From the Secretary

Alan R. Cohen, MD

After a long, hard winter, spring has finally arrived, and the Pediatric Section has a lot going on. There will be a strong pediatric neurosurgery presence at the 77^th AANS Annual Meeting in San Diego, May 2–6. Some highlights:

• An afternoon Pediatric Session on Monday, May 4, on innovations, moderated by Chair Jeff Wisoff, MD and featuring keynote speaker, Chair-Elect Tina Duhaime, MD, discussing "Head Injury Management in Perspective: What Things Really Make a Difference"
  
  
• An afternoon Pediatric Session on Tuesday, May 5, chaired by Member-at-Large John Ragheb, MD
  
  
• The Matson Lecture, to be delivered by John A. Jane Sr., MD, PhD, on Tuesday, May 5, at 3:09 p.m.
  
  
• The Matson Lecture Reception in honor of Dr. Jane on Tuesday, May 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Mission Hills Room of the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina
  
  
• The Shulman Award, to be given to Toba Niazi, MD, of the University of Utah on Tuesday, May 5, at 2:45 p.m. for her presentation, "Medulloblastoma Growth Enhancement by Hgf/sf Expression in Cerebellar Neural Progenitor Cells Is Suppressed by Systemic Antibody"
  
  
• The Hydrocephalus Award, to be given to Ellen Air, MD, of the University of Cincinnati on Tuesday, May 5, at 2:57 p.m. for her presentation, "A Longitudinal Comparison of Pre- and Postoperative DTI Parameters in Young Hydrocephalic Children"
  
  
• The Pediatric Section Executive Council, to meet on Tuesday, May 5, from 1 to 2:45 p.m. in the Balboa Room of the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina
  
  
• The Pediatric Section’s Annual Business Meeting, to be held on Tuesday, May 5, at 5:30 p.m. immediately following the scientific session

The 2008 Annual Winter Meeting in Spokane was a huge success, thanks largely to the organizational efforts of Section Member-at-Large David Gruber, MD. Held at the historic Davenport Hotel, the Spokane meeting was one of the most popular conferences in the Pediatric Section’s history, featuring a comprehensive scientific program by the section’s membership that included a new session on transition of care, and the Raimondi Lecture, delivered by Renee Jenkins, MD, past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who spoke on “The Future of American Health Policy.” There were 380 individuals attending the meeting, including 227 neurosurgeons, 16 spouses, 53 nurses and 84 exhibitors.

The 2009 Winter Meeting will be in Boston at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel, Dec. 1– 3, chaired by Liliana Goumnerova, MD.

In other news, Sarah Gaskill, MD, chair of the section’s Program and CME Committee, reports on the leading role the Pediatric Section has played in advancing the Web-based education. Jeff Blount, MD, member-at-large, reports on the stimulating and controversial First World Congress on Spina Bifida held in Orlando, Fla., this past March. Mark Dias, MD, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neurological Surgery, announces the Second International Conference on Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma, to be held in Jackson Hole, Wyo., this June.

Further information about the Pediatric Section’s activities can be found at www.pedsneurosurgery.org. I hope to see you in San Diego.

Alan R. Cohen, MD, FACS, FAAP alan.cohen@uhhs.com , is secretary of the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery.