News from the Secretary

NEWSLETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WFNS – 2009-2013

 

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 

 

My first words go to express my deepest gratitude to all friends who, as Delegates of the WFNS during the last Executive Committee Meeting, placed their trust in me by electing me to serve as their Secretary for the next four years.

Together with the President, Peter Black, we will try our utmost to help the thousands of neurosurgeons who are working in the less privileged areas of the world, by listening to their problems, by being physically present as much as possible and by providing material and educational support to the colleagues who are most in need.

Our President’s official theme and motto will be “One World – One Vision: Building Bridges” and with this in mind the neurosurgeons of the world will easily understand his profound commitment to the problems of the neurosurgical community.  Such words also prove his commitment to play an important role in the procedure of peace in the world, bringing people together as much as possible, in spite of any eventual differences that may be encountered.

Through the WFNS Foundation, assistance will be given to those in need, including the provision of sets of instruments, microscopes, bipolar coagulators, stereotactic frames, the use of Training Centres and of course several WFNS Courses that we organize every year, throughout the world.  All this information you can obtain through the WFNS website, www.wfns.org.

However, one of the most outstanding achievements of Dr Peter Black’s Presidency will be the launching, as from as January 2010, of the official WFNS journal – “World Neurosurgery” at a very reasonable price.  The main aims of this new journal will not only be to transmit the knowledge of the more experienced but also to transmit the main difficulties encountered by the neurosurgeons working in developing countries.

Thus, you are all invited to join us in this exciting new project and please do not hesitate to get in touch with me, e-mail:  azevedoh@uol.com.br or the President, Dr Black: pblack@partners.org and/or peterblackwfns@gmail.com or eventually our Central Office’s Director in Geneva, Mrs. Jan Joseph:  janjoseph@wfns.ch will be more than happy to help you with whatever is necessary.

Last but not least, I would like all of you to join us for the XIV WFNS Interim Meeting that will take place in the fantastic sea-side resort, Porto de Galinhas, Recife, Brazil, from 14^th to 17^th September 2011.   We look forward with pleasure to welcoming you all there.

Hildo Azevedo , M.D. Ph.D

Secretary, WFNS

 

Recife, 09^th September 2009

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Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

• Call for proposals of President-Elect and the Slate of Officers for the term 2013-1017

Deadline for receiving proposals: 4 September 2010

Letter to the Delegates reminding deadlines for indications of Officers (term 2013-2017)

Letter to the Nominating Committee and the Delegates regarding the Schedule

• Call for Bids for the WFNS Interim Meeting 2015

Deadline for Applications:  14 September 2010

Procedure to follow when making a bid

Questionnaire for hosting WFNS Interim Meetings

• Call for Bids for the WFNS World Congress of Neurosurgery 2017
  Deadline for Applications:  14 September 2010

Procedure to bid for WFNS International Congresses

Questionnaire for hosting WFNS Congresses

For support requirements and additional information, please contact the WFNS Central Office: centraloffice@wfns.ch

A Summary of Facts and Figures of WFNS

• facilitating the personal association of neurological surgeons throughout the world
• aiding in the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and ideas in the field of neurological surgery
• encouraging research in neurological surgery and allied sciences

• holds periodic World Congresses
• conducts educational courses
• makes available Basic Sets of Neurosurgical Instruments, Bipolar Coagulation Sets and Neurosurgical Microscopes at a reduced price through WFNS for distribution to the Developing World
• provides neurosurgical training at designated WFNS Reference Training Centres
• maintains a Foundation to promote and facilitate the activities of the WFNS.

Organizational Structure

Membership:

Officers:

Composition of the WFNS Executive Committee:

Composition of the WFNS Administrative Council:

P. Black President

J. Brotchi President-Elect

T. Kawase   1st Vice  President

H. Azevedo - Filho  Secretary

B. Misra        Assistant Secretary

M. Arraez Treasurer

C. Loftus Assistant Treasurer

H. W. Jung    President, XVCongress

Standing Committees:

Others:

Central Office

Ongoing Initiatives

Assistance Africa

There exists a critical shortage of neurosurgical resources in sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to help address this matter, the WFNS established a Reference Centre in Rabat, Morocco, under the direction of
Prof. Abdeslam El Khamlichi, with the purpose of training African Neurosurgeons for Africa. The curriculum includes opportunities for complete (5 years) neurosurgical training as well as 6 and 12 month sessions for those who have completed training in their own country.

A Reference Training Center is being organized in Dakar, Senegal.

A reference Training Center is already established and functioning well under with two trainees under the direction and supervision of Prof. Hildo Azevedo.

Educational Courses

Neurosurgical Equipment

Presented by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Foundation and Aesculap

The WFNS Set of Neurosurgical Instruments (pictured above) was assembled under the instruction of
Prof. Madjid Samii to provide the tools to perform the broad range of basic neurosurgical procedures. The instruments are manufactured by Aesculap and are made available by the WFNS to qualifying neurosurgical practitioners in the Developing World.

Until now the provision of a  WFNS Set of Neurosurgical Instruments of high quality and at very low cost, solved the problem of many of our colleagues and of course patients in developing countries around the world. Now, thanks once more to the collaboration of Aesculap, it is possible to include in the list, the WFNS Bipolar Set, an essential instrument which is necessary to perform Microneurosurgery in the correct way.

Presented by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Foundation and Zeiss

Microneurosurgery is simply unaffordable for some of our colleagues. They are well acquainted with the benefits of microsurgical techniques, but cannot perform it as they lack the necessary equipment. We found a solution to this problem:  in close cooperation with the WFNS, Carl Zeiss created a special configuration of the OPMI pico surgical microscope.

Young Neurosurgeons' Forum 

Women in Neurosurgery 

WFNS Foundation