From April 8-13, more than 7,200 neurosurgeons, neuroscience nurses, physician assistants and technical exhibitors from across the globe convened in San Francisco for the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Packed with hands-on practical clinics, first-rate scientific symposia and a wealth of socioeconomic information, this year’s meeting set the standard as the premier neurosurgical conference.
Steven L. Giannotta, MD, Annual Meeting Chair, and Paul C. McCormick, MD, Scientific Program Chair, assembled a spectacular program, which included 18 scientific sessions, 44 practical clinics, more than 80 breakfast seminars, 129 oral abstract presentations, and 550 poster presentations. In addition, a record-setting 688 technical and institutional exhibits showcased the latest neurosurgical instrumentation and equipment.
The meeting also marked the “first” for several events, including the launching of the AANS’ new logo and the publication of an eight-page consumer educational insert in USA Today. The goal of this pioneering educational tool was to provide an overview of neurosurgical practice – in particular, the role neurosurgeons play and the surgical and non-surgical care that they provide. The insert reached more than five million readers, and select articles were posted on several of the nation’s top health sites, including NEUROSURGERY://ON-CALL®. WebMD and DrKoop.com.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday. The AANS Annual Meeting officially got underway on Saturday, April 8, following two days of AANS Board meetings and the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies Semi-annual Assembly (for a list of resolutions passed by the Assembly, see page 33). Saturday’s program included a vast array of hands-on clinical courses, as well as a special luncheon sponsored by the American Neurological Surgery Political Action Committee (ANS-PAC), that featured keynote speaker Tom Campbell (R-CA). He discussed the House Judiciary Committee’s recent passage of HR1304, the “Quality Health Care Coalition Act,” and explained how the bill will help level the playing field between health plans, physicians and patients. He also thanked the neurosurgical community for their overwhelming support.
Sunday. Paul C. McCormick, MD, led Sunday’s program with a full-day symposium titled, “The 21st Century Neurosurgical Organization: Strategic Management of Neurosurgical Practice in a Competitive Market Environment.” During this special symposium, a panel of consultants, CEOs and neurosurgical practice managers examined the challenges and opportunities for neurosurgical practice within an increasingly competitive health care environment.
Monday. Monday’s program set the stage for the official opening of this year’s scientific sessions. Leading the program was W. French Anderson, MD, who delivered an interesting presentation titled, “Human Gene Therapy.” Dr. Anderson, an international expert in the field of molecular genetics, discussed the expanding role gene therapy will play in the neurosurgical community in the near future.
Also on Monday, Martin H. Weiss, MD, 1999-2000 President of the AANS, delivered a thought-provoking presentation in which he discussed the evolution of North American neurosurgical societies and the legacy organizations, such as the AANS, must create.
“We are the beneficiaries of a distinguished legacy left to us by our predecessors; it is our responsibility to sustain this legacy,” said Dr. Weiss. “This professional legacy cannot evolve without recognizing the educational, scholarly, scientific and socioeconomic needs of our membership and the discipline. These are vehicles that allow us to move forward and without which we cannot survive.”
Dr. Weiss also spoke of a need to educate the public and the media on the role of the neurosurgeon and the importance of medical care. “We must educate the public to the realization that, although health care must be available, it must be participatory. We must educate the youth of this country about the need to purchase health insurance when it is available to them. At the same time, we must define and promulgate the responsibilities of our patients to their health care, as well as the responsibilities that we have to our patients and the system. Our responsibility to our patients demands that we recognize that the overriding principle of our professional lives is to help the patient get better.”
Dr. Weiss concluded by recapping where the field of neurosurgery has been and envisioning the road it has yet to travel. He also thanked the membership for their strong support and commended the Board of Directors and AANS National Office staff who “served diligently to meet the objectives of the Association.”
Tuesday. Tuesday’s program kicked off with the Schneider Lecture delivered by John A. Jane, Sr., MD, PhD, Chair and David D. Weaver Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville) and Editor of the Journal of Neurosurgery and Journal of Neurosurgery:Spine. Dr. Jane, who was recognized at the meeting as this century’s last Decade of the Brain Medalist, discussed “The Orbit and Paranasal Sinuses—– the Role of the Neurosurgeon.”
The highlight of Tuesday’s program was the Cushing Oration delivered by acclaimed historian, Pulitzer Prize winning author and former Harvard professor, Doris Kearns Goodwin. Speaking to a full audience, Mrs. Goodwin examined “Leadership in the New Millennium.” In her talk, she discussed her experience working in the White House and explored the life of President Lyndon Johnson both in and out of the White House. She also identified three qualities that made President Johnson a success and said that those qualities were essential for any leader.
According to Mrs. Goodwin, such qualities include: 1) A good leader must desire to create partnerships on both sides of the aisle with special interest groups. “Your strongest supporters must be with you on your take off to be with you on your landing;” 2) A good leader must understand the importance of “good timing;” and 3) A good leader must recognize his or her supporters/partners and call to the attention of others the work that such entities have done on the leader’s behalf. “”More important, a good leader must bring a sense of purpose to his or her followers and have the confidence and courage to make things change. Such can be said of the leaders of the AANS.”
Wednesday. Special Lecture III marked the highlight of Wednesday’s program. The lecture, given by John E. Wennberg, MD, Director of the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth Medical School and co-founder of the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, examined neurosurgical outcomes. Wednesday’s program also included a special talk by Victor Fuchs, PhD and Henry J. Kaiser, Jr., Professor Emeritus in the Department of Economics and Health Research and Policy at Stanford University. Dr. Fuch’s talk set the stage for a socioeconomic symposium in which he examined “The Future of Medicare.”
Also on Wednesday, the AANS hosted, for the first time, home-town radio interviews. Nearly 50 AANS members gathered in the registration area to work with a trained media interviewer and discuss topics ranging from Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury to fetal stem cell research and stroke prevention. The interviews were broadcast to 761 radio stations across the nation. The news segments reached more than 15 million people.
Thursday. As the meeting came to a close on Thursday, the AANS hosted three top-notch special courses focusing on surgical techniques for a variety of intracranial approaches; the surgical management of movement disorders; and sports neurotrauma. The latter course featured football legend and Assistant Coach of the Oakland Raiders, Willie Brown, and explored the assessment and management of sports-related head and spinal cord injuries, including return-to-play guidelines.
Social Events Make A Splash
While education was the number one goal at this year’s meeting, congeniality and socialization came in close seconds. The AANS welcomed members with a spectacular Opening Reception on Sunday, April 9. The gala event was the perfect place for members to rekindle old friendships, while roaming bands of “live art” and life-size recreations of sculptures and paintings by renowned artists introduced members to the sights and sounds of California. Later in the week, the AANS hosted a one-of-a-kind gourmet wine-tasting event. The “Taste of California,” held in lieu of the AANS Annual Reception and Banquet, treated members to fine wine and culinary treats.
The AANS Meeting ended with members bidding their final farewells and promising to meet again to share ideas, friendship and Annual Meeting excitement in Toronto in 2001.
Media Efforts Showcased Neurosurgery
During this year’s meeting, the AANS Communications Department served as an information clearinghouse for the media, providing expert information about neurosurgical practice and arranging interviews with Annual Meeting presenters. Through such efforts, neurosurgical spokespersons appeared on several national network programs, including ABC-TV’s “Nightline,” on health care Web sites such as Dr.Koop.com, WebMD, and Medscape, and in the pages of national and local print publications, such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Medical Tribune and more.
The AANS wishes to thank all of the corporations that supported the 2000 Annual Meeting through direct donations and sponsorships. To view a complete listing of this year’s sponsors, visit www.neurosurgery.org/meetings.