Thank You

Thank you to everyone who attended the 5th Western Canadian Neuromuscular Conference (WCNMC), held in Calgary from September 27-29, 2024, a tremendous success! This year, we were thrilled to reconnect with over 130 attendees, with the majority joining us from Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, along with important contributions from colleagues traveling from Victoria, Regina, Kelowna, Lethbridge, and Saskatoon. We also welcomed speakers and attendees to WCNMC from central and eastern Canada, making this a national event.

It was our first in-person gathering since 2017, and the excitement was palpable. The conference highlighted recent advances in the diagnosis and management of nerve, muscle, and motor neuron diseases, presented through a dynamic mix of short didactic sessions and interactive discussions. Networking opportunities were plentiful, with posters, exhibit hall, a lively welcome reception and a conference dinner with music and guest speaker. New additions to WCNMC were the clinicopathologic case discussions to open the conference, and the research symposium to close the conference, both of which were led by fellows and residents.

A special thank you to our speakers, sponsors and organizers, and all the participants who contributed to making this event memorable. Your commitment to the event helps the WCNMC remain a cornerstone event for advancing neuromuscular research and clinical practice in Canada.

If you have any further questions about the conference, or wish to stay updated on future events, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at info@wcnmc.ca. We look forward to seeing you in 2026!


Agenda (Program Subject to Change)


View Full Agenda

Agenda

27 September, 2024 04:00 pm

Registration and welcome reception

27 September, 2024 06:00 pm

Clinicopathologic case series: Challenging diagnostic/management cases

Dr. Cecile Phan
University of Alberta

28 September, 2024 08:00 am

Breakfast

28 September, 2024 09:00 am

Welcome & Introductions

Dr. Gerald Pfeffer
University of Calgary

28 September, 2024 09:05 am

Topics in neuromuscular disease part 1

Dr. Stephen McNeil
University of Calgary

Dr. Hans Katzberg
University of Toronto

Dr. Kristine Chapman
University of British Columbia

  • Diagnostic mimics in the EMG lab (Dr. Stephen McNeil, University of Calgary)
    • Myasthenia Gravis (Dr. Hans Katzberg, University of Toronto)
  • Incorporating Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and objective outcome measures into clinical practice - a value based health care approach (Dr. Kristine Chapman, University of British Columbia)


28 September, 2024 10:35 am

Coffee break and networking

28 September, 2024 11:00 am

Topics in neuromuscular disease part 2

Dr. Zaeem Siddiqi
University of Alberta

Dr. Michelle Mezei
University of British Columbia

  • Update on autonomic nervous system disorders (Dr. Zaeem Siddiqi, University of Alberta)

  • TTR Amyloidosis (Dr. Michelle Mezei, University of British Columbia)

28 September, 2024 12:00 pm

Break

Lunch and Learn Session Available
28 September, 2024 01:00 pm

Topics in neuromuscular disease part 3

Dr. Cam-Tu Nguyen
Universite de Montreal

Dr. Colleen O’Connell
Dalhousie University

Dr. Chris White
University of Calgary

  • Finding the signal in the noise:  EMG in the ICU (Dr. Chris White, University of Calgary)

  • Newborn screening and the evolving care of spinal muscular atrophy (Dr. Cam-Tu Nguyen, Universite de Montreal)

  • Spinal Muscular Atrophy and bulbar outcomes (Dr. Colleen O’Connell, Dalhousie University)

28 September, 2024 02:30 pm

Coffee break and Networking

28 September, 2024 03:00 pm

Transdisciplinary session

Dr. Homira Osman
Muscular Dystrophy Canada

Dr. Ming Chan
University of Alberta

Dr. Jodi Warman
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

  • Engagement and support for people living with neuromuscular disease (Dr. Homira Osman, Muscular Dystrophy Canada)
  • Rehabilitation outcomes in the gene therapy era (Dr. Ming Chan, University of Alberta)
  • The economic burden of neuromuscular disease, results from the BIND study (Dr. Jodi Warman, University of Ottawa)
28 September, 2024 04:30 pm

Break/Poster viewing

28 September, 2024 06:00 pm

Conference dinner

Will Gadd

Conference Dinner  This memorable night will allow you to relax and connect with fellow peers in a lovely setting alongside a roaming musical performance and an amazing after dinner speaker, Will Gadd, who speaks on the topics he lives daily: Excellence, managing risk, resiliency, seizing opportunity, high performance outcomes and risk mitigation in low-knowledge environments. (dinner included in conference registration)


29 September, 2024 08:00 am

Breakfast

29 September, 2024 09:00 am

Genetic neuromuscular disease

Dr. Aneal Khan
University of Calgary

Dr. Hanns Lochmuller
University of Ottawa

Dr. Omid Kiamanesh
University of Calgary

  • Pompe disease (Dr. Aneal Khan, University of Calgary)
  • Congenital myasthenic syndromes (Dr. Hanns Lochmuller, University of Ottawa)
  • Cardiac comorbidities of neuromuscular disease (Dr. Omid Kiamanesh, University of Calgary)
29 September, 2024 10:30 am

Coffee break and networking

29 September, 2024 11:00 am

Genetic neuromuscular disease: Founder effects in Canada

Dr. Cynthia Gagnon
University of Sherbrooke

Dr. Micheil Innes
University of Calgary

Dr. Kerri Schellenberg
University of Saskatchewan

  • Update on myotonic dystrophy (Dr. Cynthia Gagnon, University of Sherbrooke)
  • Founder neuromuscular diseases in Western Canada (Dr. Micheil Innes, University of Calgary)
  • Spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (Dr Kerri Schellenberg, University of Saskatchewan)
29 September, 2024 12:30 pm

Concluding Remarks, evaluations

29 September, 2024 12:45 pm

Lunch and poster viewing

29 September, 2024 01:30 pm

Research Symposium

Dr. Gerald Pfeffer
University of Calgary

Dr. Toshifumi Yokota
University of Alberta

  • Introductory remarks (Dr Gerald Pfeffer, University of Calgary)
  • Translational research in neuromuscular disease (Dr Toshifumi Yokota, University of Alberta)
  • Of Gut, Brain & Sex: Functional studies in ALS (Dr Minh Dang Nguyen, University of Calgary)
  • Glymphatic alterations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Dr Gerald Pfeffer, University of Calgary)
29 September, 2024 03:15 pm

Coffee break and poster viewing

29 September, 2024 03:45 pm

Voting for platform and poster awards

29 September, 2024 04:00 pm

Research Symposium Continued

  • Oral microbiome analysis in ALS demonstrates differences associated with limb vs bulbar onset cases (Sarah Jacob, University of Calgary)
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS) Thresholds Predict Risk of Feeding Tube Insertion (Dr Tefani Perera, University of Calgary)
  • Metabolic defects in Type 1 Myotonic Dystrophy: a potential therapeutic target (Lola Lessard, Universite Claude Bernard, Lyon, France)
  • Contribution of major histocompatibility complex class II immunostaining in distinguishing idiopathic inflammatory myopathy subgroups: a histopathological cohort study (Lola Lessard, Universite Claude Bernard, Lyon, France)

  • Single nucleus RNA sequencing reveals unique myonuclei populations in late-onset myopathy (Tyler Soule, University of Calgary)
29 September, 2024 05:15 pm

Voting: Awards and concluding remarks

OurSPEAKERS

Dr. Ming Chan

University of Alberta

Dr. Kristine Chapman

University of British Columbia

Dr. Cynthia Gagnon

University of Sherbrooke

Dr. Micheil Innes

University of Calgary

Dr. Hans Katzberg

University of Toronto

Dr. Aneal Khan

University of Calgary

Dr. Omid Kiamanesh

University of Calgary

Dr. Hanns Lochmuller

University of Ottawa

Dr. Stephen McNeil

University of Calgary

Dr. Michelle Mezei

University of British Columbia

Dr. Cam-Tu Nguyen

Universite de Montreal

Dr. Colleen O’Connell

Dalhousie University

Dr. Homira Osman

Muscular Dystrophy Canada

Dr. Gerald Pfeffer

University of Calgary

Dr. Cecile Phan

University of Alberta

Dr. Kerri Schellenberg

University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Zaeem Siddiqi

University of Alberta

Dr. Jodi Warman

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Dr. Chris White

University of Calgary

Dr. Toshifumi Yokota

University of Alberta

Oursponsors

Platinum


Gold


Silver


Welcome Reception

FAQFrequently Asked Questions inquire


If you have questions about registration please contact us at reg@wcnmc.ca

If you have questions about speakers, sponsorship or anything else regarding WCNMC, please contact us at info@wcnmc.ca