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| Editor: Bruce A. Kaufman, MD | Fall 2009 |
SONS News
e-mail to astolic@aap.org. Educationally, the SONS will be providing two lectures at the 2009 AAP National Conference and Exhibits, or NCE: a "meet the expert" talk on hydrocephalus, shunts and endoscopy, and a lecture on return to sports after traumatic brain injury. SONS will provide four lectures for the 2011 NCE. The SONS also has created a brochure on occipital plagiocephaly, "Your Baby's Head Shape: Information for Parents on Positional Skull Deformities," which has been vetted by the AAP and is now available through the AAP bookstore at http://www.aap.org/bookstorepubs.html . The SONS additionally has been involved in creating, reviewing and providing commentary on several AAP guidelines and clinical reports for occipital plagiocephaly, microcephaly, management of youth soccer injuries, and spasticity. In addition, the SONS has submitted a proposal, currently under review, for a clinical report on the identification, evaluation and referral of children with cutaneous markers of spinal dysraphism. The SONS also has been involved with other organizations in two projects. First, Hector James, MD, and Derek Bruce, MD, are working on behalf of the SONS with Catherine Mazzola, MD, and multiple societies on the development of Guidelines for the Determination of Brain Death in Children. Second, working with the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, a survey was sent to neurosurgical residents in North America querying their perceptions about reasons for, and barriers to, careers in pediatric neurosurgery; the data are being analyzed and the results will be available soon. The SONS' visibility among pediatric neurosurgeons was enhanced when Renee Jenkins, MD, the immediate past president of the AAP, spoke at the 2008 Pediatric Section meeting in Spokane, Wash. The SONS is very pleased to sponsor a second luncheon lecture at the upcoming 2009 meeting in Boston. Sulpicio "Sol" Soriano, MD, from Boston Children’s Hospital will speak about pediatric neuroanesthesia. We hope to continue to sponsor guest speakers from disciplines allied with pediatric neurosurgery at future meetings. During my tenure as chair of the SONS, it is my mission to increase the value of SONS membership to my fellow pediatric neurosurgeons. I hope to enhance the visibility of the AAP to pediatric neurosurgeons as well as to expand the opportunities for pediatric neurosurgeons to educate the pediatric community. Mark S. Dias, MD, FAAP, is chair of the Section on Neurological Surgery of the American Academy of Pediatrics. |
