Mark your calendars for Friday, April 20, 2018. That's the day the Brain Health Fair, a free public event hosted by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, signaling the start of the AAN's Annual Meeting, the world's largest gathering of neurologists. To learn more about the public event, we spoke with Christine E. Phelps, deputy executive director of the AAN Institute.

How is the AAN Brain Health Fair different from other public events on brain health?

When I was first asked to consider an outreach program for the community hosting the Annual Meeting, I didn't know the first thing about planning a public health event. But I knew a lot about putting on high-quality education events. I knew that what would set this Brain Health Fair apart was to develop a program that would encompass a wide range of topics related to neurologic disease and also focus on health and prevention. Our curriculum is developed by physicians and other neuroscience professionals. They not only spend the year planning the event, they also are on-site delivering the education.

How does the Brain Health Fair relate to the AAN's mission?

Our mission is to promote the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. The Brain Health Fair reaches people who may not have access to care or who simply want to learn more about the brain and the central nervous system. And better-informed patients are a key part of high-quality care.

What has the AAN incorporated into the Los Angeles Brain Health Fair based on feedback from previous years?

We've greatly expanded the scope of the event. We've increased our offerings for younger people by incorporating our Neuroscience Is...™ Cool program, which introduces neuroscience in a fun and educational way. We've also invited science programs from the high schools in the region. We've invited more specialists to sit with patients and families to answer questions. And in 2017, we incorporated Spanish-language programs to coincide with the publication of the pilot issue of Neurology Now en Espanol. Because of the success of this program and the location of the 2018 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, we are greatly expanding the Spanish-language programs.

What is involved in organizing this event?

First, we gather the physicians who volunteered on-site at the previous Brain Health Fair to debrief and plan ahead. We discuss what went well and what needs to be tweaked or expanded. For the upcoming fair, we identify space in the city and start to develop the program. This year, we have a group developing a Spanish-language curriculum for the Brain Health Fair as well as one for the Annual Meeting, and another group working on educational and health and wellness programs for children and adults.

The Brain Health Fair is free. How do you make that happen?

Our staff works hard to secure grants, and we also have AAN support. The Los Angeles Convention Center and the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Bureau have been extraordinarily generous by providing space at no cost, as well as parking and marketing services.

How else do you work with the local community?

We've met with leaders in the Los Angeles neurology community, including longtime Brain Health Fair supporter John Mazziotta, MD, PhD, FAAN, who is vice-chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health, as well as other neurologists from UCLA. All local academic centers will have an important role during the event.

Could you tell us about any special events unique to this year's Brain Health Fair?

We're introducing a new student scholar track. We're inviting 100 local students to participate in a "Neurology Experience," in which they will work at customized stations and labs set up by neurologists. We are also setting up a "Home of the Future," which will allow attendees to experience the latest technologies and home advancements for living with neurologic disorders. We'll have disease-specific presentations in both English and Spanish, and we are adding more presentations to the schedule.

As always, the Neurology Now editorial team will be on-site. We encourage all attendees to stop by our booth to meet the editor-in-chief and editorial board members. In addition, we will be debuting some exciting new changes for the magazine.

Come help us make the 2018 Los Angeles Brain Health Fair the best yet.