Newswise — Neurosurgeons now have the means to educate patients and their families on ways to memorialize, honor, or pay tribute to, their loved ones. This is the "Celebrate a Life" memorial and tribute giving program facilitated by the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
"As an alternative to routine remembrances, (flowers) we can offer the family and friends information about making a gift in support of neurosurgical research through the NREF," said neurosurgeon Frank Culicchia, MD. "If we can talk to our patients' families about organ donation, why not also approach them about remembering their loved ones in another positive way."
The program offers the general public information about giving to neurosurgical research in the name of a living, or deceased loved one. It also offers them the opportunity to thank their surgeon or other medical staff members for the care of their family member. It gives those very same medical professionals an opportunity to recognize and honor their colleagues, family members and friends, in the spirit of advancing neuroscientific research and education for residents and young clinicians.
In 1981, the AANS founded NREF, its research division, in response to the alarming rate of federal and private funding cuts for medical research. NREF is dedicated to groundbreaking neurosurgical research, working towards advances in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and improved patient care.
All donations to the "Celebrate a Life" program support NREF's one- and two-year fellowships and Young Clinician Investigator awards that generate funding for the most promising young neurosurgeons in support of their research projects.
"The 2003 NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award has been instrumental in enabling me to embark firmly upon the pursuit of stroke research. At this beginning stage of my career as a clinician-scientist, NREF's support is critical in serving as the foundation upon which future peer-reviewed funding can build," said Judy Huang, MD, a 2003 Young Clinician Investigator awardee.
Each year, NREF receives many promising grant applications however, due to limited resources, only a small percentage receives funding.
Brochures are available to the general public, by visiting our Web site or calling (847) 378-0540. For more information about the "Celebrate a Life" program and NREF, visit http://www.AANS/org/research.
Since 1981, NREF has awarded 91 Research Fellowship grants and Young Clinician Investigator awards, totaling nearly $4 million dollars. Past grant recipients have utilized the results obtained through their NREF-supported research to obtain additional funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some investigators have moved on to engage in clinical research, influencing the uses and future of drugs, medical devices and surgical procedures. All of this is made possible through the financial support of AANS members, corporations and the general public.
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