Building Bridges of Knowledge: Reflecting on the ASSFN Biennial Meeting

We had a blast in Cleveland. Seven hundred attendees joined us from May 30 to June 2 on the shores of Lake Erie to teach, learn, assess new technologies, plan future research, and network. We had great luck with the weather, and attendees enjoyed the renovated areas of Cleveland, visited The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and organized private meetings around the area. 

The meeting was titled “The Bridges of Knowledge” to reflect the many historical bridges across downtown Cleveland and to promote the multiprofessional nature and the collaborative spirit of our society. This was a successful approach, with strong attendance by society members, trainees and scientific partners across biomedical engineering, imaging investigators, and neuroscientists.  

The scientific program was developed and executed by a superb committee, led by Dr. Rushna Ali, who provided outstanding management in partnership with the Congress of Neurological Surgeons team. Activities began on Friday with a hands-on epilepsy dissection course led by Dr. Bill Bingaman at nearby Lutheran Hospital. On Saturday, the programming began at the Hilton Hotel with special courses on movement disorders, entrepreneurship and innovation, medical student mentorship, and epilepsy. Our new president, Dr. Ellen Air, led a course geared towards trainees on the practice of functional neurosurgery and choosing the right jobs. 

Over the course of three days, we had five plenary sessions and eight parallel sessions covering on topics from connectivity to device development and neurorehabilitation. The poster session with wine and cheese continues to be a major highlight of the event, with numerous laboratories presenting their latest and most cutting-edge data.  

Additional highlights included a stellar keynote talk by Paul Dolan, the Chairman of the Cleveland Guardians, who focused on leadership, sports, business and community. Our honored guest, Dr. Aviva Abosh, was interviewed by a panel including Drs. Julie Pilitsis and Ellen Air, exploring her career lessons on organized neurosurgery, leadership, and doing the right thing. 

We closed the meeting on Tuesday with our eyes on the future. Our next meeting will be held in Tucson, Arizona, hosted by our immediate past-president, Dr. Julie Pilitsis. Save the date for March 25-28! Sign up to learn about opportunities to get involved and more. It is already shaping up to be the most memorable for our society!

By Andre Machado, MD
Past President, American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery