International Outreach
A core value of the PNS is fostering global engagement, education and training in peripheral nerve diseases including in under-resourced countries. This page highlights the international outreach efforts of the PNS and the resources and benefits offered to colleagues from countries classified by the World Bank as low to middle income.
Many of these initiatives would not be possible without the dedication and support from our PNS International Outreach & Membership Committee whose objective is to advance the Society’s ability to support the visibility and participation of PN scientists, clinicians and those in training globally.
- Membership and meeting discounts for colleagues from countries classified by the World Bank as low to middle income.
- PNS Annual Meeting Travel Grant Program for abstract presenters from low to middle income countries
- PNS Laura Feltri Training Grants Program
- The Peripheral Nerve Podcast
- PNS Scholar Program (Short Term Fellowship in an Under-Resourced Country)
- Open-Access Meeting and Webinar Recordings
- Website Listing of Labs Offering Free/Discounted Diagnostic Tests
Membership Discounts
PNS extends a membership discount to those joining the PNS from countries classified by the World Bank as low to middle income. Information on the per capita rankings is available on the World Bank Website. If you qualify for a discount, please email info@pnsociety.com for a discount code, which you may apply to the membership rate when joining online.
Discounted Membership Rates
Active Member – $30.00 USD
Those with an academic or clinical position of three years or more.
Junior Member – $5.00 USD
Those that have held an academic or clinical position for three years or less. This membership tier also includes residents, fellows, trainees, and students.
Annual Meeting Discounts
The PNS Annual Meeting has become the world’s largest and most comprehensive scientific gathering on peripheral nerve biology and medicine. The PNS extends discounts to members from countries classified by the World Bank as low to middle income. To obtain the World Bank Discount on the Annual Meeting, you must become a member.
Discounted Meeting Rates – For PNS Members
World Bank Discount – Junior Members – FREE
World Bank Discount – Active Members – 50% Discount
Annual Meeting Travel Grant Program
Travel grants are available to abstract presenters from countries classified by the World Bank as low to middle income. The travel grant includes $1,000 USD and gratis registration to the PNS Annual Meeting (payments are made to awardees after attending the meeting). Click here for more information.
PNS Laura Feltri Training Grants Program
Established in memory of the late Laura Feltri, Past President of PNS, this PNS funded grant program is dedicated to advancing the careers of researchers and promoting excellence across all areas of peripheral nerve research—including clinical, translational, and basic science. Click here for more information.
The Peripheral Nerve Podcast
The Peripheral Nerve Podcast is the official podcast of the Peripheral Nerve Society (PNS). In each multi-episode series, we fully explore a topic, bringing in expert guests from around the world to share their insights, illuminate the subject and provide practical knowledge for clinicians and basic scientists. As an international organization, we strive to provide insight into topics from a global perspective, shedding light on issues unique to various regions.
Learn More and Subscribe: https://sites.libsyn.com/572790/about
PNS Scholar Program
The PNS Scholar Program supports regional training in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2024, the PNS had supported training centers in South Africa and Zambia to facilitate a 6-month training programs. PNS Scholar Program Fellows are invited to the PNS Annual Meeting with an opportunity to showcase their research by presenting an abstract.
2024: Stanley Zimba, MBchB, PhD, University of Zambia School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia
Dr. Zimba completed the first three months of the fellowship at the University of Cape Town in South Africa under the mentorship of Dr. Jeanine Heckman and the second three months at the University of Zambia under the mentorship of Drs. Michelle Kvalsund and Melody Asukile.
2025: Mulenga Chilando, MBchB, Ministry of Health of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
Dr. Chilando completed the Fellowship at the University of Zambia under the mentorship of Dr. Michelle Kvalsund. Dr. Chilando will transition back to Ndola to establish the first EMG laboratory in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, expanding the development of neuromuscular diagnostic services in Zambia.
Dr. Stanley Zimba, 2024 PNS Scholar Program Fellow
[The PNS Scholar Program] has enabled me to acquire the necessary training, experience, and knowledge to become an independent clinician in the prevention and treatment of neuromuscular diseases in a resource-limited setting. The fellowship program has seen me spend 3 months at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and an additional 3 months at the University of Zambia in Lusaka.
My stay in Cape Town was under the tutorage of Prof Jeannine Heckmann, who was an amazing mentor and taught me a lot. Perhaps, the most learning I got in Cape Town was exposure to genetic neuromuscular disorders, both clinically and from a research perspective. On the clinical front, their approach to genetic conditions and how they navigate challenges is something I could relate to, and it felt easier to replicate what they were doing back in Zambia than if I had gone for training in a high-income country.
Research-wise, I enjoyed taking part in the genetic clinic and Jeannine’s Thursday afternoon meetings with her doctoral students where a variety of genetic research activities were discussed. This was very beneficial to help me kick-start my project for this fellowship on hereditary neuropathies in Zambia and Cape Town, as well as looking at MPV17 mutations and hereditary neuropathies as a separate project.
In Zambia, I have had the opportunity of working with Dr. Michelle Kvalsund and Dr. Melody Asukile both of whom have helped me to strengthen my grip on being more independent in the EMG lab, conclude my research projects as well as finalize and hopefully publish the manuscript on Referral Characteristics and Neuromuscular Disorders among Electrodiagnostic Consultations at University Teaching Hospital. I hope to attend the PNS meeting in Canada in June 2024 and present some of my research work. All this would not have been possible without the PNS and I sincerely thank them with hope that this program will be sustained for years to come to bridge the gap in neuromuscular training between high- and low-income settings.
Labs Offering Free/Discounted Diagnostic Tests
Poor access to essential diagnostic genetic and immunologic tests continues to be a major problem for our colleagues and their patients in the developing world. In response, the PNS developed a listing of labs offering free or reduced-cost tests, aimed at PNS members and colleagues from under-resourced countries.
The Global Community of the PNS
The PNS has over 850 members residing in 62 countries around the world. In line with the PNS Strategic Plan, the PNS is committed to supporting global outreach efforts.
Meet the PNS International Outreach & Membership Committee
Chair
Camila Pupe, PhD
UFF
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Vice Chair
Luciana Léon Cejas, MD
Hospital Británico
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Members-at-Large
- Stéphanie Eid, PhD, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon (IDNC Board Liaison)
- Juan Idiaquez, MSc, UHN, Toronto, Canada
- Zhahirul Islam, PhD, The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh (INC Board Liaison)
- Páll Karlsson, PhD, Aarhus University, Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus, Denmark (NPC Board Liaison)
- Marina Kennerson, BSc, MSc, PhD, ANZAC Research Institute, Sydney, Australia (CMTR Board Liaison)
- Jie Lin, MD, PhD, Huashan Hospital, Shanghi, China
- Sarath Menon, MD, Aster Medcity Kochi, Kerala, India
- Mario Prada, Jr., MD, MSc,University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
- Nortina Shahrizaila, MD, PhD, BMedSc, BMBS, FRCP, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Roser Velasco, PhD, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Molins de Rei, Spain (TTNC Board Liaison)