Shortly after the introduction of the 1st Neurocritical Care Regional Meeting in the Middle East and Africa in 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted in-person medical conferences globally and caused virtual/hybrid meetings to flourish instead. A year later, we all realized that there is considerable fatigue associated with attending conferences virtually. More importantly, real human interactions and discussions of new ‘blue ocean’ projects and collaborations—especially those coupled with conferences in developing regions—cannot truly get off the ground during virtual meetings. 

Third Regional Meeting

The 3rd Neurocritical Care Regional Meeting, in conjunction with the 18th edition of the Emirates Critical Care Conference (ECCC), took place in 2022. Although it was planned as a hybrid conference (both in-person and virtual) from May 13-15, 2022, in-person attendance by speakers and other attendees was impressive and actually exceeded the virtual turnout.

As part of the neurosciences sessions, the scientific program included ENLS (May 13) and the full-day neurocritical care track (May 14), the latter of which focused on:

1. Disorders of Consciousness 
2. NCS Curing Coma® Campaign
3. The new NCS SAH Guidelines
4. Prognostication after Cerebrovascular Diseases
5. Cerebrovascular Disease in Children
6. Pro and Con Debates on Mechanical Thrombectomy in the Elderly and Daily Wake Up Trials
7. Infectious Diseases in Neurocritical Care.

This was followed by a half-day Neurocritical Care Nursing workshop which discussed practical nursing issues surrounding neurological and neurosurgical patients in the ICU. All accepted abstracts submitted to the Regional Meeting were ultimately published in Neurocritical Care.

Overall, the conference was attended by over 1500 delegates (both in-person and virtually). Of the 246 speakers, 38% were international, 36% local, and 26% regional, representing a total of 37 countries. There were 8 workshops including ENLS and Neurocritical Care Nursing. Kudos to all speakers and attendees who joined worldwide.

Brain Death Determination Workshops

Meanwhile, one day before the conference, representatives from NCS leadership were invited to Abu Dhabi for a high-level dialogue with healthcare representatives from the UAE to discuss the possibility of training and certifying physicians in the UAE in Brain Death Determination. This ambitious request was followed by virtual meetings which resulted in a collaborative partnership between the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, the ECCC, and NCS to train over 200 healthcare professionals during and after the 2023 ECCC meeting. There are now three workshops scheduled from May 14-16, 2023, with over 20 speakers/faculty involved in training over 200 participants. Details of outcomes and possible research opportunities are expected to follow this event.

Global Partnership Milestones

Since 2011, the NCC-MENA chapter of IPACCMS has been one of the foremost global partners of NCS, and NCS leadership has participated in the open annual NCC-MENA chapter meeting. Over the years, the neurocritical care track of the ECCC has also continued to grow. ENLS was first offered in 2016, then in 2018, 2019 (in person), 2021 (hybrid), and 2022 (in person). In October 2018, NCS confirmed the first Middle East/Africa member to represent the region on its Board of Directors. In April 2019, the 1st NCC Middle East/Africa Regional Meeting was conducted in person in Dubai, and in June 2021, the hybrid format 2nd Regional Meeting, and 3rd Regional Meetings were conducted in conjunction with the 15th, 17th, and 18th editions of the ECCC, respectively. In 2022, a formal dialogue was initiated between the UAE team and NCS to hold Brain Death Certification workshops in the UAE.

Our Mission

Overall, Critical Care representation of neurosciences in our region remains strong and vital, and has contributed significantly to spreading the mission and vision of NCS globally. And to answer the title question justifying in-person Regional Meetings: the effort, diligent planning, and follow-up of discussions during an in-person Regional Meeting all result in a level of scientific and societal advancement that a virtual meeting simply cannot replicate.

Fourth Regional Meeting

For now, save the date for May 12-14, 2023, when we will look forward to welcoming you all in Dubai for the 4^th Neurocritical Care Regional Meeting of the Middle East/Africa in collaboration with the 2023 Emirates Critical Care Conference.

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the strong partnership between the International Pan Arab Critical Care Medicine Society (IPACCMS) and NCS, with especially strong leadership from both societies ensuring a high yield meeting despite all the challenges encountered. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of our esteemed group of speakers and moderators who volunteered to participate, and sincerely thank them for their role during the meeting.

Regional Meeting track/ENLS/Nursing workshop speakers and moderators (in-person and virtual): Tamer Abdelhak, Yasser Abulhasan, Maha Aljuaid, Sana Alkhawaja, Omar Ayoub, Mary Kay Bader, Ahmad Bayrlee, Jamil Dibu, Michael Diringer, Hussam Elkambergy, Saef Izzy, Kalpana Krishnareddy, Sarah Livesay, Majid Mokhtari, Laura Nedolast, Marco Pallavidino, Lucie Pelunkova, Harsh Sapra, Wade Smith, Othman Solaiman, Jose Suarez, Gene Sung, Panayotis Varelas, Katja Wartenberg, and Khalil Yousef. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge Katja Wartenberg for directing the ENLS course, and Sarah Livesay and Khalil Yousef for co-leading the Neurocritical Care Nursing workshop. Sincere thanks go to Hussain Al Rahma (conference chairman) and team, and Katja Wartenberg for co-organizing the 3^rd Regional Meeting with me.