History of the AANS/CNS joint section on tumors and preface to the 20th anniversary Journal of Neuro-Oncology Special Issue

Trends in Leadership Among Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowships

OBJECTIVE

To examine current neurosurgical oncology leadership trends and provide a guide for those interested in obtaining fellowship directorship, we investigated fellowship director (FD) demographic, educational, and leadership characteristics.

METHODS

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons Academic Fellowship Directory and Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training websites were reviewed for current U.S. program FDs for which data were collected using online resources and surveys.

RESULTS

In total, 23 FDs (20 male and 3 female) were represented whose mean age was 52.4 years (standard deviation = 8.7). Our analysis found 65% of current neurosurgical oncology FDs to be singularly trained in neurosurgical oncology, with 8.7% possessing multiple fellowships and 34.8% possessing additional degrees. Fellowship programs producing the most FDs were University of Texas MD Anderson (4), Memorial Sloan Kettering (3), and University of Miami (2). FDs possessed an average of 148 publications, 6423 citations, and an h-index of 33.9. H-index had a high-positive correlation with age and time from residency graduation but not duration of FD appointment. Among survey respondents, 91.7% reported membership and 75% reported leadership positions among national academic societies, whereas 66.7% reported holding journal-editorial positions. The mean age of FD appointment was 46.8 years, with a mean time from fellowship completion to FD appointment of 10.0 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Through the characterization of current leaders in the field, we provide valuable information with regards to training location trends, research productivity goals, career timelines, and target journal/national academic society involvement worth consideration among young trainees when making career decisions and plans.

Development of the AANS/CNS joint Section on Tumors: challenges and opportunities

Over the 30 years since the formation of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors, the breadth and scope of our activities have continued to expand. An initial focus on education and collaboration between those members of the neurosurgical community dedicated to the care of patients with neurological tumors has broadened to include development of international relationships, participation in clinical trials and efforts to define standards of care and quality metrics. As we navigate the rapidly changing environment of health care, the Section on Tumors will occupy a central role in promoting advocacy, establishing collaboration, providing education, and supporting research for the community of neurosurgeons dedicated to the care of patients with neurological tumors. This article will provide an update and status report on the development of the Section on Tumors, followed by a brief discussion of the challenges and opportunities emerging at the onset of our fourth decade of service.

Awards, lectures, and fellowships sponsored by the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors

A major goal of the Section on Tumors of the American Association of Neurological Surgery (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) since it was founded in 1984 has been to foster both education and research in the field of brain tumor treatment and development. In support of this goal, the Section sponsors a number of awards, named lectures, and fellowships at the annual meetings of the AANS and CNS. In this article, we describe the awards given by the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors since its foundation, the recipients of the awards, and their philanthropic donors. The subsequent history of awardees and their work is briefly examined. Specifically for the Preuss and Mahaley Awards, this article also examines the rates of publication among the award-winning abstracts and achievement of grant funding by awardees.

[New surgical techniques for brain tumors]

During the past years, the development of new technologies and techniques has been applied to brain tumor surgery, leading to decreased surgical morbidity and increased efficiency. These techniques can be used to reduce the invasiveness of the surgical approach (endoscopy, neuronavigation, robotics), to improve guidance (stereotaxy, neuronavigation), to better identify the tumor limits (neuronavigation, metabolic imaging, intra-operative MRI) or the functional areas (functional imaging, electrophysiological functional mapping) to optimize resection and to respect eloquent areas. This article reviews these techniques, focusing on their respective principles, practical utility, impact and limits.

Prizes, lectures, and awards of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Section on Tumors

An important goal of the Section on Tumors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) since its founding in 1985 has been to foster both education and research in the field of brain tumor treatment. As one means of achieving this, the Section awards a number of prizes, research grants, and named lectures at the annual meetings of the AANS and CNS. After a brief examination of similar honors that were given in recognition of pioneering work by Knapp, Cushing, and other early brain tumor researchers, the authors describe the various awards given by the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors since its founding, their philanthropic donors, and the recipients of the awards. The subsequent career of the recipients is briefly examined, in terms of the rate of full publication of award-winning abstracts and achievement of grant funding by awardees.