Annual Meeting Highlights

Thanks to the hard work of the 1995 Annual Meeting Committee, directed by chairman J. Michael McWhorter, MD, 5,981 attendees who gathered in Orlando, Florida April 24 to 27 for the Association’s 63rd Annual Meeting were given an outstanding array of educational and social events from which to choose.

The Scientific Program Committee, under the leadership of Jon Robertson, MD, assembled an outstanding program that included 118 research papers, 522 poster presentations, more than 20 hands-on clinics and workshops, 82 educational seminars, three nurse/physician assistant symposia and nine scientific symposia. In addition, more than 400 technical and institutional exhibits showcased the latest neurosurgical instrumentation and equipment.

A special program held the day before the meeting started focused on providing training to neurosurgeons interested in participating in AANS legislative affairs activities. The all-day event,”Constituent Skills Workshop,” was presented by the American Medical Association and sponsored by the Joint Council of State Neurosurgical Societies and the Joint Washington Committee of the AANS and CNS.

Edward L. Seljeskog, MD, the 62nd President of the AANS, delivered his Presidential Address on Monday, April 24, 1995. In his remarks, which were titled “Responding to Change: The Challenge of the 1990’s,” Dr. Seljeskog urged neurosurgeons to “…deal aggressively with the challenges facing us today and to consider as objectively as possible the alternatives before you and to have the boldness to shape your own future rather than being victimized by the forces that are surrounding us.” Dr. Seljeskog also announced that he was appointing a Blue-Ribbon Task Force of proven leaders from both the CNS and the AANS to explore the type of organizational structure that is needed in order to effectively represent the specialty in the years ahead and to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

The full text of Dr. Seljeskog’s address will be reprinted in a future issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery. In the meantime, his remarks, as well as the complete Schneider Lecture, are available on audiotape. To order, call or write:

The Annual Business Meeting was held later that day, where Sidney L. Tolchin, MD, was installed as the 63rd AANS President.

On Tuesday, April 25, General Colin L. Powell, the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared as the Cushing Orator, speaking on “The Management of Crisis and Change.” The Tuesday program also featured a special Decade of the Brain Symposium, which addressed “New Developments in Practical Imaging of the Central Nervous System.” Nationally-recognized experts on neurosurgical imaging provided a detailed look at the latest applications of this rapidly evolving technology. “Dramatic Changes in Neurosurgical Reimbursement: The Present and the Future,” was the focus of another special symposium on Tuesday.

A unique spine symposium, “Spinal Trauma: An Update with Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Perspectives,” was presented on Wednesday, April 26. The session marked the first time neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons came together at an AANS scientific meeting to stress cooperative approaches to treating injuries to the spine. The symposium included a series of lectures on the management and timing of surgery for spinal injuries, biomechanics and treatments of cervical spine injuries, biomechanics and treatment of thoracicolumbar injuries, and complications related to spinal injury and its treatment.

Scientific sessions presented by the various Joint Sections of the AANS and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, were offered throughout the day on Tuesday and Wednesday. Research papers covered such topics as strategies for assessing the community response for acute cerebrovascular emergencies, understanding the physiology of head and spinal cord injury, restoration of bladder control in spinal cord injured patients, the history of pediatric neurosurgery in Russia, and the cost-effectiveness of carotid endarterectomy. ” Three members were singled out for special honors during the Annual Convocation:

• Richard DeSaussure, Jr., MD, received the Association’s highest honor, the Cushing Medal. He was recognized for his many years of outstanding leadership and dedication to the field of neurosurgery.

• Melvin L. Cheatham, MD, received the 1995 Humanitarian Award of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Cheatham was recognized for his extensive volunteer work overseas, providing badly needed neurosurgical care to patients in many Third World and developing countries.

• Charles Edwin Brackett, MD, received the 1995 Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Brackett was honored for his many years of dedication to the field of neurosurgery and to the AANS. In particular, he played an instrumental role in the establishment of the AANS National Office.

Other meeting highlights included presentation of three award-winning research papers:

• Preuss Resident Award
  “Radiation-Induced Changes in Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule Expression: A Clue to the Pathogenesis of Radiation Necrosis” – John Brayton, MD, Zsuzsu Fabry, MD, Michael Robbins, MD, Michael N. Hart, MD, John C. VanGilder, MD

• Mahaley Clinical Research Award
  “Neurotopographic Considerations in the Microsurgical Treatment of Small Acoustic Neurinomas” – Wolfgang T. Koos, MD, Christian Matula, MD, David Levy, MD, J. Diaz Day, MD

• William H. Sweet Young Investigator Award in Pain Medicine
  “Human Thalamic Neurons Develop Novel Receptive Fields within Minutes of Deafferentation” – Zelma H.T. Kiss, MD, Karen D. Davis, MD, Ronald R. Tasker, MD, Andres M. Lozano, MD, and Jonathan O. Dostrovesky, MD

In addition, Timothy Charles Ryken, MD, was named the 1995 Van Wagenen Fellow. Dr. Ryken, who is chief resident in neurosurgery at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, will spend his one-year fellowship in Cambridge, England at the Medical Research Council Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair.

The meeting wasn’t all work, however. More than 1,100 members, their spouses and children enjoyed a night out at Universal Studios Florida, where they enjoyed a New York Street Party and private access to four attractions, including “Kongfrontation,” “Back to the Future: The Ride, E.T.,” and “Earthquake: The Big One!”