REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom

Date: 16-19 September 2026 (Wednesday lunchtime to Saturday morning)

Topic: ‘Human, all too human’ Human factors in paediatric neurology

For every life-transforming gene transfer or epilepsy surgery in paediatric neurology, there are countless encounters where the most powerful intervention was a conversation. The human factor remains at the core of our practice. We explain, reassure, persuade, comfort, teach, and console. Human factors also shape how patients and families respond to neurological challenges — some with extraordinary resilience, others with anger or helplessness. Our own emotional responses in these moments can either support or further complicate care.

And we don’t do this alone: we work in teams, an experience which can be inspiring, or exasperating.

When things go wrong in medicine, as in other industries, the cause is often not technical failure but human factors again: unspoken assumptions, reluctance to admit uncertainty, burnout leading to shortcuts. Understanding these is as essential to improving patient outcomes as developing the next antisense oligonucleotide or monoclonal antibody.

And what happens when the human factor is removed? As AI enters our field, how will it change the way we diagnose, communicate, and care for our patients?

Join us for the EPNS Masterclass in Cambridge, where we will explore these themes through the lens of epilepsy in the 2020s.

As well as the world class clinical and neuroscience faculty you expect from the EPNS we will have parents, ethicists, philosophers, and researchers from disciplines you don’t ordinarily meet speaking.

The EPNS Cambridge Masterclass has established itself as something special…

Programme:

Preliminary programme and still subject to change: CLICK HERE

Details: 

EPNS Masterclass Venue: Corpus Christi College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RH, United Kingdom

Accommodation: Corpus Christi College and St Catharine’s College (Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RL) in en-suite single rooms for the evenings of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
If additional nights are required, delegates can book for an additional cost. Please note these are student rooms and can be quite basic. Participants will be notified about which college their accommodation has been reserved in after registration. Colleges are walking distance from each other.

Number of participants: We limit numbers to 40 participants to preserve the interactive nature of the meeting.

Who can participate? Building on the unique features of our first five Masterclasses, this is a small, interactive meeting with – where possible – delegates attending in “couples” of a senior mentoring clinician and the leaders of tomorrow: to share and learn from each other in areas where often there are no easy answers. We therefore prefer participants to register as a pair and complete a joint booking form, but we will accept enquiries from “unattached” individuals. Note: participants registering as a pair do not necessarily have to work at the same hospital but must have a mentor/mentee connection. We suggest the junior partner should be under 45, with a clinical practice in paediatric neurology and active in research and teaching.

Organising Committee Dewi Bakker (Netherlands), Rob Forsyth (UK), Lucia Gerstl (Germany), Maria Gogou (UK), Kathleen Gorman (Ireland), Florian Heinen (Germany), Ilona Kopyta (Poland), Joe Symonds (UK), Mia Westerholm-Ormio (Finland).

Invited Speakers (alphabetical order):

  • Sándor Beniczky (Denmark) Clinical Professor
  • Dawn Benson (UK) Sociologist, Clinical Human Factors Group
  • Alexandra Klotz (Germany) Paediatric Neurologist
  • Hugh Lupton (UK) Storyteller
  • Jess Morley (UK) AI researcher
  • Jörg Noller (Germany) Philosopher
  • Lauren Treat (US) Paediatric Neurologist
  • Barbara Wren (UK/Ireland) Psychologist

Registration Fee:

  • Mentor/mentee couple: 1,150 Euros
  • Individual: 700 Euros
  • Optional Thursday Evening Social Event: 70 Euros per person
  • Extra night accommodation: 120 Euros per person per night

How to register: 

Delegates are encouraged to register as a “couples”; a senior mentoring clinician and a mentee/leader of tomorrow. Couples do not necessarily have to work at the same hospital but must have a mentor/mentee connection. If you register as an individual with no mentor or mentee partner, we will strive to find another delegate to become your partner.

To register as a mentor/mentee couple (registration fee for a couple is 1,150 Euros): CLICK HERE

To register as an individual (registration fee for a single person is 700 Euros): CLICK HERE

How to pay: 

More details about payment will be sent by an automatic email when the registration form has been submitted. In summary, payment can be made by bank transfer or on-line payment by logging onto the EPNS website CLICK HERE

What the registration fee includes:

  • Three nights’ accommodation (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) at either Corpus Christi or St Catharine’s College in a single STUDENT room with en-suite facilities.
  • Breakfast for all delegates is included and will be served at Corpus Christi college.
  • Access to the full Masterclass programme
  • Lunch on Thursday and Friday
  • Conference dinner in the Corpus Christi College dining hall on Friday evening followed by an open after-dinner discussion of issues arising. (Please note, the capacity in the dining hall is sufficient to accommodate all participants but we are unlikely to be able to accommodate accompanying partners who are not participating in the masterclass).
  • Coffee and tea during all breaks.

Optional Social Event on Thursday evening: 70 Euros per person:

  • Museum of Zoology drinks reception and tour https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/
  • 2-course Dinner at ‘The Eagle’, a traditional English pub opened in 1667 where Watson and Crick celebrated discovering DNA and 100’s of WW2 RAF pilots left behind a wall of messages in the hope they were never forgotten.
  • Note: drinks at The Eagle are NOT included in this price. Guests need to purchase their own drinks from the bar.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE:

  • Places are limited and we expect demand to be high.
  • Both attendees (mentor and young neurologist) must be fully paid-up members of the EPNS
  • if you would like to join the EPNS, please email info@epns.info for guidance.
  • Bookings will be taken on a first come first served basis, secured on receipt of full payment.
  • Accommodation is in student rooms and can be quite basic.
  • Attendees are responsible for organising their own transport
  • State on the registration form if any additional nights’ accommodation.
  • The EPNS Masterclass 2026 booking form constitutes a binding agreement.
  • By submitting your booking form, you are accepting the: terms and conditions.
  • We recommend you take out appropriate travel insurance