From The Chair

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 16 AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Symposium on September 8-9, 2023, in Washington, DC just before the  CNS Annual Meeting. The meeting’s theme: “Brain and Spine Recurrent Tumors: The Neurosurgeon’s Role,” coupled with the meeting location and the world-renowned experts, are tremendous attractants to the participants. This resulted in a historically highest number of submitted abstracts and meeting registrations to theAANS/CSN Section on Tumors Symposium. Gelareh Zadeh, scientific chair, and Pablo Recinos and Chetan Bettegowda, co-chairs, have done a superb job with its scientific program to include four sessions highlighting neurosurgery challenges and updates in caring for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, meningiomas, brain and spine metastatic disease. In alignment with the CNS 2023 theme “Imagine, Innovate, Inspire”, the Tumor Session Symposium is weaved with new ideas, interactive discussions, innovative content and mentoring opportunities. A special segment for the Advance Practice Providers (APPs) will take place each day. Please join us at the Symposium Gala on Friday, September 8, to network and celebrate the 16th AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Symposium Awardees.

The executive committee (EC) members I convened, led by the chairs and co-chairs of the EC sub-committees, have been very active over the past six months working at the sections’ goals. Please join me in thanking each of them for their voluntarism and hard work. Below is a summary of their recent accomplishments while continuing to build upon the goals and deliverables I set forth when I started my post as section chair.

• To facilitate partnership within the executive committee, the neurosurgical oncology community and beyond.

Leveraging the great success of “Headlines”, an interactive series to facilitate partnership within the section leaders and to provide role model examples to our trainees and young neurosurgeons, the Development and Partnership sub-committee, under the leadership of Brian Nahed (chair) and Susan Pannullo (co-chair), is hosting a new series: “Future Leaders”, highlighting junior faculty and fellows and their clinical and scientific work and career plans in neurosurgical oncology. Randy Jansen (chair) and Isaac Yang (co-chair) with the Membership and Membership Services sub-committee provide important deliverables to our members. Kimberly Hoang (chair) and Claire Karekezi (co-chair) with the Communication sub-committee are facilitating agile communication across the globe. Garni Barkhoudarian (editor) and Kristin Huntoon (assistant editor) assembled this great Newsletter.

• To enhance our section’s education and research leadership in brain and spine tumors.

Gelareh Zadeh (chair) and Analiz Rodriguez (co-chair) provide leadership to organize and amplify our Education portfolio. Maryam Rahman (chair) and Chetan Bettegowda (co-chair) guide our section’s mission to support, mentor and encourage research. Additionally, we work closely with the NREF to support and raise funding for research grants. The section’s CNS 2023 Scientific Program is a testament to the superb leadership of Tiffany Hodges (chair) and Kimberly Hoang, MD, Wajd Al-Holou, MD (co-chairs). Jeff Olson (chair) and Ryan Ormond (co-chair) continue the productive leadership of CNS tumor Guidelines.

• To award an increased number of “the best and the brightest” acknowledging distanced traveled.

Under the leadership of Jennifer Moliterno (chair), Frank Attenello and Will Curry (co-chairs), the Awards sub-committee continues to expand our award portfolio with 20 Awards given at the CNS 2023 and re-focusing on different aspects of the section’s very talented contributors.

• To provide continued collaborations with neurosurgery and other organizations focused on brain and spine tumors.

Our section’s collaborative efforts are led by individuals and subcommittee chairs as following: Steve Kalkanis with ABNS; Christopher Cifarelli with ASTRO; Linda Liau (chair) with CAST; Stephanie Cheok and Christian Bowers (co-chairs) with the Early Career Neurosurgeons Committee (ECNC);  Ian Parney (Chair) Historian; Jason Sheehan (editor) with JNO; Linda Bi (chair) and Dan Prevedello (co-chair) with Skull-Base focused projects; Lissa Baird (chair) and Anthony Wang (co-chair) with Pediatrics; Christopher Newman with SANS; Tiffany Hodges with the Washington Committee; Andrew Sloan and Michael Vogelbaum with the Coding and Reimbursement Committee (CRC); Ekk Kasper (chair) and Kate Drummond (co-chair) with Global Neurosurgery; Tracy Batchelor with the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO); Paul Gardner with the CNS Foundation; Christopher Newman with SANS; Nicholas Szerlip (chair) and Nam D. Tran (co-chair) with Spine Oncology. A special thank you to Costas Hadjipanayis serving as section’s secretary/treasurer.

• To update our section’s bylaws after five years since its last revisions.

Edjah Nduom (chair) and the Bylaws sub-committee spearheaded our section’s Rules and Regulations update. This was ratified by both parent organizations in the Spring of 2023.

• To provide leadership for cutting-edge clinical trials and innovation.

Brad Elder (chair) and Gavin Dunn (co-chair) lead the Clinical Trial and Registries efforts focused on how to enhance our leadership role in clinical trial/registries development and enrollment by collaborating with our neuro-oncologist and radiation oncologist colleagues. Evanthia Galanis and Mark Gilbert (chairs) partner with us to bring the latest expertise in Medical Oncology. Chris Cifarelli (chair) and Lola Chambless (co-chair) lead the Innovation and Technology efforts with new emphasis on the various technological advances our field is pioneering.

These are exciting times in neurosurgical oncology and for the Section on Tumors. I look forward to continuing our partnership and connecting with you in Washington, DC. For the latest details on Tumor Section activities and for information on becoming a member, please visit our website at www.tumorsection.org

Sincerely,

Isabelle M. Germano, MD, MBA
AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Chair (May 2022-May 2024)