What: Despite rapid advancements in neurosurgical techniques and capabilities, much of the world's population has limited or no access to modern care for brain and spinal trauma, stroke, tumors, and other neurological conditions. To address this inequity, Dr. Douglas Kondziolka, Editor-in-Chief of Neurosurgery, has introduced a new section in the journal devoted to global neurosurgery, defined as "the clinical and public health practice of neurosurgery with the primary purpose of ensuring timely, safe and affordable neurosurgical care to all who need it."
Comprising noted experts from "every continent and generation where neurosurgery is practiced," the Global Neurosurgery section of the Editorial Board is already working to attract the highest-quality global neurosurgery manuscripts, emphasizing policies to assure equity in authorship, access, and use of local data.
Section Editor Gail Rosseau, MD, likens the Global Neurosurgery initiative to President John F. Kennedy's commitment to land American astronauts on the moon. Dr. Rosseau writes, "No specialty and no nation which expects to be a leader can expect to stay behind in the quest for the highest quality health care for all people."
Importance: The new section represents the first time a major journal has taken such a deliberate step to address global neurosurgery, according to Dr. Rosseau. She writes, "Our obligations to ourselves and others require us to make this effort, to respond to these challenges, and to solve problems of access and quality on a global scale."
In the editorial introducing the new section, Dr. Rosseau paraphrases Kennedy, emphasizing, “We choose to take on this responsibility not because it is easy, but because it is hard. This goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”
Background: Neurosurgery is the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and the flagship title of CNS’s NEUROSURGERY Publications suite of journals. The CNS is the global leader in neurosurgical education, serving to promote health by advancing neurosurgery through innovation and excellence in education.
Read Global Neurosurgery Section Introduction—Neurosurgery's “Moon Shot”.
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