th edition in 2022;
• The Congress of the Society for the Study of Neuroprotection and Neuroplasticity, reaching a distinguished 17^th edition in 2021.
• The 12 WFNR Webinar Series, organised throughout an entire year, benefitting from the operational support of the EFNR Administrative Office in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and gathering around 100 participants (international audience) per edition. Moreover, to celebrate its 25^th Silver Jubilee, the WFNR has created a series of webinars that will run until May 2023.

A second empowering layer of alliance between EFNR and WFRN is the ’Flying Faculty’. Established in 1996, WFNR has, at present, more than 5.000 members worldwide and this allows its highly skilled and experienced representatives to ‘fly in’ to host countries and implement expert training programs, over a short period, especially in places where neurorehabilitation lacks awareness of or is underdeveloped. EFNR members are also part of this development and provide support at all levels of training.

The third pillar of joint effort between EFNR and WFNR is represented by the Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Currently, there are 38 SIGs within WFNR focused on promoting a specific area of interest from the aims of WFNR, with the educational commitment receiving a special interest. Based on this pattern, the young European Federation for Neurorehabilitation (yEFNR) was recently set up as a SIG whose core aim is to promote research activity and education in early-career professionals in neurorehabilitation.

The WFNR mentorship program is constructed on the trichotomy between the qualities of a great mentor, the responsibilities of the mentee and ‘the 6 Cs to Successful Mentor/Mentee Relationship’ [Feng W, WFNR Mentoring Program, WFNR & Duke University School of Medicine].