The AANS Board of Directors held its 1995 Interim Meeting November 17-19 in Chicago. The primary focus of their deliberations was the 1996 budget. However, a number of other key actions occurred. The highlights of the major decisions made are summarized below.
Nominating Committee
Edward L. Seljeskog, MD, Immediate-Past President and Chairman of the Nominating Committee, presented the recommended slate of Officers, Directors and Nominating Committee Members for 1996. The Board of Directors approved the following slate for distribution to the voting members:
- President-Elect – Edward R. Laws, Jr., MD
- Vice President – Russell L. Travis, MD
- Director-at-Large – Arthur L. Day, MD
- Member, Nominating Committee
Steven L. Giannotta, MD – (2-year term)
Patrick J.Kelly, MD – (2-year term)
If no opposing candidates are proposed, this slate will be voted upon at the Annual Business Meeting on Monday, April 29, 1996 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the event that opposing candidates are proposed, written ballots will be distributed as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Professional Conduct
Chairman W. Ben Blackett, MD, reported on the Professional Conduct Committee’s recommendations regarding two cases referred to the Board for review. The committee’s recommendation was to issue a warning letter in one case and in the second case to recommend that a member be suspended for unprofessional conduct which occurred during testimony against another neurosurgeon in a professional liability case. The Board concurred with both recommendations and ordered that the warning letter be sent to one member and that the other individual’s membership be suspended for a period of six months. The suspension notice appears on page 15 of this issue of the Bulletin.
Bylaws
It will be proposed that the Mexican neurosurgeons who are certified by the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC, will be permitted to apply for Active (Provisional), Active (Foreign), and Candidate Membership. At present, the Associate Membership cannot exceed 10% of the Active Membership of the AANS. The Board made the decision that a specific number will not be set on this category of membership, but instead decided that a limit can be set by the Board of Directors from time-to-time, if necessary. Several changes were proposed to that section of the Bylaws governing the Professional Conduct Committee. These changes would streamline the committee’s activities and, hopefully, prevent complaints having little or no merit from reaching a formal hearing by the Professional Conduct Committee.
Long-Range Planning
The 1995 Strategic Plan was presented to the Board by Long-Range Planning Committee Chairman J. Charles Rich, MD. It was discussed extensively and approved by unanimous vote of the Board. This Plan is intended to guide the AANS no matter who serves in leadership positions in the future.
Membership
The Board of Directors approved the membership applications of 24 Active Members (including one Active – Foreign), 36 Active (Provisional) Members, 18 Associate Members, and 46 transfers from Active (provisional) to Active Membership. In addition, 27 candidates for International Associate Membership were approved. (The complete list of new members appears on page 87.) A record 244 Candidate Members were added to the Association’s roster as well.
The Board also approved several requests for transfers from Active to Lifetime Membership and two transfers from Associate to Lifetime (Inactive).
JCSNS
Although Joint Council of State Neurosurgical Societies (JCSNS) Chairman, Stanley Pelofsky, MD, was unable to attend the Board meeting in person, he reported via speaker phone to the Board. Eleven JCSNS Resolutions were presented to the Board for approval and all but one were approved.
Outside Organizations Liaison
The Board approved establishment of a cooperative relationship between the Pain Section and the American Academy of Pain Medicine, with Kim Burchiel, MD, serving as the AANS representative. A task force was approved to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a formal liaison with the Council of Spine Societies. If this liaison is established, neurosurgeons would have to be acknowledged as fully -trained spine surgeons and the parent organization will need to be involved in policy decisions, as well as socioeconomic isberto Heros, MD, was appointed to a four-year term to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council. He joins Robert Grossman, MD, as the other neurosurgeon serving on the Council. The current liaisons to the North American Tort Reform Association, the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, the National Institutes of Health, and several others are maintaining active, productive relationships. The Board will consider discontinuing those other liaisons that are virtually inactive.
Future Sites Committee
A list of future sites for AANS Annual Meetings, through the year 2003, has been set. Definite sites and headquarters hotels are summarized below. Tentative sites for 2001 and 2002 are also noted.
Tentative site pending further review of convention facilities.
Quality Assurance Committee
The role of the AANS in quality assurance was discussed at length. The Board concluded that it was necessary to have such a function and, further, that it should be a joint activity with the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The exact structure and function will be defined as soon as possible as there continual requests for this type of interven-tion. The Long-Range Planning Committee had recommended that the Quality Assurance Committee should be reconstituted as the Quality Assessment Committee.
Next Meeting
The Board of Directors will hold their next meeting during the AANS Annual Meeting.
PLEASE NOTE: As of January 20, 1996, the area code for The American Association of Neurological Sugeons’ National Office has changed from (708) to (847). Phone: (847) 692-9500 Fax: (847) 692-2589 Please make a note of this change in your records.