Early Years
Early years of the CV section
First Chair of the AANS Cerebrovascular Section was J. Garber Galbraith of Alabama, 1975-1976
Second Chair was Thor Sundt, 1976-1977
The relationship of Thor Sundt with Clark Millikan and Robert Siekert, all Mayo Clinic, was instrumental in the development of neurosurgery’s role in stroke.
The first International Stroke Conference (ISC) was held February 27-28, 1976 in Dallas and was jointly sponsored by the AANS Cerebrovascular Section.
The following year, the ISC was held February 25-26, 1977 in Miami and was again jointly sponsored by the AANS Cerebrovascular Section. Thor Sundt was the Chair of the Cerebrovascular Section. Neurosurgeons were encouraged to participate.
The leadership of the Cerebrovascular Section began meeting at the ISC. They would hold a meeting at the same hotel as the ISC to discuss the business of the Cerebrovascular Section.
The following year, the ISC was held February 25-26, 1977 in Miami and was again jointly sponsored by the AANS Cerebrovascular Section. Thor Sundt was the Chair of the Cerebrovascular Section. Neurosurgeons were encouraged to participate.
The leadership of the Cerebrovascular Section began meeting at the ISC. They would hold a meeting at the same hotel as the ISC to discuss the business of the Cerebrovascular Section.
Early Chairs of the Cerebrovascular Section were:
1975-1976 J. Garber Galbraith
1976-1977 Thoralf Sundt
1977-1978 Russell H. Patterson, Jr.
1978-1979 John M. Tew, Jr.
1979-1980 Robert G. Ojemann
1980-1981 Albert L. Rhoton, Jr.
Albert Rhoton’s response to an inquiry about the history of the early years of the CV section:
“I have spent most of today looking through old records trying to find something about the founding of the CV section. The only item I could find was a plaque given to me as section chairman. It was founded as a section of the AANS and was somewhat controversial in the PANS Board because they did not want to offend most of the membership who felt vascular surgery was part of being a complete neurosurgeon. I believe the early meetings were included in the Annual Meeting of the PANS. I recall preparing plaques for all the former chairmen at my meeting because none had been given out before. Bob Ojemann and Charlie Drake were in the early founding group. As CNS President I urged the PANS to make it a Joint Section but that did not happen for a number of years. When I was PANS President the Executive Director temporarily resigned a few weeks before my annual meeting because he did not agree with my support of coming together to form joint sections.”
In 1981, Garber Galbraith was the Honored Guest of the CNS Meeting (Los Angeles). That same year the CNS amended its bylaws to allow the creation of specialty sections jointly with the AANS. Henceforth, the AANS Cerebrovascular Section became a Joint Section of the AANS and CNS. Edward Downing was Chair.
For the next 20 years, the Joint Cerebrovascular Section leadership would meet at the ISC meeting venue as a committee along with neurosurgeons attending the ISC conference.
For the next 20 years, the Joint Cerebrovascular Section leadership would meet at the ISC meeting venue as a committee along with neurosurgeons attending the ISC conference.
This meeting was the precursor of Executive Council meetings in more recent years, and included the planning of cerebrovascular programs at the AANS and CNS meetings, and other agenda items of interest to neurosurgeons. This included in the early 1990s a multidisciplinary organization known as the Brain Attack Coalition.