Neurosurgical leaders converge for national conference
The Department of Neurological Surgery was proud to host the 2011 meeting of the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS) from May 21-24. The SNS is the oldest, most prestigious neurosurgical organization in the world, and is comprised of department chairs, residency program directors, and other neurosurgical leaders from North America and around the world. Founded by Harvey Cushing in 1920, it is considered to be the neurosurgical “education society.”
Over the course of four days, some 300 attendees participated in hands on training sessions for the use of simulation in resident education and heard presentations from many luminaries in medical and surgical education. Tom Nasca, MD, CEO, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; Peter Carmel, MD, neurosurgeon and President-Elect, American Medical Association; and Larry Pitts, MD, neurosurgeon and Provost, University of California, were among the featured speakers.
OHSU was proud to present a half-day session on the Department of Neurological Surgery and the university as a whole, including presentations about the institution as a whole, the School of Medicine, the Faculty Practice Plan and OHSU Hospital. OHSU speakers included Joe Robertson, MD, MBA, President; Mark Richardson, MD, MBA, Dean, School of Medicine and President, OHSU Faculty Practice Plan; Peter Rapp, Executive Director, OHSU Healthcare and Executive Vice President; and Tom Heckler, CEO, OHSU Faculty Practice Plan and Senior Associate Dean for the Clinical Practice. Multiple faculty members from the department spoke on its healing, teaching and discovery missions. The emphasis of the morning was on partnership and collaboration; representatives from the departments of Neurology – Helmi Lutsep, MD, Professor – and Orthopaedics – Jung Yoo, MD, Chair and Professor – spoke on collaborative programs with Neurological Surgery. The morning culminated in an inspiring presentation by Brian Druker, MD, Director, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and Associate Dean for Oncology, on the discovery of Gleevec.
“Hosting the SNS meeting was a tremendous honor for our department,” said Kim J. Burchiel, MD, Raaf Professor and Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery. “It further cemented the reputation of OHSU Neurosurgery as a leader and innovator in neurosurgical education.”
The meeting also highlighted innovative programs in neurosurgical residency education nationally, including the Society of Neurological Surgeons PGY1 Boot Camp Courses, which originated at OHSU. View the scientific program for a complete list of participants.
Pictured (from top): Attendees at the Society of Neurological Surgeons conference; Dr. Kim Burchiel