The Neuroscience in Intensive Care International Symposium in America (NICIS-America) builds on a highly successful conference and networking event held annually in Paris since 2010 (www.nicis.fr). The vision of NICIS is to provide a forum that will promote transformative advances in the care and science of patients with critical neurological illness and injury.

NICIS brings together clinicians and scientists who share a common interest in translating discoveries in the neurosciences into better patient-centered outcomes. NICIS-America is connecting discoveries in the Neurosciences with real-world advances in the care and outcomes of patients with critical neurological illness and injury.

This year's symposium is devoted to the theme of Coma and Consciousness in Medicine. Consciousness is an emergent property seen in complex systems. The study of human consciousness cuts across disciplines and endeavors to include clinical medicine, psychology and the cognitive neurosciences, ethics, literature and philosophy. Changes in the level of consciousness are observed across the health spectrum, in physiological phenomena such as sleep, during sedation and anesthesia, and in pathological states such as seizures, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and severe physiological or metabolic imbalances affecting neuronal function.

Speakers include leading investigators in neurology, neuroscience, intensive care, neurophysiologic monitoring, neuroimaging, brain mapping, statistical modeling, predictive analytics, and clinical trial design.

Robert Stevens, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University

Jan Claassen, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University

Jose Suarez, MD, Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University

Tarek Sharshar, MD, Senior Consultant, Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Raymond Poincaré Hospital, Professor, The University of Versailles