Child Neurology Society

CNS IS A PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGISTS DEVOTED TO FOSTERING THE DISCIPLINE OF CHILD NEUROLOGY & PROMOTING THE OPTIMAL CARE AND WELFARE OF CHILDREN WITH NEUROLOGICAL & NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS BY ENSURING EXCELLENCE IN PATIENT CARE, EDUCATION & TRAINING, RESEARCH & ADVOCACY.

AS WAS TRUE IN MANY, IF NOT MOST SECTORS OF AMERICAN LIFE THROUGHOUT 2021, YEAR TWO OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PROVED TO BE BOTH EASIER AND HARDER THAN YEAR ONE FOR THE CHILD NEUROLOGY SOCIETY. THE CLARITY DEFINING 2020--IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE APRIL THROUGH DECEMBER 2020 THAT NO PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION WOULD BE STAGING THEIR ANNUAL MEETING ANYWHERE OTHER THAN ONLINE. IN 2021, AMBIGUITY AND UNCERTAINTY RULED AS NEW VARIANTS, RISING AND FALLING CURVES, UNEVEN REBOUNDS IN STAFFING, SUPPLY AND FINANCES, AND CULTURAL FAULT-LINES PITTING "HOPE" (OR DENIAL) VS "REALITY" MADE IT HARD FOR THOSE SAME ASSOCIATIONS TO KNOW WHEN AND WHERE TO COMMIT RESOURCES RELATED TO THEIR CORE, INTANGIBLE RESOURCE: NURTURING THEIR DEFINING SENSE OF IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY.FOR THE CHILD NEUROLOGY SOCIETY, THE STAKES COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HIGHER: THE 2021 ANNUAL MEETING IN BOSTON WOULD BE ITS 50TH/GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY MEETING. THE MANTRA THROUGHOUT THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR WAS, "YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO CELEBRATE A 50TH ANNIVERSARY". THE HOPE-THE DETERMINATION-FROM EARLY ON WAS TO HOLD OUT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AGAINST THE STRONG CURRENTS (AND COVID CURVES) FAVORING A SECOND CONSECUTIVE CANCELLATION OF A LIVE IN-PERSON MEETING, CURRENTS SUPPORTED IN NO SMALL PART BY THE DECISIONS MADE BY OUR TWO SENIOR PARTNERS, THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY AND THE AMERICAN NEUROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, TO CANCEL THEIR CONFERENCES IN APRIL AND OCTOBER. AS IT TURNED OUT, THE CNS WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE ITS 50TH CNS ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULED IN THE EARLY FALL IN BOSTON, MIDWAY BETWEEN FALLING DELTA VARIANTS AND RISING OMICRON VARIANTS. ERRING ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION, AND BOWING TO THE REALITIES OF COVID-INDUCED BUDGET CUTS AT INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE CONTINENT, MANY MEMBERS HAD TO MAKE A DIFFICULT DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO FLY TO BOSTON FOR THE MEETING OR, IF THEY CHOSE TO REMAIN SAFELY AT HOME, WHETHER AFTER 18 MONTHS OF VIRTUAL MEETINGS THEY WANTED TO "ATTEND" ONE MORE SEATED IN FRONT OF THEIR COMPUTER. IT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE LOYALTY TO AND HIGH REGARD CNS MEMBERS HAVE FOR THE SOCIETY-THE PRIMARY PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CHILD NEUROLOGISTS ACROSS THE US AND CANADA-THAT OVER 800 ATTENDEES MADE IT TO THE HYNES CONVENTION CENTER IN BOSTON AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER TO CELEBRATE THE MILESTONE MEETING WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES, WHILE ANOTHER 600 PAID TO ATTEND VIRTUALLY. THE COMBINED 1400 ATTENDEES COMPARED FAVORABLY WITH THE 1400+ ATTENDEES WHO CAME TO CHICAGO IN 2018 AND CHARLOTTE IN 2019, THE PREVIOUS RECORD-SETTING ANNUAL MEETINGS. A JOINT LETTER FROM OUTGOING AND INCOMING CNS PRESIDENTS PHILLIP PEARL, MD AND BRUCE COHEN, MD, PUBLISHED IN THE FALL 2021/ANNUAL MEETING EDITION OF CNS CONNECTIONS, NICELY FORECASTS AND SUMMARIZES THE CHILD NEUROLOGY SOCIETY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2022: CNS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROGER B. LARSON TOLD US TODAY DURING OUR WEEKLY E-MEETING THAT HE WAS REVIEWING CNS WEBSITE VIDEO-RECORDINGS AND HEARD AN ESPECIALLY INSIGHTFUL AND PRESCIENT STATEMENT FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENT, KEN SWAIMAN, IN CONVERSATION WITH FELLOW "OLD LIONS," PAUL ROSMAN AND DEAN TIMMONS: "THE BEST WAY TO KEEP A SOCIETY GOING IS TO PRETEND IT'S BEEN GOING FOR FIFTY YEARS BEFORE."WELL, THERE IS NO FURTHER NEED TO PRETEND. OUR FIRST LEADERS WERE VISIONARIES AND WE ARE HERE AS AN ORGANIZATION TO CELEBRATE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE LAST HALF-CENTURY. WE ARE FAST APPROACHING OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING, AND THE ENTHUSIASM IS BUILDING. OVER 800 HAVE REGISTERED TO COME TO BOSTON AND WE HOPE CONDITIONS WILL REVERSE AND IMPROVE SUFFICIENTLY BY THE LAST WEEK IN SEPTEMBER TO ENCOURAGE MORE TO MAKE A LAST-MINUTE DECISION TO JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE OUR TAILORED THEME FOR 2021: "THE CNS AT 50 PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE." THE KENNETH F. SWAIMAN LEGACY LUNCHEON WILL HONOR GREAT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FIELD AND THE SOCIETY, AND A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF A NEW BOOK: CHILD NEUROLOGY: ITS ORIGINS, FOUNDERS, GROWTH, AND EVOLUTION. AS WITH THE FIRST EDITION OF THE FOUNDERS AND MULTIPLE EDITIONS OF THE SWAIMAN TEXT, STEVE ASHWAL (OUR 21ST PRESIDENT) HAS SPLENDIDLY AND METICULOUSLY ADDED 138 NEW BIOSKETCHES TO THE ORIGINAL 124, ALONG WITH A NEW SECTION FEATURING 14 MASTERFUL OVERVIEWS, WITH MANY AUTHORS CONTRIBUTING. THERE WILL BE NUMEROUS PRESENTATIONS DURING THE LUNCHEON, BUT SIMPLY BEING IN THE ROOM, FILLED WITH OUR FOUNDERS IN BODY AND SPIRIT, WILL BE THE PROFESSIONAL THRILL OF A LIFETIME. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO BOSTON, YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT.THERE WILL BE GREAT SYMPOSIA AND SEMINARS, ALL TOPICAL AND TIMELY, FROM COVID-19 NEUROLOGY TO NEUROCRITICAL CARE, DEVELOPMENTAL EPILEPSY, NEUROGENETICS, AND MORE. A NEURO-HUMANISM SEMINAR, NEW ENGLAND MUSIC & MUSES, WILL FEATURE A FITTING PRELUDE TO THE MEETING, WITH DAVID URION TEAMING UP AGAIN WITH PHILLIP PEARL (OUR 30TH PRESIDENT) TO OFFER MUSICAL-LITERARY PAIRINGS CAPTURED ON FILM FROM A STUDIO IN CAMBRIDGE, MA ALONG WITH A BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC FACULTY ENSEMBLE. OPENING THE MEETING WILL BE A CNF SYMPOSIUM FOCUSING ON THE DIAGNOSTIC ODYSSEY, WHILE THE MEETING'S CLOSING SESSION WILL BE A CLINICAL RESEARCH WORKSHOP DEVELOPED BY THE CNS RESEARCH COMMITTEE. THE CNS MEETING IS DESIGNED TO COMBINE SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AS, AFTER ALL, EVERYONE NEEDS (A) SOCIETY AND THIS IS THE ONE FOR PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY.THIS JOINT CNS CONNECTIONS LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENTS PRESAGES THE MEETING AND THE TRANSITION FROM THE CURRENT PRESIDENT TO THE PRESIDENT-ELECT. OVER THE LAST 10 MONTHS THE TWO OF US HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH ROGER LARSON ON A WEEKLY BASIS, IF NOT MORE, PLANNING THIS MEETING AND THE MANY ACTIVITIES OF THE CNS AND ITS INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SOCIETIES, MOST NOTABLY THE AAN, WITH COMMON GROUND AND SUPPORT STATEMENTS, AND THE ANA WITH THE CO-PUBLICATION OF THE ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY. WE ALSO HAVE MADE STRIDES PLANNING FOR A NEW ONLINE ANNALS JOURNAL, OWNED BY THE CNS, THAT WILL FOCUS ON CLINICAL CHILD NEUROLOGY AND LOOK FORWARD TO REPORTING ON MORE PROGRESS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THE CNS HAS SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED THE LEADERSHIP, DIVERSITY, AND EQUITY TASK FORCE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF RUJUTA BHATT WILSON AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBERS AUDREY BRUMBACK AND NANCY BASS, WITH AN EDITORIAL DESCRIBING THIS FURTHER IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF THE ANNALS. THERE IS NO FIELD IN MEDICINE MORE FOCUSED ON THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF VULNERABLE HUMANS THAN PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO KICKING OFF OUR 50TH YEAR AS THE PRIMARY PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGISTS AS WE ENTER A REVOLUTIONARY HOPE-FILLED ERA OF PROMISING TARGETED THERAPIES BENEFITING OUR PATIENTS EVEN AS THE WORLD GRAPPLES WITH THE CONTINUING PANDEMIC, ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY, HEALTH CARE DISPARITIES, AND RECURRING CHALLENGES OF RACISM, PREJUDICE, AND BIAS. AS WE STATED IN THE AUGUST 2020 ANNALS EDITORIAL ON INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, THE CNS MUST MODEL A POSSIBLE SOLUTION FOR THESE MORAL VICES AND WE MUST CONTINUE OUR WORK TOGETHER.MUCH OF THE HISTORY OF OUR SOCIETY HAS BEEN TOUCHED ON BY ROGER LARSON IN DAILY ECONNECTIONS (WITH TOPICS ORGANIZED IN ASCENDING ORDER A-Z, THEN DESCENDING Z-A). ROGER CALLS THESE "MUSES" BUT HE IS A BRILLIANT AUTHOR AND HAS SERVED AS OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS WITH NEARLY 40 YEARS OF INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CNS. HIS REFLECTIONS OFFER AN ACCOUNT OF OUR HISTORY THAT FEW CAN MATCH.WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A SPLENDID MEETING THIS YEAR, WHETHER YOU WILL JOIN US MASKED AND IN PERSON, OR VIRTUALLY, AS WE CARRY THE SOCIETY FORWARD INTO THE NEXT FIFTY YEARS.IT WAS A SPLENDID MEETING, AND A REMARKABLE CAPSTONE YEAR. NO SOONER HAD THE MEETING ENDED, THEN THE CNS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, RESPONDING TO ROGER LARSON'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE WOULD BE RETIRING IN 2022, PUT TOGETHER A DIVERSELY REPRESENTATIVE 12-MEMBER SEARCH COMMITTEE TO FIND THE NEXT CNS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM COMMITTEE BEGAN PLANNING IN EARNEST FOR THE 51ST ANNUAL MEETING IN CINCINNATI, DUBBING IT, "WHERE THE NEXT 50 YEARS BEGINS." AS MOMENTOUS AS 2021 WAS, SUMMING UP THE NOW 2700-MEMBER SOCIETY'S FIRST 50 YEARS, NEXT YEAR WILL BE EVEN MORE DYNAMIC AND MOMENTOUS, LAUNCHING A NEW ERA IN THE SOCIETY'S HISTORY.