The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies

Committees of The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies

The Training Committee

The EANS Training Committee is responsible for arranging the European Neurosurgical Training Courses.

The present Chairman of the Training Committee is Professor Vladimir Benes (Czech Republic).

Download: list of national delegates to Training Committee (Excel)

Post-Graduate Education Committee

The PGEC has taken over the role fulfilled in the past by the CME/CPD committee. Its future plans include

  • Collection data on neurosurgical educational activities in Europe (local, regional, national, international)
  • Exploration of the need for postgraduate neurosurgical education in different parts of Europe (pre-examination courses, subspecialty courses, train-the-trainers, etc.)
  • Monitoring the quality of educational activities that are either seeking or gaining EANS recognition
  • Defining the criteria for EANS endorsement of such educational activities based upon the principles of good medical practice
  • Liaison with other EANS committees (research committee, subspecialities committee, neuro-oncology committee, young neurosurgeons committee) and other organization (e.g. ESPN) to avoid overlap of educational activities
  • Installation of a structure for EANS-organized courses similar to the European Neurosurgical Training Courses:
    • Specific subspecialty field (e.g. vascular neurosurgery, neuro-oncology)
    • Specific surgical technique (e.g. endoscopy; skull base; pituitary; spine; neuromodulation)

The current committee Chair is Andre Grotenhuis (The Netherlands).

Members

Mihaly Bodosi (Hungary)
Fabio Calbucci (Italy)
Nikos Foroglou (Greece)
Juan Lourido (Spain)
Connor Mallucci (UK)
Guy Matge (Luxemburg)
Juraj Steno (Slovakia)
Johannes van Loon (Belgium)

Neuro-oncology Committee

Future plans for this committee include support for investigator-initiated phase I studies in convection-enhanced delivery, stem cells and cell-based therapy, immunotherapy, and various combined approaches (including research related to devices and imaging). In addition, several pre-clinical programs are planned to prepare for potential clinical studies.

Specifically, initial activity of the committee will include planning and conduction of phase II and III studies with NovoCure using alternating electrical fields for the treatment of newly-diagnosed GBM. In addition, collaboration with Northwest Biotherapeutics is planned for conduct of new immunotherapy protocols.

An important aspect that needs to be pursued is an attempt to harmonize, to some extent at least, the work that is carried by organizations with similar interests. These include RTOG, EANO/SNO, EORTC and others. Members of these organizations (Roger Stupp, Martin Van DenBent, Minesh Mehta) has been supportive of this initiative and the mechanics of such collaborations will be determined in the near future.

To facilitate such interaction with the neurooncology community, the committee includes a neurooncologist who will, we hope, act as a liaison between the organizations.

The current Chair of the Neuro-oncology Committee is Zvi Ram (Israel).

Members

Lorenzo Bello (Italy)
Debora Blumenthal (Neurooncologist) (Israel)
Francesco DiMeco (Italy)
Clemens Dirven (The Netherlands)
Roland Goldbrunner (Germany)
Philippe Menei (France)
Manfred Westphal (Germany)

Subspecialties Committee

This Committee has been established in order to look at matters relating to sub-specialisation in neurosurgery. It will look at training issues and the effect that development of sub-specialties has on the practice of neurosurgery. A summary of the issues which the committee proposes to address within the next four years is available for download below.

Download: Proposed issues to address (PowerPoint presentation).

The current Chair of the Subspecialties Committee is Manuel Cunha e Sá (Portgual).

Committee members to be confirmed shortly.

The Research Committee

The committee has organized a number of advanced research seminars, published by Liviana Press Padova and Springer Verlag. One of the Research Committee's major tasks is to award the Aesculap prize for outstanding clinical research. This was formerly known as the Upjohn Scientific Award for European Neurosurgical Research. The Committee continues to organise research courses the next one being in Antwerp, Belgium, in September 2008.

The current Chair of the Research Committee is Peter Hutchinson (UK).

Members

Juan Barcia (Spain)
Jocelyne Bloch (Switzerland)
Juha Jaaskelainen (Finland)
Sieger Leenstra (The Netherlands)
Ali Savas (Turkey)
Eric Schmidt (France)
Walter Stummer (Germany)

Ethico-Legal Committee

The puropse of the Ethicolegal Committee is to report on ethicolegal matters affecting neurosurgery and where appropriate to produce guidelines or advice on specific issues.

The current Chair of the Ethico-Legal Committee is Jan Verlooy (Belgium).

Members

Naci Balak (Turkey)
Zeev Feldman (Israel)
Hans Kolenda (Germany)
Miguel Manriques (Spain)
Tiit Mathiesen (Denmark)
Pierre Robe (Belgium)
Martin Sames (Czech Republic)

Individual Membership Committee

This Committee has been set up to develop Individual Membership of the EANS. Its members are those elected by the body of current Individual Members of the EANS and act as its representatives in the Executive Committee of the EANS.

The current Chair of the Individual Membership Committee is Karl Schaller (Switzerland).

Members

Vladimir Benes (Czech Republic)
Helmut Bertalanffy (Germany)
Tamas Doczi (Hungary)
Ken Lindsay (UK)
Jan Jakob Mooij (The Netherlands)
Chris Pidgeon (Ireland)
Tarttu Pietilae (Germany) 
Johannes Schramm (Germany)
Wolf-Ingo Steudel (Germany)
Manfred Westphal (Germany)

Young Neurosurgeons Committee

This is a newly established Committee representing the interests of European trainees and newly board-certified neurosurgeons. Its current Chair is Juan Lourido (Spain).

Members

Moni Benifla (Israel)
Vadim Byvaltsev (Russia)
Hans Delye (Belgium)
Andreas Demetriades (UK)
Serge Marbacher (Switzerland)
David Netuka (Czech Republic)
Vasileios Panagiotopoulos (Greece)
Maciej Radek (Poland)
Emma Stjernberger (Sweden)
Adam Szolna (Poland)
Nicolas Sampron (Spain)
Tomislav Sajko (Germany)

Spine CME Sub-Committee

Members

Richard Assaker (France)
Adrian Casey (UK)
Maarten Coppes (The Netherlands)
John Duff (Switzerland)
Jesus LaFuente (Spain)
Zvi Lidar (Israel)
Guy Matge (Luxembourg)
Wilco Peul (The  Netherlands)
Claudius Thome (Austria)
Jake Timothy (UK)
Miroslav Vukic (Croatia)

Joint-Residency Advisory and Accreditation Committee

The Joint Residency Advisory and Accreditation Committee (JRAAC) is a joint committee of the EANS and the UEMS. Its original purpose was to develop proposals for a harmonized European Residency Training Programme in neurosurgery in accordance with the guidelines set out in the European Training Charter. JRAAC was also tasked with the setting up of an accreditation procedure for neurosurgical training programmes and units. JRAAC's main activity revolves around this accreditation function. It also acts as an advisor to European training programmes and units helping them to achieve the standards required for accreditation. JRAAC provides European neurosurgical centres with a unique chance for certification by the UEMS and EANS as a Center of Excellence in Neurosurgical Training.

The application form is available for download and can be located below under point c, the European Accreditation of Training Programmes.

JRAAC provides several tools to help organisation of training programmes both for trainees and departments.

a. Neurosurgical Log-Book

The booklet can be obtained through Aesculap Company:

attn Mrs. Eva Streit
Postfach 40
D - 78501
Tuttlingen

The electronic version of the Log-book has recently been developed with the financial support of EANS. Click to access the neurosurgical logbook  (opens in new window).

b. Periodic Progress Assessment

Evaluation Sheet has been developed to facilitate the semi-annual or annual progress evaluation of the trainees. It is well known that the quality of professional and personal development is difficult to “measure”. In this Evaluation Sheet criteria are used which can more or less be comfortably evaluated. To receive an evaluation sheet please contact Professor Ken Lindsay .

c. The European Accreditation of Training Programmes

JRAAC now offers on a voluntary basis an external evaluation process of training programmes for interested neurosurgical departments in Europe. To participate, training centers may send in their Application Form for accreditation of the programme.

Download: programme accreditation application form

Applications should be sent to:

Prof. Ken Lindsay
Institute of Neurological Sciences
Southern General Hospital
Glasgow
Scotland, UK

Email: ken.lindsay@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

The current chair of JRAAC is Ken Lindsay (UK).

Members

Kristina Cesarini (Sweden)
Manuel Cunha e Sá (Portugal)
Evelyne Emery (France)
Guy Matge (Luxembourg)
HJ Reulen (Germany)
James Steers (UK)
Joerg Tonn (Germany)
Tomas Trojanowski (Poland)
Agahan Unlu (Turkey)
Michael Zerah (France)

Joint EANS/UEMS Examination Committee

The Joint Examination Committee of the EANS and UEMS, is responsible for running both Part I (written) and Part II (oral) of the European Examination.

The current Chair of the Joint EANS/UEMS Examination Committee is Owen Sparrow (UK).