The AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves and the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation are pleased to announce the establishment of the new, cosponsored NREF/Spine Section Young Clinician Investigator Award.
Annually, the NREF offers residents and junior neurosurgical faculty members two different grant opportunities: the NREF Research Fellowship and NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award. The Young Clinician Investigator Award supports faculty in the early years of their academic careers, pursuing neurosurgical research in a hospital or university setting.
Applicants for this new, cosponsored spine award must be neurosurgeons who are full-time faculty in North American teaching institutions. The purpose of this award is to fund pilot studies that will yield data to be used to strengthen applications for longer-duration funding from other sources. The research application must be in the area of spinal cord, vertebral column or peripheral nerve disorders.
“In recognition of the reality that spinal care and spinal surgery are a major component of most neurosurgeons’ practices, the section has always considered opportunities to expand research and knowledge in this field,” said Charles F. Branch Jr., MD, chair of the Spine Section. “Partnership with the NREF to establish a YCI award in the field of spinal care facilitates the pursuit of this goal and adds value not just to neurosurgery, but to the entire universe of spine care.”
The NREF’s Scientific Advisory Committee will review and score the applications, as part of the overall NREF grant review process. “The NREF is pleased to join in this partnership with the Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves,” said Martin H. Weiss, MD, FACS, chair of the NREF Executive Council. “We anticipate great interest in this cosponsored award, not only this year, but for many years to come.”
The first NREF/Spine Section Young Clinician Investigator awardee is Jason Huang, MD.
Celebrating 25 Years of Research: NREF Donors July 1-Dec. 31, 2006
The Executive Council of the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation of the AANS gratefully acknowledges the individuals, groups, corporations and members of the general public who generously supported the NREF between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2006. We thank these donors for continuing to recognize the need for and understanding the importance of providing critical funding for some of the specialty’s brightest scientists and their promising neurosurgical investigations. These studies have set a high standard in the neuroscientific community, serving as key indicators of our ability to enhance science and technology, while also improving patient care. The investment these NREF supporters have made in the future of neurosurgery will reap positive rewards: new advances in the areas of brain tumors, strokes, epilepsy, and disorders of the spine. Ultimately, we hope the outcomes of NREF-funded research projects will translate into medical breakthroughs and longevity of life.
NREF donors are listed at https://www.aans.org/research/neurosurgery/donor.asp