The American Association of Neurological Surgeons is dedicated to increasing international participation in AANS. These pages focus on information of particular interest to neurosurgeons and allied medical professionals practicing outside of the United States. Ensure that you do not miss any news by registering to receive AANS mailings and emails! And visit often to view new online education courses, case studies or journal articles.

·  HINARI

News/Announcements

• The Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) provides free or very low cost online access to the major journals in biomedical and related social sciences to local, not-for-profit institutions in developing countries.

  AANS' publishing arm, the JNS Publishing Group, began participating in this initiative in 2007. Online access to all three Journal of Neurosurgery print journals is provided to library users in all Band I countries participating in the World Health Organization HINARI program.

  For more information on the HINARI initiative visit http://www.who.int/hinari/about/en/

• During the International Reception at the 2008 AANS Annual Meeting, AANS President Dr. Jon H. Robertson presented
  Jose Humberto Mateos Gomez, MD with the first AANS International Lifetime Recognition Award. Dr. Mateos has dedicated his life to teaching, and has been a principle force in elevating the quality of neurosurgical training in Mexico. Dr. Mateos founded the Neurosurgery Service of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in 1963 and was also a founding member and president of the Mexican Board of Neurosurgery. Through academics posts and positions in neurosurgical organizations in Mexico, Dr. Mateos has been one of the most influential figures in Mexican neurosurgery.

The AANS plans to offer a similar award at each AANS Annual Meeting. If you know of a person who has been an influential figure in neurosurgery outside the United States and Canada, the AANS would like to know about him or her. We are looking particularly for those whose lifetime of contributions has made significant contributions to neurosurgery in the person’s home country. Send any nominations to info@aans.org.

• Yves R. Lazorthes, MD from Toulouse, France is the recipient of the 2008 AANS International Abstract Award. The award is given to the author of the highest ranking international abstract, and will be presented during the plenary session of the AANS Annual Meeting in Chicago on Monday, April 28, 2008. Dr. Lazorthes' abstract is titled Hypothalamic Stimulation for Chronic Cluster Headache: A Pluricentric Controlled Study
  
  
• The 2008 AANS International Travel Scholarship provides $1500 to support the attendance of a neurosurgeon from a developing country to the AANS Annual meeting. The 2008 recipient of this scholarship is Faiz U. Ahmad, MD, from New Dehli, India, for his abstract titled Intracranial Fungal Granulomas: A Single Instituitional Clinico-Pathological Study of 54 Patients and Review of Literature.

AANS International Visiting Surgeons Fellowship

The AANS International Visiting Surgeons Fellowship is an effort by the AANS to assist our colleagues in developing countries with an educational experience at a North American Neurosurgical Training Program – typically three months in duration.

Sudipta Mukherjee, MD from Bagerhat, Bangladesh and Okezie Obasi Kanu, MD from Lagos, Nigeria have been selected as the recipients of the 2008 International Visiting Surgeon Fellowships.

Dr. Mukherjee will be visiting the University of Washington at Harborview Medical Center where he will work with Laligam N. Shekhar, MD observing skull base and cerebrovascular treatments.  His concentration will be on microsurgical techniques of cerebrovascular surgery in respect to aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and stroke management.

Dr. Kanu will be visiting the Duke University School of Medicine where he will work with Allan H. Friedman, MD, FACS.  Dr. Kanu’s interest is in neuro-oncology, particularly the management of skull base (including pituitary) lesions.

The AANS will begin accepting applications for the 2009 International Visiting Surgeon Fellowship on July 1, 2008