Last year saw a big step for the international members of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). The AANS approved the International Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons – the IFAANS – program. The AANS granted this new distinction to almost 500 members: those who have been international dues-paying members for five or more consecutive years or those who have four consecutive years of membership and have attended one AANS Annual Scientific Meeting. Many of those now bearing the IFAANS distinction have been members for many years. This distinction is also extended to Affiliate members certified outside North America who currently practice within North America.
Technological advancements and growing recognition of our international members make the International Programs at the AANS that much more accessible to our colleagues around the world. Daniel Segui, MD, IFAANS, originally from Cuba, has been an AANS Affiliate member since 2003. After completing his training in Cuba, he moved to Florida to work at Baptist Hospital of Miami and form part of the faculty at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. He was encouraged to become an AANS member by Sergio M. Gonzalez-Arias, MD, FAANS.
Dr. Segui works to expand the scope of neurosurgical care through new technologies and treatments of neurological disorders that he learns about through his AANS membership. “The ability to communicate the best up-to-date treatment options and technology to patients and their families is a key result of my AANS membership,” he recently stated.
He finds the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting most helpful in learning about new technologies and treatments. “The AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is an optimal forum to learn and compare different points of views with colleagues from throughout the world to better serve the community we serve.” Dr. Segui follows a long tradition of excellence in neurosurgery from his native Cuba and is honored to carry the IFAANS distinction.
Laston Chikoya, MD, IFAANS, serves his community in Lusaka, Zambia, at the University Teaching Hospital and aspires to be a role model for other young neurosurgeons in his country. He recognizes the need for more equipment and neurosurgeons, knowing that when his patients receive treatment early, their outcomes are improved. He encourages his government to invest in neurosurgery.
Since Dr. Chikoya’s location on the map makes it hard for him to attend the AANS Annual Scientific Meetings, he has been able to access educational opportunities through videos and online content. “I was inspired to become a member because of the educational materials and peer-reviewed articles and topics that are published by AANS,” he said.
His home country of Zambia has experienced more and more urbanization, resulting in more trauma cases. He recognizes that he is better able to adapt to the changes in his country by “being abreast of the current trends in the practice of neurosurgery and adapting that knowledge to our setting.” Dr. Chikoya is a strong voice for neurosurgery in Zambia.
Ena Isabel Miller Molina de Selman, MD, IFAANS, from San Pedro de Sula, Honduras, attended her first AANS Annual Scientific Meeting just out of residency, having been invited by Howard Lee Finney, MD, and Marion L. Walker, MD, FAANS(L). She was later encouraged to become an AANS International member by Daniel F. Kelly, MD, FAANS, in 2003, as a way to always stay current and grow as a neurosurgeon.
Dr. Miller speaks very highly of the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting. “I think the AANS puts on a very international and broad meeting. I try to attend the meetings as frequently as I can because it brings me closer to the breaking news and innovation in different fields of neurosurgery. The practical clinics and breakfast seminars have greatly influenced my practice and surgical technique,” she said.
She also attends the meetings because they give her the opportunity to interact with her peers, citing that in addition to the educational component. “I have also had the opportunity to meet and befriend wonderful people from different parts of the world.”
Currently, in Honduras, there is one training program in neurosurgery, and Dr. Miller recognizes there is still room for growth and improvement. She leverages the AANS for the tools she needs to serve her community through her work as a neurosurgeon at Cemesa Hospital and Bedana Hospital in Honduras.
The education that Magnus O. Ekekdede, MD, IFAANS, has received as an AANS International member has led him to many firsts as a neurosurgeon in the Bahamas and across the Caribbean. He has adapted his education to fit the circumstances in these island countries. Dr. Ekedede joined the AANS in 2010 and attributes Albert L. Rhoton, Jr., FAANS(L), for having inspired him to join.
However, for as much as Dr. Ekedede has learned to better serve his patients through AANS meetings and publications, he said that a core value he has also received is the desire to give back to society. He has done just that by co-founding the Mitchell Ekedede Brain Injury Foundation with the father of a young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Although Dr. Ekedede recognizes that neurosurgery in the Bahamas is fairly advanced and that Doctor’s Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital where he works both offer many services, he is looking forward to implementing brain navigation surgery and stereotactic surgery in the near future. He also reports that, “the Mitchell Ekedede Brain Injury Foundation is in the process of initiating the construction of a state-of-the-art neuro-rehabilitation facility in the Bahamas.” He is looking to serve his community better by expanding the scope of all neurosurgical practice.
AANS members may reside worlds away – from Honduras to Zambia, to right next door in the Caribbean or at home in Florida – but all members share a collective vision. The AANS seeks to build relationships with international neurosurgeons to stay true to its mission:
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is the organization that speaks for all of neurosurgery. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to promote the highest quality of patient care.
Building up membership in other countries helps the AANS voice resonate around the world, while giving neurosurgeons everywhere the tools to serve their communities and their patients with the highest quality of care. Welcome, to our newest IFAANS members!
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