The First Pan-Arab Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology and Functional Neurosurgery — Cairo, 5–6 November 2026

The First Pan-Arab Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology and Functional Neurosurgery brings neurologists, neurosurgeons and clinical neurophysiologists from Egypt and across the Arab world together for the first time, under the umbrella of the Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology and under the patronage of His Eminence the Grand Imam Prof. Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif. The congress is dedicated to functional neurosurgery, with a special focus on epilepsy surgery. It is an Operation Amal event: it opens on Wednesday 4 November 2026, followed by two scientific days on Thursday and Friday, 5–6 November 2026, at Princess Fatma Academy, Nasr City, Cairo.

Why the First Pan-Arab Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology matters

Thousands of children and adults across the Arab region live with drug-resistant epilepsy, or with movement disorders that affect their daily lives. Many of them could benefit from functional neurosurgery — provided that the evaluation and presurgical work-up are done properly, by an integrated team of professionals in the field: an epileptologist, a clinical neurophysiologist, a neurosurgeon, a neuroradiologist and intra-operative monitoring.

The congress aims to bring this expertise into one place, and to pass a structured way of working — from describing the seizure to the surgical decision — on to young doctors in Egypt and across the Arab world.

The role of the Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology

The congress is held under the umbrella of the Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology, led by its President, Prof. Dr Abdulnasir Hussin Ameer, and its Vice President, Prof. Dr Ann Abdelkader. The Board is working towards a clear goal: making epilepsy surgery available to patients across the Arab world, not only in a handful of centres.

That starts with training: preparing clinical neurophysiologists, epileptologists and neurosurgeons who speak the same language and work as one team around the same patient. A dedicated lecture at the congress will show how the Arab Board is bringing epilepsy surgery within reach across the Arab world, and how this training starts in Egypt and extends to the rest of the region.

Why attend the First Pan-Arab Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology?

• Stereo-EEG (sEEG): Egypt’s experience with sEEG, from the neurologist’s hypothesis to implantation, with international faculty.
• The Arab Board: how the Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology is bringing epilepsy surgery within reach across the Arab world.
• Al-Azhar University: establishing the first sEEG unit in a university hospital in Egypt.
• Three pillars: Epilepsy · Movement Disorders · Intra-operative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM).
• Live-streamed surgeries: planned during the week after the congress.
• A strong learning opportunity for anyone interested in functional neurosurgery: neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurophysiologists and trainees.

Scientific programme

All scientific sessions run in a single hall, across three pillars:

1. Epilepsy and epilepsy surgery

Presurgical evaluation step by step: seizure semiology, video-EEG, advanced imaging, stereo-EEG, and how the team reaches a safe surgical decision.

2. Movement disorders

Stereotactic surgery and deep brain stimulation, and newer techniques such as cryoneurolysis.

3. Intra-operative neurophysiological monitoring

How to protect brain, spinal cord and nerve function during surgery.

Alongside the lectures, hands-on workshops are built around real cases.

Live-streamed surgery week

After the two scientific days, live-streamed surgeries are planned during the following week, so participants can follow functional neurosurgery in practice, from planning to execution.

Under the patronage of

• His Eminence the Grand Imam Prof. Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif
• Prof. Dr Mahmoud Seddiq, President of Al-Azhar University
• Prof. Dr Mohamed Samy Abdelsadek, President of Cairo University
• Prof. Dr Eman El-Shal, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University
• Prof. Dr Husam Salah Mourad, Dean of Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University
• Prof. Dr Abdulnasir Hussin Ameer, President, Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology
• Prof. Dr Ann Abdelkader, Vice President, Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology

Host university: Al-Azhar University

• Prof. Dr Doaa Abdel Malek, Executive Director, Al-Zahraa University Hospital
• Prof. Dr Mohamed El-Refai, Medical Director, Al-Zahraa University Hospital
• Prof. Dr Mahmoud Farid, Head of Neurosurgery Department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University
• Prof. Dr Nervana Elfayoumy, Head of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Kasr Al Ainy, Cairo University
• Dr Rasha Abdelhamed, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University

The congress team

Congress President: Prof. Dr Ann Abdelkader — President, Egyptian Clinical Neurophysiology Society; Vice President, Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology.

Honorary Presidents:

• Prof. Dr Mohsen Elkiey — Professor of Pediatric Neurology, Al-Azhar University
• Prof. Dr Abdulnasir Hussin Ameer — President, Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology
• Prof. Dr Mahmoud Farid — Head of Neurosurgery Department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University

Scientific Committee:

• Prof. Natesan Damodaran — Epilepsy and functional neurosurgery, Chennai, India
• Dr Ahmed Elkeiey — Pediatric epileptologist, Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology
• Dr Ahmed Saied — Pediatric Neurology
• Dr Ahmed Nassar — Pediatric epileptologist, Arab Board of Clinical Neurophysiology
• Prof. Dr Mohamed Gabr — Professor of Neurosurgery, Cairo University
• Prof. Dr Ahmed Mursy — Professor of Neurosurgery, Zagazig University
• Dr Ahmed Elghannam — Consultant Neurosurgery
• Prof. Dr Alshimaa S. Othman — Assistant Professor of Neurology, Cairo University
• Prof. Dr Alaa Rashad — Professor of Neurosurgery, Al-Azhar University
• Dr Hesham Nafea — Lecturer of Neurophysiology, Cairo University
• Dr Sameh Hamdy — Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Cairo University
• Dr Micheal Samir — Radiology
• Dr Mariam Ghanem — Lecturer of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University
• Eng. Mohaned Nassar — AI Engineer
• Dr Mamoun Belal — Arab Board of Neurophysiology
• Dr Eslam Hassan — Pediatric Neurology
• Dr Mena Fakhry — Radiology
• Dr Abdallah Saad Abu El-Kheir — Neurophysiology
• Dr Ahmed Ragab — Pediatric Neurology

Who should attend?

• Adult and paediatric neurologists
• Neurosurgeons
• Clinical neurophysiologists and EEG technologists
• Radiologists with an interest in epilepsy and neuroimaging
• Residents, postgraduate students and Arab Board candidates

What this means for patients

Every doctor trained to evaluate drug-resistant epilepsy properly opens a new door for a child whose family might otherwise have been told “nothing can be done”. Trained teams in more places mean patients do not have to travel far for a complete evaluation, and mean more accurate, safer surgical decisions.

Read also

• This article in Arabic
• Stereo-EEG (SEEG): deep brain recording to locate the seizure focus (Arabic)

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The information in this article is taken from the official congress booklet and may be updated. For the latest dates and programme, please contact the congress number.