Chair: Wenya Linda Bi, MD, PhD, FAANS
Co-Chair: Daniel M. Prevedello, MD
Members: Vincent Dinapoli, MD, FAANS, Ian Dunn, MD, FAANS, Michael Ivan, MD, FAANS, Michael Link, MD, FAANS, and Gordon Li, MD, FAANS

Despite the global pandemic and challenges that persist, skull base surgeons worldwide have continued to bridge distances to continue dialogue, academic exchange and gathering in person when opportunity affords throughout 2022. The past two years have seen an unprecedented increase in robust offerings of educational seminars, debates and shared experiences using virtual platforms. This unexpected unifying force for the international skull base community met a refreshing reprieve with a return to in-person gathering at the 31st annual meeting of the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) in February 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona, presided by John Golfinos, MD, FAANS, where more than 730 attendees contributed to 233 proffered talks, in addition to invited lectures, dueling surgical exposure dissections and fireside chats.

This was followed by a robust gathering of the 8th World Federation of Skull Base Societies Meeting (WFSBS) in March 2022 in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosted by Meeting President Prof. Luis Alencar Borba. On the heels of South America’s showcase, Prof. Giovanni Danesi and Prof. Davide Locatelli hosted the 14th Congress of the European Skull Base Society in Riva del Garda, Italy in April 2022, where another vibrant program was embraced by experts from around the world, especially from all over Europe.

The enthusiasm for skull base discourse domestically is highlighted by a special symposium co-offered by the NASBS and CNS on October 8, 2022, in San Francisco. This symposium is entitled “Frontiers in Skull Base” and led by co-directors Philip Theodosopoulos, MD, FAANS, Garni Barkhoudarian, MD, FAANS, and Ivan El-Sayed, MD (ENT). The course will bring together an animated, multidisciplinary faculty group to address personalized approaches to complex skull base pathologies, span sinonasal malignancies along with benign anterior and lateral skull base pathologies and reflect on complication management.

Shortly thereafter, next year’s NASBS meeting, scheduled for February 17-19, 2023, in Tampa, Florida, will be led by NASBS president Lee Zimmer, MD, PhD, and program co-chairs Donato Pacione, MD, and Arturo Solares, MD. We anticipate another lively gathering of multi-disciplinary experts across neurosurgery, otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, plastics surgery, radiology, ophthalmology, pathology and a myriad of other specialties contributing to the skull base field. This meeting will feature a new video abstract format and presentation platform, expanded time dedicated to Women in Skull Base Surgery and Networking opportunities, as well as the ever-popular skull base Jeopardy competition.

Collectively, skull base surgery and neuro-oncology concepts are increasingly melding together to improve the safety and feasibility of surgery while expanding treatment options to previously siloed skull base pathologies.  We look forward to another exciting year together.