Spring has arrived and along with it brings the excitement of our first in-person NERVES Annual Meeting since 2019! Our organization’s Annual Meeting is the springboard (no pun intended) to all things NERVES and is the conduit to and for the society’s mission – to connect neurosurgery executives to resources, education, and data to enhance value for the business of neurosurgery. The connectedness that NERVES provides to its members brings a resourcefulness that neurosurgical practice managers simply cannot get elsewhere.
Our society always has been and continues to be high-value, and I encourage our members to in-turn invest in and commit to NERVES by attending our first in-person meeting in three years! NERVES is super excited about our upcoming meeting in Philadelphia as we have a fantastic program scheduled. If you have not registered yet, please consider joining your fellow members at the 2022 annual meeting to not only support our mission but to also help deliver on our NERVES vision and values.
Vision: To be the pre-eminent and most trusted resource for neurosurgical leaders
Values: We promote supportive collaborations through sharing of knowledge, best practices, and innovative solutions within a trusted neurosurgical network
Click here to register for the NERVES 2022 Annual Meeting.
The past 20 years of NERVES leadership deserves many thanks for the organization’s continued success, and I planned to maintain this momentum with a strong commitment to our mission. The focus of our mission is on “connection.” Even though the pandemic has kept us from meeting in person, NERVES has adapted and stayed committed to maintaining connections amongst its membership. Notably, our Education Committee has continued to provide valuable and informative monthly webinars. On behalf of the Society, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Education Committee for their engagement, and former Committee Chair, Kathy Tobin, for her exceptional leadership in making a variety of resources and learning opportunities available to members. Our new Education Chair, MJ Orellano has already begun to lead this committee with great proficiency, and we are grateful to both of these leaders!
The NERVES Executive Leadership Board and various committees continue to get work done for the benefits of the organization’s members. Here are just a few key highlights since our last newsletter communication:
- In February our latest NERVES Socio-Economic Survey was published and distributed.
- Rollout of revised committee structures for NERVES:
- Annual Meeting
- Membership
- Communications
- Education
- Survey
- The Annual Meeting Committee has planned an in-person 2022 meeting with outstanding content.
- The Education Committee has continued to provide regular webinars, complimentary for members.
- The board reviewed, updated, and approved the NERVES Bylaws making changes to remove the committees from the document into its own as well as clarifying positions, titles, and procedures.
- The Nominating Committee prepared and submitted to the Executive Committee its slate of nominees for Officers to be elected at the Society’s Annual Member Meeting.
- The NERVES Executive Committee unanimously voted to approve a new endeavor of hosting a Spine Center of Excellence Conference this Fall in Chicago.
One key strategy area of focus for our organization has been to increase our value and relationship with organized neurosurgery. For a few years we have planned to accomplish this by working with an outside group of advisory members who will be part of our long-range planning and strategy efforts. I am excited to report that our first ever NERVES Advisory Board will be held at the conclusion of this year’s annual meeting. The NERVES Advisory Board is encouraged to support our organization by providing candid feedback and making recommendations that are aligned with the mission, vision, and values of NERVES to ensure its long-term success. Past Presidents, Mary Amann and John Lewis, have been instrumental in getting this inaugural Advisory Board kicked off. Thanks to Mary and John for all their efforts. The initial advisory panel from our Society’s Affiliates will include representatives from Medtronic, Karen Zupko & Associates, Rosman Search, and Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM). We appreciate their extra commitment to NERVES.
I mentioned this in my last President’s Letter but wanted to say it again – it is a true privilege to be the President of NERVES. I will soon become the Past President and will personally remain committed to the long-term success of NERVES. All our members – past, present, and future – that take on active leadership roles is what has built NERVES and serves as the touchstone for its future actions.
Our greatest advocates are you, our members. Looking forward to seeing many of you soon in Philadelphia, but more importantly creating the member connectedness that make NERVES the pre-eminent and most trusted resource for neurosurgical leaders.
Steve Napolitan