“All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy” – Samantha Power.
A pediatric neurosurgeon’s primary responsibility is the well-being of children. Not just children with neurological diseases. All children. In reality, a pediatric neurosurgeon is responsible not only for the diagnosis and expert surgical treatment of childhood neurosurgical illnesses but also for the prevention of illness in children of all ages. Prevention efforts may include advocating for bicycle helmets and against gun violence to protect from traumatic injury and advocating for optimal screening and nutrition and against environmental toxins to prevent congenital defects (e.g., folic acid to prevent neural tube defects). The Pediatric Section’s first responsibility is to advocate for and support the development and education of pediatric neurosurgeons, so they can perform their job to the best of their abilities.
An effective way to harness people’s skills is to empower them, and a particularly effective way to empower people is to give them a platform and a voice. In the past two years, The Pediatric Section Executive Committee (EC) strove to give an opportunity to each section member willing to contribute time, effort and/or ideas. This meant expanding the committee structure to accommodate the diverse talents and skills that section members possess and ensuring a platform from which they can express them. As a result, our members, including surgeons, RNs, APPs, trainees, and students, were able to amplify their efforts in education and research and develop collaboratives. Importantly, the EC recognized that a well-balanced organization requires a blend of elder wisdom and young energy, which led to the establishment of a Senior Advisory Committee and a Young Pediatric Neurosurgeons Committee that have been instrumental in modulating the objectives and operations of the majority of standing and ad hoc Section committees. These efforts, which motivated a majority of section members to volunteer, led to an infrastructure that strengthened collaborations and created synergies between members and between committees, in line with the adage:
“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it” – H. E. Luccock.
Critical elements to creating a robust collaborative and productive environment are diversity, equity and inclusion. The section’s Timothy George Committee on Diversity and Inclusion has been ensuring that the activities proposed by section committees are equitable; and that both the section leadership and membership are diverse. Interestingly, the committee recognized that such efforts are best implemented at an early age. Accordingly, one of its most successful ideas was inviting students with diverse backgrounds from a local high school in Washington DC to participate in the 2022 Annual Meeting.
The students were enthusiastic about every aspect of the experience, which included interacting with pediatric neurosurgery mentors, visiting the exhibits, and attending the podium presentations.
The Pediatric Section advocates for its members by empowering and helping them organize, thus enhancing their ability to, in turn, care and advocate for children.
