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San Francisco Neurological SocietyAdvancing knowledge and improving practice in the neurosciences for over 60 years

 

 

 

 

 

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News & Photo archive

Photo Galery from 2009 Annual Meeting in Monterey
April 2009 Newsletter
Winter 2009 Newsletter

December 2008 Newsletter

November 2008 Newsletter

The SF Neurological Society has a new Executive Director

IN REMEMBRANCE: June 21, 2008 Dr. Franklyn Chapman Hill Jr.

Past-President Eric Denys, MD receives UCSF Royer Award for outstanding contributions to neurology

April 2008 Newsletter

Kern H. Guppy, MD, PhD Winter Newsletter - Message from the President,
Kern H. Guppy, M.D., Ph.D.

We are fast approaching our 62nd Annual San Francisco Neurological Society meeting, which will be held between February 26th to February 28th at The Lodge in Sonoma, California. This year our speakers are well-known in the neurosciences and the agenda covers various aspects of neurology and neurosurgery including, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, spine care, stroke and movement disorders (for details click here).

The President’s Reception will be held on Friday 26th at 6:00 pm with special guest Dr. Charlie Wilson, Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Francisco. Earlier that afternoon Dr. Brian Andrews will present excerpts from his new book “The Cherokee Indian” - The Life of Dr. Charlie Wilson. The book and presentation traces the life of one of the foremost neurosurgeons during his early life and surgical career. Dr. Wilson was a previous President of the San Francisco Neurological Society

Our Annual Boldrey Lecture entitled “Carotid Endartectomy” will be given by Fredric B. Meyer, MD, Chairman of Neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic. The Annual Dinner with be held on Saturday the 27th of February and will include fine dining, wines and a double-header lecture – “The Wine Sella” by  Dick Maher, former President of Beringer Vineyards, Seagram Wine Company and Christian Brothers Winery. The second lecture will be “Art and Neurology” given by Dr. Bruce Miller, Professor of Neurology and clinical director of the Memory and Aging Center at University of California, San Francisco.

 “All work and no play” means we have set aside various activities for all,  including our annual golf tournament, wine- tasting and the 2nd Neuro-Cinema Festival organized by Dr. Oscar N. Abeliuk where 3 films will be presented with a panel discussion on each film. This is a unique way for neurologist and non-neurologist to discuss well known films involving people with neurological disease and to have a discussion about its accuracy and  the medical and social aspects of the disease. This year the films include “My Left Foot”(1989), “A Beautiful Mind” (2001) and  “Adam“(2009). The public is welcome. 

The Residents have been always an integral part of our society and in keeping with that tradition we will be giving 3 awards this year – The Newman, Boldrey and Kaiser Awards for outstanding papers presented by residents at our annual meeting. Further details can be obtained from Amanda Pacia (apacia@sfneurological.org) or by clicking here.

Finally, in September, one of our own, Dr. Steven J Holtz (Board Member of the SFNS 2009 - present) received the Dr. J. Elliott Royer Award in Community Neurology from the Dean at UCSF.  The award is given for contributions to the field of Neurology in research, teaching and community. Congratulations Steve!

A reminder, the California Association of Neurological Surgeons (CANS) will have their annual meeting on January 15th to 17th at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, California. For more information please check out their website: www.cans1.org.

My dear colleagues and friends, I am looking forward to seeing you all at The Lodge in Sonoma for the 62nd Annual Meeting of the San Francisco Neurological Society.

Best regards and Happy Holidays,

Kern H. Guppy, MD, PhD, President of  the San Francisco Neurological Society

August 2009 Newsletter - Message from President, Kern H. Guppy, M.D., Ph.D.

So far we have had a wonderful year with  great attendance from our members at our Dinner Meetings in May and July. It is my pleasure to invite you to the annual AIRD Dinner Meeting which will be held on Tuesday, September 22, at Hotel Monaco in San Francisco.  As you are probably aware this lecture was started to honor Dr. Robert Aird who founded the Department of Neurology at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). The lecture is sponsored jointly between the San Francisco Neurological Society and the Department of Neurology at UCSF.

This year’s speaker will be Clifford Saper , MD, PhD, James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology, Head of the Department of Neurology At the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.  His lecture will be entitled “Why Sleep” and will give us an understanding of the  basic circuitry in the brain involved in sleep and the health and cognitive impact of sleep loss.

I look forward to seeing you all at the AIRD Dinner meeting, continuing the San Francisco Neurological Society great tradition of blending great education in the neurosciences in an atmosphere of collegiality and friendship in our community. 

 Kern H. Guppy, M.D., Ph.D., President, San Francisco Neurological Society

 April 2009 Newsletter - Message from incoming President, Kern H. Guppy, M.D., Ph.D.

The San Francisco Neurological Society will celebrate its 61st anniversary this year.  As the newly elected President of the society it is my pleasure to invite you to participate in this years activities. The San Francisco Neurological Society was founded on the goal of increasing, improving and disseminating knowledge about the neurosciences within the area of the Society's influence in the Western United States.  Although our membership predominantly includes neurologist and neurosurgeons, it also has members in neuroradiology, neuropathology, neuropsychiatry, neuro-oncology and physiatry (also known as physical medicine and rehabilitation).

A series of four dinner meetings throughout 2009 will be on various subjects of interest to our members. Besides the four dinner meetings we will have our annual meeting in February 2010 in Sonoma. Further details of the program and dates will follow in next few months.

Our first lecture will be on May 28th at the Hotel Monaco and the guest speaker will be J. Claude Hemphill III, MD, MAS, Associate professor of Neurology at University of California, San Francisco on Intracerebral Hemorrhage: New Approaches to an Old Disease

Our goal this year, in our difficult economic times, is to provide CME credit for lectures relevant to your daily practice at a reasonable cost. We will continue to expand membership locally and open up our meetings to physicians in the neurosciences from all of California and the adjoining states.  Each individual professional membership ($75 per year) enables us to continue and expand our unique blend of academic programs and fellowship that benefits all of us. Your renewal or enrollment also helps keep our member and mailing data base up to date, so that you can be notified about upcoming programs. If you have not already done so, please go to the member page on website and join or renew your membership in the San Francisco Neurological Society, even if you are not also signing up for a program at the same time.

I personally feel very confident that this will be a great year for the Society. I look forward to continuing the great tradition of blending great education in the neurosciences in an atmosphere of collegiality and friendship. 

 Kern H. Guppy, M.D., Ph.D., President,  San Francisco Neurological Society

Winter Letter from the President - January 2009

Oscar N. Abeliuk, MD, President, San Francisco Neurological Society

As has been previously announced, Professor Ioav Cabanchik, MD PhD, Adelina and Massimo Della Pergola Chair of Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel will be our Keynote Speaker for the Annual Dinner on Saturday, February 28th.  Professor Cabanchik is a distinguished researcher in biochemistry and physiology, who will enlighten us about his work in hematology that led to new understandings of the pathophysiology of neurological conditions such as Friedreichs ataxia. 

 Amanda Pacia, our new executive secretary, has been working very hard at putting together a comprehensive syllabus, which we hope to make available prior to the conference.  More than forty participants have already signed up a historic record number to sign up so early.  We expect more than 125 attendees this year. 

The posters announcing the Neurocinema Festival have been placed in several cities.  This has given us some visibility in the community.  In the last 20 years neurologists such as Oliver Sacks have written not just as doctors and scientists, but also as humanists with a philosophic and literary bent.  Sacks book Awakenings, which inspired a major motion picture, will be among the films presented and discussed at the Festival.   We are encouraging interested members of the public to attend at no charge to broaden the discussions following the screenings to include the perspectives of physicians, patients and family members effected by the disorders connected to the movie scripts.   

The topics to be covered at the Scientific Meeting are important for practicing clinical neurologists and neurosurgeons as well as academicians.  Spine disorders, neuroimaging and epilepsy will be assessed in three focused mini-symposia.  In addition, Dr. Alex B. Valadka will deliver the 2009 Annual Boldrey Lecture; Traumatic Brain Injury. 

The papers submitted for the Newman, Boldrey and Kaiser Awards continue to arrive and will be accepted for review up until the extended deadline of February 1st.   

For the first time, the content of the Scientific Meeting will be recorded in audio and video. We hope to make the recordings available for future reference both to those who attended and those who could not attend.   

My dear colleagues and friends I am looking forward to seeing you at the Casa Munras Hotel at the 61st Annual Meeting of the San Francisco Neurological Society.

Best regards,

Oscar N. Abeliuk, MD, President

December 2008 Newsletter

Oscar N. Abeliuk, MD, President, San Francisco Neurological Society

In a previous newsletter I described the upcoming 61st Annual Meeting of the San Francisco Neurological Society, and many of you already may have received the preliminary schedule for all the scientific sessions scheduled to take place on February 27-28 and March 1, 2009. 

As I indicated in my last newsletter, this years meeting will inaugurate a new feature that I hope will become a permanent part of our program.  We have decided to call it the Neuro-cinema Festival.  It is still in the embryonic stage; the format is simple, and hopefully it will evolve into a richer and more complex event.   Following the screening of each movie described in the synopsis below, we will have a panel of 3-4 discussion leaders available.  The selection was based on the connection of the script to a particular neurological condition.  Based on the encouragement that we have received thus far, I am certain that the film offerings will generate much interest and enthusiasm. 

Festivals traditionally integrate filmmakers, critics and the general public.  This event is aimed to offer us, as well as the public, an opportunity to discuss these films from different perspectives.   We sincerely hope that you will enjoy as many of these as possible. 

Awakenings (encephalitis, Parkinsons Disease)
Based on the actual experiences of neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks,  Awakenings, a 1990 film directed by Penney Marshall stars Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, John Heard, and Julie Kavner. The film is a story about the trials and tribulations of a pioneering neurologist played by Robin Williams who takes a risk with giving his encephalitis patients a new drug used commonly to treat Parkinsons Disease.  Surprisingly, one patient awakens from his perpetual catatonic state, triggering an onset of patients awakening one by one from their solitary worlds. 
 

Rainman (autistic disorder)
Starring Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Golino, and Jerry Molden and directed by Barry Levinson, Rainman is a 1988 film illustrating a man and his institutionalized autistic brothers journey of discovering one another and dealing with autistic disorder.  The script is based on the life of an actual autistic patient.   
 

Away From Her (Alzheimers Disease)
Starring Julie Christie, Olympia Dukakis, Gordon Pinsent, and Michael Murphy and directed by Sarah Polley, Away From Her is a 2007 film adapted from the Alice Munro story The Bear Came Over The Mountain, and unfolds a riveting plot about a couple who have been married 50 years dealing with the wifes deteriorating progression of Alzheimers Disease.  Reviews of this film have appeared in Neurological publications such as The Lancet Neurology, Volume 6, Issue 8, Page 675, August 2007 and Neurology Today, 7(12):20,22, June 19, 2007.

M (psychotic disorder)
Taking place in Germany, director Fritz Lang unravels the murder spree of a psychotic child in his 1931 film M.   This film is considered to be a good example of classical film noir, and it is the first use of leitmotif in motion pictures. This film can stimulate some interesting discussion about organic vs. non-organic impulse control, similar to the famed case of Jack Ruby, killer of Lee Harvey Oswald. 

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (stroke)
Directed by acclaimed painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, this 2007 film The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is based on the best selling memoir of Jean-Dominique Bauby, former editor of French fashion magazine ELLE.  The film is a portrayal of one mans life after a stroke at the age of 43 that leaves him with blinking with one eye as his sole means of communicating with the outside world. 
An excellent review of this wonderful movie appeared in the March 6, 2008 issue of Neurology Today.

November 2008 Newsletter

Presidents Letter

Oscar N. Abeliuk, MD, President, San Francisco Neurological Society

The upcoming Annual Meeting of our Society will take place on February 27-28 and March 1, 2009 at the Casa Munras Hotel in the heart of Monterey.  As I submit this newsletter, the final schedule has been completed and the program has been forwarded to all our members.  The keynote speaker for Saturday nights dinner will be announced soon. 

We are very excited about the terrific program that we have been able to assemble.  Aside from the usual features, which include the Boldrey Lecture to be given this year by traumatic brain injury expert Alex B. Valadka, M.D., FACS, Professor, Vice-Chair, Research, Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and the Young Investigator Research Awards; Boldrey Award, Newman Award and Kaiser Award, there are three mini-symposia.  On Friday, the full day will be dedicated to the spine.  Among others, we will have Dr. Phil Weinstein, UCSF, Professor of Neurosurgery, speaking on Lumbar Stenosis: a 30-Year March for the Cure.  Dr. Weinstein will share his rich clinical acumen developed over the last 30 years as a leading clinician and academician in the field of spine surgery.  Other speakers of similar caliber will discuss advanced treatment, surgery, diagnosis and other new developments related to spinal disorders.

For Saturday, we have scheduled a mini-symposium on the rapid new developments in neuroimaging.  Dr. Murray Solomon, a leading neuro-radiologist from the South Bay, has arranged this very promising and educational program, which I can assure you, will be an excellent opportunity for learning about the most advanced available imaging techniques, such as 3-T MRI of the brain and spine, and other similarly important topics.  I would like to highlight the lecture to be given by Dr. Michael Moseley from Stanford, about the future of MRI of the brain.  It is a real jewel! 

The final day will be dedicated to epilepsy.  A mini-symposium will be led by Dr. David King-Stevens, who has been at the forefront of epilepsy management for many years at California Pacific Medical Center. 

An added feature of this years Annual Meeting will be our first Neuro-Cinema Festival, at which participants will have access to presentations and discussions of movies that relate to neurological illness, and the impact such movies have on the diagnoses and treatment of  these anomalies.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a movie released in 2007 and directed by the acclaimed American artists and cinematographer Julian Schnabel, was an important triggering factor for my own decision to  launch this new feature of our Annual Meeting.  An excellent review of this wonderful movie appeared in the March 6, 2008 issue of Neurology Today. Hopefully the author, neurologist Anne McCammon, MD from San Diego, will be present to participate in the discussions. 

There are many other important cinematographic works that have been based on neurologic illnesses. Dementia has been the topic of several recent movies.  We have chosen Away From Her, whose director Sarah Polley is a young woman who in my view has provided some excellent insight into the life of the caregivers and relatives of people with this devastating disease.  Fortunately our esteemed colleague, Dr. Bruce Miller, Director of the Memory Clinic at UCSF, is a movie buff, and is hoping to participate in this discussion. Reviews of this film adaptation of Alice Munro's short story The Bear Came Over the Mountain, have appeared in Neurological publications such as The Lancet Neurology, Volume 6, Issue 8, Page 675, August 2007 and Neurology Today. 7(12):20,22, June 19, 2007.

I could go on at length about my personal interest in this new event, but I must recognize that I am somewhat biased, being involved together with my son in a small documentary film production company.  Fortunately, as I talk with many of the members, there appears to be lively interest in this, and I am confident that once again this will be a great Annual Meeting for our Society. 

The SF Neurological Society has a new Executive Director

Karen Bertani, CMP, who also works full time for a large scientific society in Emeryville, has resigned as Executive Director of the SFNS as the society has grown and requires more time to manage. The Board of Directors embarked on a long and diligent search to find a new Executive Director and is pleased to announce that Amanda Pacia has accepted the position.  The address will remain the same, only the email, phone and fax numbers have changed.  The new Executive Director is:

Amanda Pacia, Executive Director
San Francisco Neurological Society
2226A Westborough Blvd. #409
South San Francisco, CA  94080
NEW
Phone: 510-685-1187 NEW Fax:  650-347-4975
E-mail: apacia@sfneurological.org

Past-President Eric Denys, MD receives UCSF Royer Award for outstanding contributions to neurology

In February Dr. Eric Denys (Past-President of the SFNS 2001-2003) officially received the Dr. J. Elliott Royer Award in Community Neurology from the Dean at UCSF.  The award is given for contributions to the field of Neurology in research, teaching and community services.   

Please visit this link in UCSF news:  http://medschool.ucsf.edu/news/news/20070919_Royer.aspx  for more information.

Dr. Denys participated in the first ever plasmapheresis treatment for Myasthenia Gravis and the Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome at Childrens Hospital in San Francisco.  Dr. Denys is credited to be the first to show that the Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome could be transferred to animals, which led to the discovery of immunological mechanisms.   He also played a major role in emphasizing the need for temperature control in clinical electromyography and improved diagnostic accuracy. Dr. Denys has made numerous contributions to research and care of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).  He continues to be a resource for physicians and patients in the field of peripheral nerve disorders. He has been an active member of the SFNS for many years and was President of the Society from 2001 - 2003.

April 2008 Newsletter

President's Letter
Oscar N. Abeliuk, M.D., President, San Francisco Neurological Society

The San Francisco Neurological Society will continue to provide a very friendly atmosphere of fellowship and interaction for physicians in the neurosciences.  A series of dinner meetings throughout the year will include the latest in diagnosis, treatment and research in all aspects of neurological and neurosurgical conditions. This will culminate with our annual meeting, once again scheduled in Monterey, this time at the Casa Munras Hotel, to take place on February 27, 28 & March 1, 2009.  Again the annual meeting is evolving to be of the highest caliber.  Many of the speakers are already scheduled and we can expect to pursue discussions and great opportunities for interaction with those who are experts in the great variety of topics to be presented.  Our goal over the next year will be to continue on the path set by our most immediate Past President, Dr. Robyn Young.  We will continue to expand membership locally and open up our meetings to physicians in the neurosciences from all of California and the adjoining Western States. 

An added feature to the annual meeting will be a first time Neuro-Cinema Festival in which the public will have access to presentations and discussions of movies that relate to neurological illnesses, such as Awakening, My Left Foot, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Rain Man and Away From Her along with others.

I personally feel very confident that this will once again be a great year for the Society. I look forward to continuing the great tradition of blending academics and fellowship in an atmosphere of collegiality and friendship. 

Sincerely,
Oscar N. Abeliuk, M.D.

Letter from the Past President
Robyn G. Young, M.D., President, March 2007-2008, San Francisco Neurological Society

 The San Francisco Neurological Society embodies a unique blend of academics and fellowship for physicians in the neurosciences.  Our meetings cover broad areas of interest in the neurosciences, including the latest in research, diagnostics and in neurological and neurosurgical therapeutics.   All material is presented in an atmosphere of fellowship, with greater opportunity for interaction than in most medical symposia.  We have a chance to catch up on the research interests and clinical activities and experiences of our friends and colleagues.   We can freely pursue discussions on directions in research as well as interesting clinical cases, away from the daily pressures and imposed distractions of our daily work.   2007 and continuing in 2008 has been a period of growth and innovation for the San Francisco Neurological Society.  We expanded our database and our membership, increased programs and tried new locations, and we held our first 3 day Annual Meeting commemorating our 60th year @ the Hyatt Regency Monterey, March 14 16, 2008.  Guest lecturers for the 60th Annual Meeting were: 

  • The Boldrey Neurosurgical guest lecture: Robert Dempsey, MD, Chair N/S, University of Wisconsin, Rethinking Carotid Atherosclerotic Disease: New Frontiers from Molecular Biology to the Patient

  • The Neurology guest lecture: Charles H. Adler, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZ, Dystonia & the YIPS

  • The Saturday evening dinner speaker:  Don Allen, Past District Governor, Rotary International,  Conquering the Global Epidemic of Poliomyelitis

The 60th Annual Meeting Resident/Fellow Research Awards went to:

  • Boldrey Award:  Daniel Lim, MD, NS, UCSF, Chromatin Remodeling Factor Mll Specifically Maintains Neurogenesis from Postnatal Brain Neural Stem Cells

  • Newman Award:  Ellen Mowry, MD, N, MS Center, UCSF, Multiple Sclerosis Onset Location Predicts the Location of Subsequent Relapses

  • Kaiser Award:  Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, MD, MPH, N, UCSF, Prevalence and Predictors of Perinatal Hemorrhagic Stroke

Dues remained the same and registration costs were kept to a minimum.  As always the Annual Meeting was held in an area of interest to families and ample time was left for leisure, including the traditional golf tournament.  2008  golf winners were:

  • First Place - John Barnes, MD

  • Second Place - Michael McDermott, MD

 Photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/rgyoungmd/SFNeurologicalSociety60thAnnualMeeting_314162008_Monterey

  

 

 

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For all matters related to the Society please contact theExecutive Director:

Amanda Pacia, Executive Director
San Francisco Neurological Society
2226A Westborough Blvd. #409
South San Francisco, CA  94080
NEW Phone: 650-288-5339 Fax:  650-347-4975

E-mail: apacia@sfneurological.org