February 2023

Dear ANA Members,

In a flash, all that February is – Groundhog Day, Valentines Day, Presidents Day, Black History Month, Heart Month, and more - has passed. Throughout February, we celebrated Black History Month by sharing stories of remarkable pioneers and insights from neurologists and neuroscientists from the Black community engaged in research and discovery pursuing a world without neurological disease.

We began by sharing the story of Audrey S. Penn, MD, PhD, FANA, who blazed trails in neurology as a Black woman. In March, we celebrate Women’s History Month, and we again pay tribute to women like Dr. Penn, the first Black person and first woman to serve as President of the ANA. Her incredible work made way for many other women to serve in leadership roles and work in the highest levels of academia. 

It was nice to read the interviews of several ANA members from the Black community who sat down with Nadine Goldberg, PhD, MS, ANA’s Chief Program Officer, to learn more about their journey, career, inspiration, and aspirations. If you have not already done so, you will enjoy reading through the interviews to learn more about these fascinating individuals:

Amanda Brown, PhD, FANA

Larry Charleston, IV, MD, MSC, FAHS

Elizabeth Felton, MD, PhD

Charles C. Flippen, II, MD, FANA

Charlene Gamaldo, MD, FANA

Roy H. Hamilton, MD, MS, FANA

Wilfreda Lindsey, MD, MS

Adys Mendizabal, MD, MS

Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, MBA, MLS, FANA

Deborah Rose, MD

ANA2023 Awards and Recognition

From March 10 – April 7, 2023, the ANA will accept nominations for ANA Awards to be presented at ANA2023. It is important to recognize individuals making significant contributions and advances in discovery in the field of neurology. The ANA offers several awards, and you could nominate someone you know to receive one of the following awards:

  • Raymond D. Adams Lectureship honors Dr. Raymond D. Adams, emeritus Bullard Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and emeritus Chief of Neurology Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital. An ANA member presents the lecture at the Annual Meeting.
  • F.E. Bennett Memorial Lectureship is given to outstanding researchers and educators in neurology and is not limited to members of the ANA.
  • The Grass Foundation – ANA Award in Neuroscience honors outstanding young investigators doing research in basic or clinical neuroscience.
  • George W. Jacoby Award is given triennially to a member of the ANA who has done some especially meritorious experimental work upon any neurologic or psychiatric subject. This award will be presented in 2023.
  • The Audrey Penn Lectureship Award is provided to an ANA member who conducts outstanding research, program building, or educational scholarship to promote health equity on health care disparities.
  • Soriano Lectureship is presented in honor of the Soriano’s so they would always be linked to all of you, through a brilliant lecture delivered by an outstanding scientist.
  • Wolfe Research Prize for Identifying New Causes or Novel Treatment of Neuropathy is designed to honor an outstanding investigator who has identified a new cause or treatment of neuropathy.
  • Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award is the ANA’s highest and most prestigious award recognizing early to mid-career neurologists and neuroscientists who have made outstanding basic and clinical scientific advances toward the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of neurological diseases.
  • ANA Awards for Excellence recognize individuals who have made exceptional and important contributions to the field of neurology and neuroscience. Up to three individuals are recognized each year.
  • Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award recognizes an individual for outstanding accomplishments in teaching neurology to residents and medical students.
  • ANA-Persyst IDEAS Professional Development Award is granted to an individual who identifies as an underrepresented in medicine early career academic neurologist or neuroscientist and is an ANA member who specializes in the field of epilepsy.

Watch your email for information on nominating individuals for these various awards.

In addition, the ANA has an International Outreach Travel Scholarship, Annual Meeting Poster Awards, Emerging Scholar Awards, Annual Meeting Travel Awards, and Dependent Care Awards. The ANA is committed to helping individuals participate in the Annual Meeting, so please reach out to the ANA staff if you have questions about scholarships or travel awards. 

RCR is Back Again…And Again and Again

I was so glad to see the engagement and participation we had at the Research Careers Reimagined (RCR) Course in Chicago last year that I asked the Annual Meeting Planning (AMP) Committee to bring it back every year rather than every other year. They have agreed, and we are planning to host the RCR course in Philadelphia!

The RCR Course is a meaningful program to promote flexibility and creativity regarding sources of funding for investigation and academic pursuits in neurology to advance our field and represent an acknowledgement of the diverse talents and interests of our next generation of leaders. The ANA2023 Annual Meeting brochure will contain information on the RCR Course for 2023. I am thrilled we can offer this course in 2023, and I hope it is a sold-out course once again! 

ANA2023 Registration

I am sure you are eager to book flights, reserve a room, and register for ANA2023. Registration will launch in mid-March, so watch your email box for the information you need to register. In advance of registration, it is a good time to ensure you have renewed your ANA membership for 2023. ANA members enjoy reduced registration rates. If you haven’t done so already, please renew your membership today to ensure you have access to the member registration rates for ANA2023! If your institution has multiple ANA members, you may qualify for group pricing for membership. Learn more about the ANA Institutional Group Membership Program. 

March is Women's History Month

As we March on, the ANA will highlight remarkable women who have been leaders in the ANA and in neurology. Since Dr. Penn served as President for the ANA, Dr. Anne Young, Dr. Eva Feldman, Dr. Barbara Vickrey, and I have also served in the role. Our President-Elect, Dr. M. Elizabeth Ross, will assume the role of President later this year. These and others will be highlighted during the month of March. A round table discussion by women of the ANA will be hosted on March 27, and we look forward to presenting the insight, ideas, inspiration, and innovation they will share. 

Leadership in the ANA – Call for Nominations to Serve on the Board of Directors

March 6 – 31, 2023

The ANA has several committees providing an opportunity for members to engage in activities and directly affect the projects, education, and strategic goals of the organization. The ANA Board of Directors is the leading body of the ANA, and service on the board is rewarding and fulfilling. I have immensely enjoyed my experience as a committee member, committee chair, board member, and as president of the ANA. 

If you have considered getting involved in the leadership of the ANA, I encourage you to express interest in being on the Board of Directors. A call for nominations will be going out during the month of March. That is your chance to self-nominate or work with a colleague or connection to nominate you for an open position. The positions of President-Elect and Secretary will be open for election this year, and there are four Director seats on that board that will be open. Watch your email for the call for nominations and prepare to engage in the nominations and election process if you would like to participate in leadership at this level. Please refer to the ANA bylaws to learn more about the various offices, the requirements, roles, and responsibilities for service.

These are Exciting Times for the ANA!

There are so many exciting things happening right now, and we hope you will find ways to engage with us. Submit an abstract, apply to be an abstract reviewer, listen to a podcast to learn about something new, apply to be a member of the board, renew your membership (if you have not already), book flights and reserve a room for ANA2023 (just 193 days away!), and visit the ANA website to learn more about remarkable individuals making a difference in the field of neurology. I am so glad you are part of my ANA network, and I hope you will take advantage of all the ANA has to offer.

Regards,

Frances E. Jensen, MD, FANA, FACP

President, American Neurological Association

Arthur Knight Asbury, Md Professor of Neurology

Chair of the Department of Neurology

Co-Director Penn Medicine Translational Neuroscience Center

Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania