Paediatric Neurology Update 2026

Join us for a comprehensive update on the latest advances in paediatric neurology at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. Hosted by the Neurology Department at The Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW), this event brings together leading experts in various subspecialty fields of paediatric neurology to discuss the management of common childhood neurological disorders, an update on research into those disorders and emerging treatments. Whether you're a paediatrician, trainee, paediatric neurologist or allied health professional, the update offers valuable insights for the day-to-day practice and management of neurological conditions in children. What's new in 2026? This year's program will cover a range of topics in paediatric neurology across four focused sessions: 1. Common presentations in neurology • Functional Neurological Disorders Common presentations of FND and suggested management pathways (jointly presented by neurology and psychiatry) • Epilepsy Epileptic seizures, investigations, and pathways to surgical referral 2. Neurodevelopmental disorders • Ketogenic diet uses and applications • Neurodevelopmental disorders with regression • Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) 3. Rare neurological diseases • Update and progress on patients with SMA 8 years post NBS and gene therapy implementation • Implementation of novel treatments • SCHN innovative therapies pathway 4. Clinical video session with quiz Program *The program is subject to change, depending on speaker availability. 9:00 am - Welcome and housekeeping Session 1 9:10 am - Functional Neurological Disorder | Rynagh Cummins and Kasia Koslowska 9:55 am - Utility of EEG | Ngaire Keenan 10:10 am - Epilepsy syndromes - who and when to refer | Vanessa Ng 10:45 am - Morning tea Session 2 11:15 am - How the ketogenic diet shapes gene regulation: Insights into precision epilepsy therapeutics | Erica Tsang 11:50 am - Regression syndromes | Natalie Lim 12:25 pm - Neurodevelopmental presentations - incl. PANS | Prof Russell Dale 1:00 pm - Lunch Session 3 2:00 pm - SMA advanced therapies - post treatment update | Sandi Kariyawasam 2:35 pm - KCNT1 related epilepsy case presentation | Kavitha Kothur 3:05 pm - Innovative therapies pathway | Michelle Lorentzos 3:35 pm - Q & A session 3:45 pm - Afternoon tea Session 4 This session will be run as an interactive quiz including clinical scenarios, videos and images. 4:15 pm - Clinical video session with quiz | Shekeeeb Mohammad 4:45 pm - Closing address Meet our speakers • Dr Rynagh Cummins is the current general neurology fellow at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (CHW). She has worked with the hospital's mind-body team treating children with functional neurological disorders and is undertaking research on myasthenia gravis treatments. • Dr Kasia Kozlowska is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinician-researcher at CHW, and the Westmead Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney. Dr Kozlowska has made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of functional neurological disorders (FND) in children. • Dr Ngaire Keenan is the current general neurology fellow at CHW. She has a special interest in epilepsy and holds a PhD focusing on the types, aetiologies, comorbidities, outcomes, and management of epilepsy in Māori children. • Dr Vanessa Ng is the current epilepsy fellow at CHW. She has a special interest in epilepsy, including surgical epilepsy approaches. • Erica Tsang is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and Senior Ketogenic Dietitian at CHW. She is also a PhD candidate researching the role of nutritional epigenomics in therapeutics for neurological disorders. • Dr Natalie Lim is a paediatric neurologist at CHW with interests in neuroimmunology and neurodevelopment. She is also a PhD candidate exploring gene regulatory mechanisms and targeted therapeutics in disorders characterised by developmental regression. • Prof Russell Dale is Professor in Paediatric Neurology, with a keen interest in the interactions between the brain and immune system, and biomarkers in neurology that help us understand disease processes and develop future therapeutics. • Dr Sandi Kariyawasam is a paediatric neurologist at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick (SCH), and an Associate Lecturer at the School of Women’s and Children’s Health, UNSW. She led Australia's first pilot program for SMA and now chairs the national newborn screening implementation working group for the condition. • Dr Kavitha Kothur is a paediatric neurologist and NHMRC Senior Research Fellow with a special interest in epilepsy and precision medicine. Her clinical and research work aims to improve outcomes for children with neurological disorders and epilepsy through advancing genetic diagnoses, biomarkers, and treatments. • Dr Michelle Lorentzos is a paediatric neurologist, head of the Clinical Trials team, and Advanced Therapeutics Medical Lead at SCHN. She has particular interest in muscular dystrophy and implementing gene replacement therapy trials for neurological disorders. • A/Prof Shekeeb Mohammad is a paediatric neurologist with expertise in paediatric autoimmune neurological disorders and movement disorders including tics, Tourette syndrome, dystonia and associated neuropsychiatric problems. He also has interest and experience in paediatric deep brain stimulation. Ticket information This year's Paediatric Neurology Update is available for in-person attendance only. To offer greater flexibility to our participants, the sessions will be recorded and made available for on-demand viewing for up to 3 months. Places are limited - only 150 tickets available! Complete the registration to secure your place. • Paediatrician/General Practitioner/Consultant: $250 incl. GST • Trainee/Junior Medical/Allied Health/Nurse: $150 incl. GST • Recordings only: $100 incl. GST Contact For more information, please contact [email protected]. ----- CHW Paediatric Education Showcase 2026 November is shaping up to be the largest education extravaganza at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. We're excited to bring together leading experts in their field to discuss current advances in research and practice, and cover emerging trends in a range of paediatric sub-specialities. See our events line-up below. • Tuesday, 10 November: Paediatric Emergency Update • Wednesday, 11 November: Paediatric Neurology Update (register on this page) • Thursday, 12 - Friday, 13 November: CHW Paediatric Update • Friday, 20 November: 14th Paediatric Allergy Update