President’s message
Dear ISPN friends
It is with a tremendous sense of honour, as well as awareness of duty and responsibility, that I take on this new role as president of the ISPN. I have always considered it a unique privilege to be part of this organization, which I value more and more with every passing year. In my experience it stands alone, not only in paediatric neurosurgery, but in the whole of neurosurgery across the world, for its collegiality, honesty, and shared commitment to constant evolution, always keeping the patient at its core. Most fondly, I have come to know the ISPN as a place where we get to share our tribulations and successes in working with the most vulnerable of patients – our struggles softened by encouragement from those who best understand that burden, our victories celebrated with the vigour that comes from those know what it takes.
To those who have shaped the ISPN in the past, whether in leadership or support, I thank you that we have inherited such a strong and meaningful organization. I am particularly grateful to the last four presidents of the ISPN, as I have worked most closely with them of late and have seen upfront the fierce commitment and relentless energy that they brought to our work. Rick Boop, Wan Tew Seow, Shlomi Constantini and Gianpiero Tamburrini – all have a left a substantial impression on our community, and all have added to the tremendous momentum we have. They raised the bar for us all, and I will work hard raise it higher. They would expect no less.
To those who are just beginning their journey in paediatric neurosurgery, and who will be our leaders of the future, I encourage you to engage so that you can take us to new heights. You are inheriting a robust organization and you have the responsibility to extend our reach even further. We are continually evolving – doing things in our specialty that were previously unthinkable and addressing important areas that were never prioritized. We want your generation to maintain that momentum, reimagining and improving what we do, all to better reduce suffering in those placed in our care.
For me, there are three areas I would like to focus on during my term. First, a global perspective: addressing the challenges and embracing the opportunities we have across the globe. So often there is a disconnect between where the drivers of change are developed and where the people of need live. At the same time, the large burden of disease in in low- and middle-income settings offers amazing opportunities to make a difference, develop adequately powered scientific studies, and create unique training opportunities. Second, working together: in science as in life, we can do more together than we can do apart. We need to develop science and surgical technique that benefit from the strength that we have in numbers and diversity. In doing so, together we can accomplish that which we as individuals find impossible. Third, holistic care: we are only as good as the difference we make in all aspects of the lives of children. That difference spans a great distance from benefits due to advocacy to the latest cutting-edge technologies. We can do both, and everything in between.
We need to do better as preventing disease though. Very often that falls through the cracks between surgical technique and scientific discovery. No-one knows the conditions, and the suffering that they cause, better than us. We see it every day. We need to mobilize that knowledge to go beyond what we can do with the scalpel, being strong advocates for change in our communities, healthcare systems, and governments. The world will be a better place for it.
I love being part of an organization that has these goals and I greatly look forward to us constantly chasing them.
Thank you that I can play a part, with you, in advancing the cause of children across the world.
Nelson Mandela once said: There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.
As the ISPN, I think we would agree.
Anthony Figaji
ISPN President 2025-2026
