Florian Heinen has been working at the LMU Klinikum, Dr. von Haunersches Kinderspital for more than 20 years as the responsible pediatric neurologist and social pediatrician. He is an enthusiastic Munich native, or more precisely an enthusiastic Schwabing (a district of Munich) native, and is therefore all the more pleased to be able to welcome the congress of the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS) in his hometown. In the following interview, he talks about the importance and positive effects of the congress in Munich.
In your opinion, what are the specific characteristics of Munich that made it the ideal location for the EPNS Congress?
You can only successfully compete against strong European competitors if everything is just right: the time, the speed, the angle of inclination and the length of the runway.
It is precisely in this „alles beinand“ (Bavarian expression for: all together) that Munich is particularly strong: cosmopolitan and yet familiar, spacious and yet manageable, close to the Alps and yet above all urban and culturally strong; the charming whole with „vastness and tolerance“. You can experience the many open-minded, friendly people of all different backgrounds every time you ride the subway.
Why is the ICM - International Congress Center Messe München particularly suitable for medical congresses?
The ICM is particularly suitable because it offers a spacious area - both inside and out - because it has high-quality architecture and because, in its entirety with its surroundings, it has a focused campus character - it could not be better.
How do you think the congress will advance the neurological community and research in pediatric neurology?
One might think that in a global, digital world - including the world of pediatric neurology - a 'face-to-face' congress would become less important, but the opposite is the case: The personal contact, the personal exchange, both among colleagues and with industry, is a market place that generates innovation. In Munich, one would say that it is a „Viktualienmarkt der neuen Ideen“ (Bavarian expression for: a market of new ideas), from which we as a professional society can absorb many impulses.
What challenges do you see in organizing an international congress like the EPNS in Munich and how do you plan to overcome them?
The challenge is to ensure that the content and organization are right down to the last detail. It is also necessary that the ICM, the hotels, the Munich public transport system and the excellence and attractiveness of the international speakers fit together in every respect.
Of course, such a combination is only possible with an experienced congress organization like Intercongress. Since we paediatric neurologists have been organizing congresses with Intercongress for 25 years, and since we have a long-standing and successful partnership with the European Society for Paediatric Neurology, we have the best prerequisites.
We would like to encourage the young generation of physicians: Take the most fascinating specialty in pediatrics - pediatric neurology - and make it your own.
The article in Sternstunden (Association „We help children“) showed that there are very few specialists in the field of pediatric neurology in Germany. How would you like to change this and what advice can you give to future doctors who want to specialize in this area?
Yes, we also want to strengthen paediatric neurology as a whole, because there are far too few and structurally inadequately equipped specialists for children and adolescents, despite very, very high demand. With the congress, we are relying on „strength generates strength“.
The impact of a congress on the attractiveness of pediatric neurology is not to be underestimated. In concrete terms, we try to convey the fascination that arises from the connection between the brain - the most complex organ of the human being - and the child - the most wonderful creature of the human being. We know from ourselves that this fascination does not diminish even after decades of dedicated professional life, on the contrary. We would like to encourage the young generation of physicians: Take the most fascinating specialty in pediatrics - pediatric neurology - and make it your own.
In our eyes, a welcoming, relaxed and generous approach is already a hallmark of Munich
How will sustainability and social responsibility be addressed at the EPNS Congress 2025? How do these aspects influence the planning and execution of the congress?
An important point: The public transportation system in Munich can show how it can function in an exemplary manner, and that a significant contribution to sustainability can be made with it. We also want to be a model congress in terms of supply, catering and the use of resources.
The social responsibility of the congress is consciously understood as open-mindedness, courtesy, and tolerance for all cultures. In our eyes, a welcoming, relaxed and generous approach is already a hallmark of Munich - just think of the English Garden and meeting and spending time in a Bavarian beer garden. True to the Munich motto: „Mensch sein“ (Bavarian expression for: being human).
Is there a particular topic or keynote you are looking forward to? What do you personally hope to gain from the event?
It would of course be unfair to single out one topic or one keynote speaker, but I will accept your invitation and name three personal highlights: I am looking forward to Marc Hallet, the leading neurologist from the NIH (National Institute of Health) in the US, the "nestor" and "elder statesman" of clinical and scientific neurology. He will speak about functional neurological disorders, a topic that has accompanied him throughout his life.
I am looking forward to the well-networked systems physiologists from London and Paris, who will help us to better understand the brain of the newborn, and I am also looking forward to the innovative impulses on the topics of „stroke in childhood“ and „migraine“. I hope you will forgive me for having smuggled in 4 topics, but according to my own motivation it could be more than 40.
Personally, after more than 30 years of pediatric neurology, I hope that we will be able to put our specialty in the pole position for the medicine of the future.
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