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Western Neurosurgical Society
FALL NEWSLETTER 2008
For everyone who missed the Western's
first Alaska meeting, shame on you! The scientific program,
arranged by David Newell, was outstanding, highlighted
by a CNS tumor symposium, chaired by Mitchel Berger,
MD, of UCSF. Participants included Michael McDermott,
MD, Richard Ellenbogen, MD, and Mark Schwartz, MD, and
covered gliomas, meningiomas, childhood neoplasms, and
vestibular schwannomas. Noted Canadian historian and
author, Michael Bliss, PhD, our Ablin Speaker, presented
a lecture on "Working Too Hard and Achieving Too Much?
The Cost of Being Harvey Cushing." Our Cloward Award
winner, Peter Jannetta, MD, reviewed his life long investigations
in his talk, "Vascular Compression in the Brainstem:
Main Streaming Neurosurgery". Western President, Gerald
Silverberg, MD, discussed "Of Aging and the Brain," a
thoughtful treatise pertinent to all of us. Of course,
we had many other speakers; David and I want to thank all
for their contributions and compliment the superb quality
of the presentations. In addition, I would like to extend
my personal thanks to all our committee chairmen for their
contributions towards the success of the meeting.
The evening social events were well attended, especially
our "Night at the Museum". We were able to tour the Anchorage
Museum of History and Art early in the evening and then
have a buffet in the museum atrium catered by the Marx Bros.
Café, voted "best restaurant" in Alaska. Our annual formal
banquet featured a "surf and turf" dinner, special WNS presentations,
and dancing to the sounds of the orchestra, "John Tracy
and Chill Factor." The Western gavel now rests in the capable
hands of new President, Larry Shuer. MD. His wife Paula,
our "First Lady," received a gold pendant with our signature
logo. Many thanks to both Gerald and Donna Silverberg for
their leadership in 2007-2008. The current executive board
consists of Larry Shuer, MD, President, Austin Colohan,
MD, President Elect, Linda Liau, MD, PhD, Vice President,
Randy Smith, MD, Historian, Jeff Rush, MD, Secretary Treasurer,
and Gerald Silverberg, MD, Past President. Congratulations
are also in order to Betty MacRae, MD, the proud current
"owner" of the Western’s golf putter and Marc Morin, MD,
the Western's answer to John McEnroe of tennis fame!
We added four new members in 2008; they include Benham
Badie, MD, from Duarte, Frank Hsu, MD, PhD, from Loma Linda,
Srinath Samudrala, MD, from Los Angeles, and John Zhang,
MD, PhD, from Loma Linda. CME certificates were mailed
in September from the AANS and if you did not receive yours
and did request credit, please contact me at jefferyleerush@msn.com or
call me at 970-453-5631 so I can follow up on this for you.
Please take the time to check out our new improved website, www.westnsurg.org.
Our most recent program is on line along with our by-laws,
membership application, and lots of new pictures! This
coming year will see dues notices, abstract forms, and registration
forms for the annual meeting available for downloading.
It's time to start planning for the Western’s "Big 55"
meeting at the Sun River Resort in Sun River, Oregon. Our
site committee negotiated a terrific room rate of $200/
night for the Village and Lodge guestrooms at this beautiful
"AAA 4 Diamond" resort. There are 3 world class golf courses
to challenge our members and nearby tennis, hiking, horseback
riding, white water rafting, and biking. You can relax
in the Sage Club and Spa that offers a full range of massages
and salon services. For traveling, you might consider arriving
in Portland, Oregon, and renting a car to view the Cascade
Mountains and high desert. There is spectacular scenery
in this 3 ½ hour drive in route to the resort. The Redmond/Bend
airport is a short 45 minute drive to Sun River and there
are daily flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland
and Salt Lake City. For further resort information, check
out the website at www.sunriver-resort.com.
Now, for you trivia buffs, here are some facts known by
all Oregonians:
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