It is an exciting time to be part of the Young Neurosurgeons Committee (YNC). Under the tremendous leadership of the outgoing chair, Edjah Nduom, MD, FAANS, the committee’s footprint has grown. The mission of the YNC, to integrate young neurosurgeons in the AANS leadership structure and train the next generation of leaders in neurosurgery, remains steadfast; however, opportunities for committee members and non-member volunteers to contribute to the AANS continues to expand. During my two-year term as chair, I would like to continue channeling the innovative spirit and energy of young neurosurgeons to bring fresh, innovative initiatives to the AANS.
I would like to congratulate David Dornbos, MD, for his election as the next YNC Vice Chair! He will take over stewardship of the YNC Luncheon and Research Forum at the 2020 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston as well as oversee several of our annual meeting educational seminars. Michael Ivan, MD, FAANS, has been an incredibly strong Vice Chair, and I cannot wait to see where David takes the position next. I would also like to congratulate all of the newly elected YNC members: we are glad to have you aboard!
In the coming months, please keep an eye out for the YNC offerings at the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston! We will be holding our second How to Get into Residency seminar for medical students and we are co-hosting a new seminar: Social Media and Online Presence in Neurosurgery. Further, we are honored to have William Couldwell, MD, PhD, FAANS, as our guest speaker for the 2020 AANS YNC Luncheon. On the heels of a sold out YNC-AANS social event at the San Diego Zoo, we are working with AANS leadership to bring another social event to the 2020 meeting in Boston. Stay Tuned! As always, the best way to get real-time updates on everything new in the YNC world is to follow our Twitter profile, @youngneuros.
Outside of the meeting, medical students should keep an eye out for advertisements for the regional 2020 Medical Student Training Camp offerings. We are hoping to formalize and expand the YNC’s role in the Training Camps. Hopefully, this will help even more of our trainees attend.
Jim Rutka, MD, PhD, FAANS, editor of the Journal of Neurosurgery, has selected the first five YNC JNS ad hoc reviewers. This program seeks to identify top academic young neurosurgeons to be vetted as ad hoc reviewers for the Journal of Neurosurgery. The YNC reviewers are actively reviewing manuscripts for JNS, and although it is early, they appear to be doing an outstanding job.
There are more initiatives in the works, and we would like to get everyone involved! With an assist from the YNC, the AANS has developed the Volunteer Board. We are currently forming a YNC volunteer communication system to efficiently alert interested young neurosurgeons when Volunteer Corps postings relevant to them arise. If you are interested in volunteering, please connect with us on Twitter @youngneuros.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for the opportunity to serve in this role. It is a great honor and let’s build great things together.
Best regards,
Jeremiah Johnson MD, FAANS
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurosurgery
Baylor College of Medicine
jjohnson.neuro@gmail.com
Twitter: @jerjohnson