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Dear ANA Members, It is an honor to serve as President for the ANA, and I look forward to the next two years of collaboration with the ANA board and leaders, members, and staff to advance our mission to advance science, education, and careers to improve neurologic health for all. I would like to thank Dr. Frances E. Jensen, ANA’s Immediate Past President, for her leadership and the work we have accomplished together during her term as President. Over the next two years we will build upon the structure she helped us establish and enhance the initiatives Frances set in motion including global engagement, enhanced governance structure, collaboration of multispecialty domains, expanding our brand, converting to an administratively independent association, and more. I am excited to share some of the highlights from our phenomenal 148th Meeting of the ANA last week in Philadelphia. From the outstanding educational programming to the celebratory President’s Reception, we enjoyed engaging, connecting, learning, and growing. Educational Programming ANA2023 kicked off with the Research Careers Reimagined Course and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Career Development Symposium. The annual meeting educational programming included extraordinary science, thought-provoking and inspiring insights on key issues through a wonderful mix of plenary sessions, professional development workshops, interactive lunch workshops, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and Cross-Cutting SIGs. This year, the plenary sessions were recorded and are available. Attendees who registered for the full meeting package have access to the recordings for free. ANA members who did not register for the full meeting package may access the recordings for $50, and non-members may access the recordings for $99.
Junior and Early Career Attendees Many Annual Meeting events are designed to connect junior and early career members with ANA leadership and experts in academic neurology and neuroscience. The Trainee and ANA Board Breakfast hosted nearly 90 junior and early career attendees for discussions with ANA board members to gain from their expertise. We hosted a junior and early career member reception and educational programming that included emerging scholar presentations. The celebrated poster session also showcased the research of many junior and early career individuals.
Awards and Recognition I would like to congratulate all of the 2023 ANA Award winners and encourage everyone to begin thinking about who they would like to nominate in 2024. We celebrate and congratulate the 2023 ANA Award winners. Executive Session of Membership The Executive Session at the meeting finalized the election of officers and conferred Honorary Fellow status to Dr. Justin McArthur of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. McArthur completed his term as Immediate Past President, concluding six years of service to the ANA on the Executive Committee. Justin inspired meaningful changes in the ANA including the establishment of the Inclusion/ Diversity/ Equity/Anti-Racism/Social Justice (IDEAS) Committee. We congratulate him on Honorary Fellow status. The newly-elected officers and directors to the ANA Board of Directors were installed. These outstanding individuals will help us lead the ANA into the next chapter. I am humbled to be elected by the membership to serve as your President and welcome Dr. Dimitri Krainc as President-Elect, Dr. Lesli Skolarus as Secretary, and the following individuals as board directors: Dr. Beau Ances, Dr. Howard Goodkin, Dr. Roy Hamilton, and Dr. Caroline Tanner. We also congratulate Dr. Sara Stern-Nezer on her appointment to Chair of the Junior and Early Career Membership Subcommittee (JECM) and welcome her as an ex-officio member of the ANA Board. The newly-elected officers are shown in the order listed above.
International Participation Dr. Melody Asukile joined us in Philadelphia to provide a Zambia Action Plan Update during an Interactive Lunch Workshop, to attend the Global Engagement Reception, and engage in meeting events throughout ANA2023. We were also joined virtually by Dr. Njideka Ulunma Okubadejo of Nigeria, Dr. Angelina Kakooza Mwesige of Uganda, and Dr. Fred Stephen Sarfo of Ghana who provided insight and updates on their work in their respective nations aided by global engagement initiatives of the ANA. Overall, 56 individuals from 28 countries outside the US - including Chile, China, Taiwan, Spain, South Korea, India, Israel, Japan, and Kazakhstan - were represented at ANA2023.
Poster Sessions With 497 posters on display at ANA2023, attendees had ample opportunities to share and discuss their ground-breaking science. We will be sharing the full list of poster winners soon; watch your inbox for an email congratulating the ANA2023 poster winners next week. Satellite Symposia ANA2023 enhanced the attendee meeting experience through superb satellite symposia offered by different industry supporters. The subject matter included Huntington’s Disease, Idiopathic Neuropathy, Rett Syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. Many thanks to the sponsoring organizations who provided satellite symposia with such thoughtful and timely content: AstraZeneca | IONIS, Eisai, Neurocrine Biosciences, NMD Pharma, PeerView Live, and Physicians' Education Resource, LLC.
Looking Ahead It is not too early to begin planning to join us for ANA2024 next year in Orlando. Mark your calendar for September 14 – 17, 2024, and make plans to join us. Planning is already beginning, and we invite your ideas for educational programming. Please submit your ideas for plenary sessions, professional development programs, and interactive lunch workshops to be included in 2024. The deadline to submit your concept is Friday, October 6, 2023. We look forward to including you and your ideas in what we hope will be the best meeting yet! It is clear we have tremendous growth opportunities, and I look forward to working with the various committees of the ANA to ensure we are providing optimal value and benefits for all individuals in academic neurology and neuroscience and that there is something here at the ANA for everyone. I stand ready to hear ideas and work together to foster growth and expansion of the ANA as well as to enhance our programs and member services. I invite your feedback and ideas.
Sincerely,
M. Elizabeth Ross, MD, PhD, FANA President, ANA Nathan Cummings Professor and Head, Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Development Director, Center for Neurogenetics Weill Cornell Medicine |
