Alan R. Cohen, MD, FAANS, FACS

The 2012 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is not far away, and the Pediatric Section will have a major presence this year, holding afternoon scientific sessions on Monday, April 16 and Wednesday, April 18.

This year’s Matson Lecture will be delivered by Scott L. Pomeroy, MD, PhD, on Wednesday, April 18, at 2 p.m. Dr. Pomeroy, one of the nation’s leading brain tumor researchers, will give a presentation entitled "Medulloblastoma Redefined: The Molecular Basis of the Subtypes of CNS Embryonal Tumors." There will be a reception in Dr. Pomeroy’s honor that evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Loews Hotel.

Dr. Pomeroy is neurologist-in-chief and chairman of the Department of Neurology at Children’s Hospital Boston, and the Bronson Crothers Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. He completed medical school at the University of Cincinnati, and did his residency training at Children’s Hospital Boston and Barnes Hospital at Washington University. His fellowship training in pediatric neurology was carried out at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Dr. Pomeroy has done seminal work on the molecular biology of malignant brain tumors, and his talk should be of great interest to neurosurgeons and neuroscientists.

Save the date! The Winter Meeting of the Pediatric Section will be at the St. Louis Marriott Union Station Nov. 27-30, 2012. Meeting Chairs Matt Smyth and Jeff Leonard are putting together an innovative scientific program that embraces the theme: "Safety. Efficacy. Efficiency." The social program, including Brewery Night at Anheuser-Busch, also is shaping up to be great fun. (See accompanying article.)

I hope to see you in Miami and St. Louis.

Alan R. Cohen, MD, FAANS, FACS
Chairman, AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery