Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC) will host the inaugural Antigua & Barbuda Clinical Neurology Summit from November 13–15, bringing together neurologists, physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and other healthcare providers from across the Caribbean, Canada and the USA for three days of clinical education and knowledge exchange.
The Summit will focus on stroke, headache disorders, epilepsy and other areas of neurological care, with a dedicated nursing track on the final day. The program will feature regional and international speakers and will offer both in-person and online participation.
The conference comes at an important time for neurological care in Antigua and Barbuda. SLBMC recently became an Essential Stroke Centre certified by the World Stroke Organization, the first in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and among only a few in the Caribbean and Latin America.
For Dr. Gaden Osborne, SLBMC Neurologist and Chair of Subspecialty Services, the Summit is an opportunity to build on that progress.
“Certification as an Essential Stroke Centre was an important milestone, but the work does not end there,” Dr. Osborne noted. “Good neurological care depends on what we continue to learn, how we apply that knowledge, and how well our teams work together. This Summit allows us to strengthen those areas, bring international expertise to Antigua, and create a space for our own clinicians to share what we are doing here. Ultimately, the goal is simple: to improve the care available to people in our community.”
Stroke remains a significant public health concern, affecting patients and families across Antigua and Barbuda. But stroke is only part of the picture. Headache disorders and epilepsy also affect many individuals and families in our community, impacting quality of life and highlighting the need for greater awareness, understanding and access to care.
Lyandra Richards, SLBMC Learning & Development Coordinator, emphasized that consistent medical education directly translates to better clinical outcomes:
“Learning in healthcare cannot be a one-time exercise. Medicine changes, evidence evolves, and the needs of our patients change with it. We have to keep learning from research, from experienced colleagues and from one another across disciplines. What matters is not simply attending a conference or gaining new information, but taking that learning back into our teams and using it to improve how we care for patients. That is how professional development becomes better patient care.”
In addition to serving as an educational hub, the event provides a unique platform to showcase the growing clinical expertise being cultivated right here in Antigua.
Salma Crump, Head of Marketing & Communications at SLBMC, highlighted the hospital’s broader commitment to building local capacity:
“We want this to be more than a conference that happens in Antigua. We want it to create connections that continue after the three days are over. Our community benefits when our healthcare professionals have opportunities to learn, exchange ideas and bring new knowledge back into their practice. It also matters that we can bring regional and international expertise here while giving our own local professionals a platform to contribute to the conversation.”
The Antigua & Barbuda Clinical Neurology Summit will take place November 13–15, 2026. Healthcare professionals interested in attending can view the program, speaker information and registration details at:
https://neuroantigua.org/
A full list of sponsors and supporting organizations for the Antigua & Barbuda Clinical Neurology Summit is available here:
https://neuroantigua.org/sponsors
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: SLBMC to Host First Antigua & Barbuda Clinical Neurology Summit.