UCSF Encephalitis and Meningitis Symposium 2025

Overview

Presented by the UCSF Department of Neurology and Encephalitis International, this course will provide physicians with a state-of-the-art framework for diagnosis and treatment of people with encephalitis and/or meningitis due to autoimmune or infectious causes.

Target Audience
Physicians or advanced practice providers working in internal medicine, critical care, infectious diseases, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, oncology, or rheumatology.

Objectives

Apply an improved ability to recognize and diagnose meningoencephalitis in adults.
Refine strategies to identify and diagnose infectious and autoimmune causes of meningoencephalitis in children
Apply enhanced familiarity and understanding of current evidence-based strategies for mitigation of treatment-associated risks and treatment of autoimmune encephalitis.
Refine strategies to recognize and differentiate between behavioral and psychiatric disorders due to inflammatory vs non-inflammatory conditions.

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by UCSF Office of CME and Encephalitis International. UCSF Office of CME is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Course Outline

Friday, September 19, 2025
UCSF ENCEPHALITIS and MENINGITIS SYMPOSIUM
7:00 AM	Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00	Welcome & Overview	Michael Wilson, MD, MAS
Panel: Patient Perspectives
8:10	Part 1: Life After Encephalitis – Patient Outcomes and Quality of Life	Ava Easton, PhD
8:35	Part 2: In their Own Words: Patient and Family Stories	Participating Patients and Families
8:50	Panel Q&A
Panel: Advances in Diagnostic Technologies & Approaches to Clinical Diagnosis
9:10	Part 1: Diagnosing Autoimmune Encephalitis in 2025	Jeffrey M. Gelfand, MD, MAS
9:35	Part 2: Diagnosing Infectious Meningoencephalitis in 2025	Michael Toledano, MD
10:00	Part 3: Consensus Criteria for Autoimmune Psychosis	GenaLynne Mooneyham, MD, MS
10:20	Panel Q&A
10:35	Break
Panel: Infectious Meningitis and Encephalitis
10:45	Part 1: Chronic Meningitis (some local bugs included)	Felicia Chow, MD, MAS
11:05	Part 2: Opportunistic Infections in Immunosuppressed Patients	Michael Wilson, MD, MAS
11:25	Part 3: Meningitis and Encephalitis Globally: Perspective from Zambia (presented virtually)	Deanna Rae Saylor, MD, MHS
11:45	Panel Q&A
12:00	Lunch
Panel: Neuroimmunology & Behavioral Neurology
1:00 PM	Part 1: Behavioral Neurology Insights for Evaluating and Treating Cognitive Impairment from Encephalitis	Michael Geschwind, MD, PhD
1:25	Part 2: Long Term Deficits from Anti-NMDAR Antibodies in Humans and Mice	Sam Pleasure, MD, PhD
1:50	Panel: Q&A
2:05	Break
Panel: Hot Topics
2:20	Part 1: Cancer Immunotherapy Related Neurologic Disorders	Adil Daud, MD
2:45	Part 2: Clinical Trials for Autoimmune Encephalitis	Stacey Clardy, MD, PhD
Cases
3:10	Case Presentations & Diagnostic Thought Process	UCSF Clinicians Stacey Clardy, MD, PhD
5:00	Adjourn

Saturday, September 20, 2025
TREATMENT OF MENINGOENCEPHALITIS
Panel: Approaches to Treatment
8:00am	Part 1: Treating Infectious Meningoencephalitis	Natasha Spottiswoode, MD, PhD
8:25	Part 2: Treating Autoimmune Encephalitis	Joanne Guo, MD
8:50	Part 3: Practical Approaches to Immunosuppression: Prescribing and Safety Monitoring	Jeffrey M. Gelfand, MD, MAS
9:15	Part 4: Inpatient Management of Meningoencephalitis	Megan Richie, MD
9:40	Part 5: Managing Patients with Seizure Disorders and Neuronal Autoantibodies	Manu Hegde, MD, PhD
10:05	Panel Q&A
10:20	Break
Panel: Special Considerations in Pediatrics
10:30	Part 1: Outpatient Pediatric Management Considerations	Mary Karalius, MD
10:55	Part 2: Inpatient Pediatric Management Considerations	Kendall Nash, MD
11:20	Panel Q&A
Cases
11:35	Case Presentations: Difficult to treat cases & management considerations	Clinical Panel
12:15pm	Lunch

Course Faculty

(University of California, San Francisco unless indicated)

Stacey L. Clardy, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Neurology
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

Adil I. Daud, MD
Professor, Medicine
UCSF Hellen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

Ava Easton, PhD
Chief Executive, Encephalitis International
Honorary Fellow, Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology
University of Liverpool
Liverpool, UK

Michael D. Geschwind, MD, PhD
Professor, Neurology
UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience

Joanne Guo, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurology
UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences

Manu Hegde, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Neurology
UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience

Mary Karalius, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurology
UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience

GenaLynne C. Mooneyham, MD, MS
Medical Officer, National Institutes of Health
Medical Director, NIMH Autoimmune Brain Disorders Program
Bethesda, Maryland

Kendall Nash, MD
Professor, Neurology
UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences

Deanna Rae Saylor, MD, MHS
Associate Professor, Neurology
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC

Megan Richie, MD
Associate Professor, Neurology
UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences

Natasha Spottiswoode, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Infectious Disease
UCSF School of Medicine

Michel Toledano, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN

Travel & Lodging

Exhibitors

Exhibit Fee: $3,000
Email Contact for Exhibits [email protected]

Pay $3,000 Fee Via Credit Card

Exhibit Hours

(subject to updating)

Friday September 19, 2025
7:00- 8:00AM    Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Area
9:30- 10:00AM    Coffee Break in Exhibit Area
3:00- 3:20PM    Coffee Break in Exhibit Area

Saturday September 20, 2025
7:00- 8:00AM Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Area
9:30- 10:00AM Coffee Break in Exhibit Area

UCSF Encephalitis and Meningitis Symposium 2025

Registration Fees

Cancellation Policy