ISPN 2025 Lyon, France – Save the date: 26-30 Oct 2025!
ISPN awards 2024
ISPN 2024 Toronto, our 50th Annual Meeting taking place from 13 to 17 October, serves as the perfect opportunity to honor those who dedicated their life to advance pediatric neurosurgery.
During the meeting we will celebrate 3 special awards to 3 well-deserving people in the pediatric neurosurgery community.
ISPN Education Award
Ira R. (Rick) Abbott MD, is retired (2022) Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Rick has held positions on committees for chairman appointments and academic advancement committees at his institution and has served as a Director for The American Board for Pediatric Neurological Surgery, Chairman of the Pediatric Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurosurgeons, President of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons, and President of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (2007-2008).
He has been a reviewer and editor for the journals Neurosurgery and Child’s Nervous System.
He is also the founder of The ISPN Guide to Pediatric Neurosurgery and currently still serving as its Editor-in-Chief. As such he has contributed tremendously to distributing Pediatric Neurosurgery education globally.
Rick has been awarded many international prizes and honors and has spoken at many international scientific conferences in addition to participating as an instructor at national and international continuing educational courses for physicians on pediatric neurosurgical topics. He has edited books on spasticity and endoscopy, contributed chapters to 19 books, and authored over 75 peer-reviewed articles on pediatric neurosurgical topics.
The award will be presented to Rick Abbott on Monday 14 October 14:25 EDT by Wan Tew Seow, ISPN Immediate Past President
ISPN Academic Award
Prof. Concezio Di Rocco is widely renowned for his professional lifetime devotion to Pediatric Neurosurgery and for his extraordinary contribution to the scientific progress in this field.
President of the ISPN in 1994-1995 and of the ESPN, for the years 2002-2004, he is the current Editor-in-Chief of Child’s Nervous System (since 2000!), and the Chief Editor of Advances in Neurosurgery and Technical Standards.
Director/Founder (together with M. Choux, K. Hovind) of the European Postgraduate Course on Pediatric Neurosurgery, he has – until now – been the author of more than 400 peer reviewed papers on international journals and the main Editor of many reference books, becoming a transgenerational leading figure unanimously recognized by the most important pediatric neurosurgery societies which have awarded him with the most prestigious prizes and honors.
The award will be presented to Concezio di Rocco on Wednesday 16 October 14:45 EDT by Gianpiero Tamburrini, ISPN President Elect.
ISPN Lifetime Award
Prof. Maurice Choux (born 5 September 1934) studied at the Medical University in Marseille, France. He was progressively involved in pediatric neurosurgery from 1964.
Prof. Maurice Choux is one of the 11 founding members of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) that was established in 1972. The ISPN was founded from the shared belief that there was much to be learned about the craft of caring for children with neurosurgical illnesses and that by sharing knowledge a more rapid evolution of the pediatric neurosurgery specialty would occur. The ISPN held its first official meeting in Tokyo in 1973.
Prof. Choux is the sole surviving founding member of the ISPN and was President of the ISPN in 1981-1982. He also served as President of the French society (SNCLF) (1994-1997), the European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ESPN) (1996-1998) and Honorary President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) (2007).
He is a pillar of Pediatric Neurosurgery who built a center of international excellence in Marseille, France.
Maurice has always been a legendary educator and researcher and a role model for many.
The award will be presented virtually to Prof. Choux on Wednesday 16 October during the 50th Annual Meeting Celebration lunch by Concezio di Rocco, ISPN Past President 1994-1995 & Editor-in-Chief of CNS.
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