Dear Colleagues,

With our strategic plan and mission always at our forefront, your PNS Board, SIGs, Committees, and Taskforces have been hard at work this Fall advancing several key society initiatives forward. Our overarching Society aims which we will continue to build on into the new year include:

• Promoting and developing careers in peripheral nerve research and clinical care – via our 3rd annual cycle of PNS-funded training grants. We thank our PNS Grants Committee, led by Drs. Luis Querol & John Svaren for their work on this important initiative. Please click here to learn more.
• Advocating for basic and clinical research in peripheral nerve disease – via our annual PNS education courses and joint symposia programs, held in partnership with regional PN groups and other scientific societies and planned by our PNS Education Committee, led by Dr. Brett Morrison.
• Increasing the reach of the Journal of the Peripheral Nerve Society (JPNS) – via the ongoing implementation of a new social media communications plan in partnership with our publisher to help further our journal’s reach across social media platforms. We thank Dr. Giuseppe Lauria for his continued leadership as the JPNS Editor-in-Chief. We also thank our PNS Communications & Website Committee, led by Dr. Noah Kolb, for his help in this effort.
• Supporting the standards of care for peripheral nerve disorders – via the work of our PNS Guidelines Committee under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Harbo. Further progression has been made on a new ATTRv Neuropathy guideline covering both diagnosis and treatment. We thank Drs. Davide Pareyson, Michael Polydefkis, and Isabel Conceição for their leadership in advancing this new guideline.

We also continue to aim to be the organization for scientists and clinicians to come together to discuss, to investigate, and to learn about peripheral nerve disease, which is best accomplished through our PNS Annual Meeting. The PNS Scientific Program Committee, led by Drs. Kathrin Doppler and Vincent Timmerman are hard at work organizing what we expect will be an outstanding meeting in Edinburgh, UK (17-20 May 2025). Together with the Junior Committee led by Dr. Paola Alberti and the Local Organizing Committee led by Dr. Kathryn Brennan, they are planning a meeting that will include all the elements that make PNS Annual Meetings memorable and impactful to the careers and work of every attendee. Abstract submission for the 2025 Annual Meeting is open (note the extended submission deadline of 3 January 2025) and registration for the Annual Meeting will open in early 2025. View the preliminary program here.

2025 Annual Meeting program highlights include:

• ‘Bench to Bedside’ mini symposia on a variety of transversal topics
• Joint SIG meetings featuring emerging talent (IDNC, NPC, and TTNC) and talks on Mitochondria and Focused Therapy (IDNC and NPC)
• Daily Lunch with the Expert roundtable sessions for Junior Members
• A revamped Clinical Highlights session on Sunday
• An International Outreach Coffee Chat planned by our PNS International Outreach, Membership, and Diversity Committee under the leadership of Dr. Michelle Kvalsund and Nicole Kressin
• Lunchtime sponsored symposia programs, hosted by PNS Annual Partners
• Two exciting offsite receptions at the National Museum of Scotland and the Assembly Rooms
• The re-introduction of clinical cases during Saturday Education Day
• Two poster sessions, with posters up for the duration of the meeting for attendee viewing

To make the meeting as accessible as possible, we will also support the following:

• Gratis registration for all Junior Members presenting abstracts
• Registration discounts for those attending the meeting from low-income economies
• Travel grants and gratis registration for those presenting abstracts from low-income economies
• Complimentary exhibit opportunities for patient advocacy group partners

If you have questions about PNS activities or suggestions for the future, please do not hesitate to contact PNS Executive Director, Allison Kindseth at akindseth@PNSociety.com.

A special thank you to everyone who participated in the recent all-member survey. Your insights are invaluable in laying the groundwork for our upcoming Board Retreat in December, where we aim to shape a new strategic plan to guide us in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Sumner, MD
President, Peripheral Nerve Society