15 Things to Know About the 50th Annual CNS Meeting

1. Coming soon to a computer screen near you…The 50th Annual Meeting opens in 3 months. On-line registration will open in 3 weeks. Full meeting and registration information will be posted in 3-5 days.
2. Goin’ Hybrid. It will be a Hybrid Meeting this year (meaning “live” in-person and “live-streamed”), a big step up from the virtual-only format available in 2020. For those who can come to Boston, we’ll be live at the Hynes Convention Center. For those who can’t, we’ll be livestreaming 90% of CME sessions and the Legacy Luncheon. All sessions and the Legacy Luncheon will be available On Demands on after that day’s sessions end.
3. Registrants get 50% off Founders book. All registrants are eligible to purchase the special 50th CNS Anniversary edition of Child Neurology: It’s Origins, Founders, Growth and Evolution at 50% off list price. Those wanting it for signing by editor, Steve Ashwal as well as those profiles and those writing profiles will want to pick it up at the meeting; others may have it delivered or order an eBook when registering.
4. Sleeping Rooms. The reserved CNS room block at the Sheraton Boston will fill fast. A special link will be provided upon completing on-line registration, so registering sooner rather than later is key (see #1). Once the block fills, other options will need to be explored on your own; contracting for a second hotel room block is too financially risky given all the uncertainty surrounding this year’s meeting(including how many will actually attend).
5. CNF Symposium: Shortening the Diagnostic Oddyssey Part II. The sequel to last year’s hugely popular CNF Symposium will open the meeting Wednesday morning, September 29. Registrants paying the $50 course fee will receive a coupon to review Part I on the CNS Lifelong Learning Website in August/September.
6. Clinical Investigator Boot Camp/Workshop. The CNS Research Committee, in cooperation with the CNF, will stage the first-ever 4-hour clinical investigator workshop, giving researchers of all ages and interests the tools and resources needed to turbo-boost their clinical research projects and ambitions. Enrollment limited to 80.
7. Kenneth F. Swaiman Legacy Luncheon. Reserve a seat for Wednesday’s Legacy Luncheon to honor this year’s award recipients as well as all past elected officers and award winners. You won’t want to miss this. (Register too late, however, and you will….).
8. Alumni Receptions Every program will want to get together this year. Starting in August the CNS will open a portal for reserving meeting rooms at the Hynes or Sheraton after 8 pm for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night gatherings and/or provide a contact at the CVB for help booking off-site events. Alum breakfasts or lunches may be possible, but time and space is tight, so no promises.
9. NO Special Interest Group (SIG) or Committee Meetings in Boston. Due to added 50th/Golden anniversary programming, a higher-than-usual # of alumna gatherings, and the still high level of uncertainty surrounding members’ willingness/ability to attend, NO SIG or Committee Meetings will be scheduled live in Boston this year. SIGS and Committees are encouraged to meet virtually, with zoom meetings scheduled in September through the CNS. Watch for guidelines/application portal links in late July.
10. Friday Closing Gala – Back to the 70s. The first CNS Meeting, in Ann Arbor, was held one month prior to the Watergate-tainted re-election of Richard Nixon. Whether you come dressed up as the Trickster, John Travolta, Mary Tyler Moore or your favorite mentor, a good time will be had by all….with or without whirling Disco Balls. Virtual attendees: organize local gatherings and join in via special livestreamed “Red Carpet” interaction.
11. Humanism in Medicine Breakfast: Global Health and Child Neurology. A natural follow-up to last year’s joint CNS-ICNA meeting. Enrollment is limited to 100 for this Friday morning breakfast, but content will be available OnDemand.
12. Exhibits. Nothing says “we’re back, LIVE!” like exhibit booths and sponsors (a special shout-out to those sponsors and exhibitors who “had our back,” last year, supporting us financially despite dismal ROI). The Exhibit hall will feature Wednesday night’s Welcome Reception, 100 posters (author present), and a special 50th Anniversary themed scavenger hunt.
13. CNCDP & Pellock are both “good to go.” The annual Child Neurology Career Development Project (CNCDP) Retreat and the Pellock Resident Seminar on Epilepsy are both scheduled at the Hynes on the front end of the meeting. Program coordinators/directors: watch for a “Call for PGY5 Nominations” for the Pellock Seminar later this week.
14. Music & Literature Videos. Fans of last year’s 9-part series featuring David Urion’s alternately powerful and poignant poetry readings, Phil Pearl’s fascinating musicology mini-lectures, and both hot and cool jazz performed by a top-tier ensemble of Berklee School of Music faculty will be thrilled to learn they have returned to the recording studio to put out a new series of videos inspired by New England’s rich literary heritage.
15. Paid CNS Members Qualify for Lowest Rates. In tandem with the new website launch, we have made things starkly simple: CNS Active Members are members who have paid their annual dues. Period. If you haven’t paid 2021 dues by now – or by August 20 at the very very latest – the registration system will not recognize you as a CNS Member and you won’t qualify for member rates, member reservation priority, or member access to the website. CN & NDD residents: check with your program coordinators after July 1 to ensure they have enrolled you for CNS membership: it’s free and semi-automatic once programs provide initial data(beginning July 1).

To Renew Membership and Qualify for Lowest Rates

1. Click here and log in
2. Click “Pay Your Membership Dues: in bottom right corner