Chapter Name: Chilean Society of Epileptology (Chilean Chapter of ILAE)
Report By: Juan Luis Moya Vilches

Publications:

The Chilean Journal of Epilepsy is the official publication of our Society. Dr. Carla Manterola is its current Editor. During 2020, we released the 20th volume of this Journal, composed of two numbers (the 1st was published in June, and the 2nd one is in press currently). Among the published material, we can mention original papers, case reports, literature reviews, and updates.

Next year, we shall release two brand new numbers as part of the 21st volume.

Our current official ISSN number is 0719-5397. The journal is also available online on its own website www.revistachilenadeepilepsia.cl.

Summary of Activities:

CHAPTER MEETINGS

Chapter Meeting No. 190 - Saturday, January 11, 2020.
"Emerging toxicological problems expressed as epileptic activity".
Laura Börgel, MD. Medical Toxicologist, President of RITA Corporation-CHILE 2012 (Forensic Toxicology, University of Chile).

Chapter Meeting No. 191 - Saturday, March 14, 2020.
"General assembly of the Chilean Society of Epileptology, 2020".
Board of Directors of the Society.

Day of Reflection and 2nd Meeting of Epilepsy Residents - Saturday, July 18, 2020.
"How do we face epilepsy in times of pandemic?"
Patricia Alfaro, MD. Pediatric Neurologist, Epilepsy Resident, Las Condes Clinic/University of Chile.
Carmen Paz Pérez, MD. Pediatric Neurologist, Epilepsy Resident, UC Christus Network/Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Rogelio Carrillo, MD. Neurologist, Epilepsy Resident, UC Christus Network/Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Darío Ramírez, MD. Neurologist and Epileptologist, Hospital del Salvador/Society of Epileptology of Chile.

Chapter Meeting No. 192 - Saturday August 22, 2020.
"Atypical evolution in rolandic epilepsy".
Carolina Muñoz, MD. Pediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist, Hospital Regional Dr. Guillermo Grant Benavente, Concepción, Chile.

Chapter Meeting No. 193 - Saturday September 26, 2020.
"Role of occupational therapy in children and adolescents with epilepsy".
Andrea Barriga, OTR. Enlaces Therapy Center. Professor of Clinical Pediatrics in Occupational Therapy, San Sebastián University.

Chapter Meeting No. 194 - Saturday October 17, 2020.
"Update in Unexplained Sudden Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)".
Gabriel Abudinén, MD. Neurologist, Epilepsy Resident, University of Chile Clinical Hospital.

Chapter Meeting No. 195 - Saturday, November 14, 2020.
"Neuropsychology in epilepsy: definitions and challenges".
Jose de Pablo, CP. Clinical Neuropsychologist, Epilepsy Surgery Program, Institute of Neurosurgery Dr. Alfonso Asenjo (INCA).

Chapter Meeting No. 196 - Saturday, December 12, 2020.
"Updates in idiopathic/genetic generalized epilepsies".
Sebastián Silva, MD. Pediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist, Hospital de Puerto Montt (HPM), Chile.

Note: meetings scheduled for the period between April and June 2020 were suspended, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. From August 2020, this activity was resumed using online meetings. This last format associated a notorious increase in attendance to our meetings, with an average number of 40 participants per reunion since the online alternative was adopted. The date was displaced from the first to the second week of the month, maintaing saturdays as our meeting day.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION (CME)

Between September and December 2020, we completed the fourth version of our Continuing Medical Education (CME) Course, denominated "Differential Diagnosis in Epilepsy". This course was presented in the e-learning format, and it counted with the participation of 155 health professionals (including general physicians, neurologists, pediatric neurologists, and residents, among others). We dedicated this version to differential diagnosis, considering that telemedicine has proven fundamental during the current pandemic and diagnostic clues may be a helpful hand for remote consultations.

ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

Latin American Day of Epilepsy
We celebrated the Latin American Day of Epilepsy on September 9th, 2020. The Normative Group in Epilepsy from the Chilean Ministry of Health organized a commemorative activity on September 8th, 2020, involving the participation of most institutions that are currently working in epilepsy. Our board participated actively in this meeting.

Social networks
Considering the ongoing pandemic, we decided to give a bigger impulse to our social networks, reactivating our Facebook account (www.facebook.com/socepchi) and creating an official Instagram account (www.instagram.com/socepchi.oficial). Both accounts have become a tool of the greatest relevance to enhance our public outreach, and we are currently promoting our academic activity through these media. We regard the results as satisfactory, our main indicator being the growing attendance to our courses and meetings.

GOVERNMENT LIANCE

Normative Group in Epilepsy
Two members from our Board of Directors (Dr. Darío Ramírez and Dr. Juan Luis Moya) are working actively in the Normative Group in Epilepsy from the Chilean Ministry of Health. This is the governmental official working group dedicated to promotion of public health policies regarding epilepsy, and its activities include the creation of clinical guides and protocols, upgrading courses, and coordination labor inside our network of health services. Dr. Juan Moya also participated as a member of the Education and Learning subgroup.

Besides, Dr. Juan Moya will assume as one of the main coordinators of this group starting from May 2021.

Challenges:

• To incorporate the remote/online format to our activities in a definite manner.
• To resume work under development in different Chilean regions, taking our academic activity outside the Metropolitan region (restarting Regional Symposium in Epilepsy, eventual creation of regional chapter committees, involving Society members residing outside the Metropolitan region).
• To increase engagement of diverse health professionals working in epilepsy (aside from medical doctors), including nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, and social workers. Two of our 2020 meetings had presentations by nonmedical professionals (OTR, Clinical Psychologists), and our Annual Symposia (postponed until 2021) considers participation of a nurse, a neuropsychologist, a social worker, and an OTR as main speakers.
• To build stronger connections with our fellow chapters. This is an important challenge not depending in our efforts exclusively. We have great disposition to work with the Latin American regional delegate to improve our relationships with Latin American chapters.

Future Plans:

ONLINE ACTIVITIES

• Chapter Meetings will continue as an online event, because of the utter success of this format (both in attendance and active involvement) during 2020. Recordings of our meetings will be uploaded to the Society's webpage (www.epilepsiadechile.cl) after proper consenting of the participants.
• It is highly likely that our Annual Symposium 2021 shall be offered as a remote or blended learning activity. The decision of hosting a full e-learning versus a blended-learning activity will be decided during the next few weeks.

PARTICIPATION OF PROFESSIONALS

• Though it does not constitute an official statement, our Board intends to keep participation of nonmedical professionals and technicians during our chapter meetings and other official activities from the Society.
• We believe that, as our attendance becomes more diverse, we shall be able to establish working groups for different specialties (i.e.: Neuropsychology working group, Nursery working group, etc.).

NATIONAL INVOLVEMENT

• We will host our Annual Symposia and Continuing Medical Education course, our main yearly activities. Opinion of our member and attendants has been constantly monitored through surveys at the end of both instances, and we intend to incorporate these suggestions to improve our performing in 2021.
• If the current pandemic does not impede it, we intend to resume our Regional Symposia in Epilepsy during 2021. This initiative had its first version in 2018, and it led to building stronger connections with colleagues from Los Lagos Region. We hope that we can restart this important activity to reach a wider audience in 2021.
• Even if the previous plan cannot be accomplished completely, we have invited specialists from other Chilean regions as expositors and/or guest participants in our academic events in the past, and that prerogative will be maintained. We also think that online activities will help us to keep connection with health workers from all the country.
• We want to keep government liaison through our active participation in the Ministerial Normative Group in Epilepsy, collaborating in the creation of guides, protocols and upgrading courses.

REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT

• We intend to achieve greater engagement with our fellow Latin American chapters, through common academic activities, generation of regional guides/documents, and cooperative promotion of health policies. Latin American Epilepsy Congress (LACE 2021) can become a good starting point to get closer to this objective.

Officer Election Date: Chapter Meeting on March 13th, 2021