American Association of Neurological Surgeons Names Robert F. Heary, MD, FAANS, as Organization’s Vice President

Newswise — SAN DIEGO (April 17, 2019) — Robert F. Heary, MD, FAANS, has been named vice president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). The association announced his appointment during the 87^th AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, April 13-17, 2019.

Dr. Heary has lived in New Jersey the majority of his life. He graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Penn. with a B.S. degree in 1982 and attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, graduating in 1986. Dr. Heary was an intern and resident in general surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) in Newark, N.J. After three years of general surgery, he switched to the neurosurgical training program at UMDNJ-NJMS, which he completed in 1994. He then became the Rothman Spine Fellow in the department of orthopaedic surgery at the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Upon completion of his fellowship, he returned to UMDNJ-NJMS in Newark, N.J., as an assistant professor of neurological surgery. He quickly became an associate professor in 2001, the residency program director in 2004 and a full professor in 2005.

He has specialized in complex and reconstructive spinal surgery since the beginning of his career. His interests include deformity surgery, spine and spinal cord injury, spine biomechanics and spine tumors. Dr. Heary directs two active basic science laboratories in spinal cord injury and spine biomechanics. Dr. Heary is on the editorial boards of Neurosurgery; World Neurosurgery; Clinical Spine Surgery (Deputy Editor); Spinal Deformity (Associate Editor); the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics; Neural Regeneration Research; Surgical Neurology International; and the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. In addition, he previously served on the editorial board of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine for seven years. He has edited two major textbooks on spinal deformity, a textbook on cervical trauma and he is currently working on a new textbook on lumbar spine revision surgery. He has authored 153 peer-reviewed journal articles and 61 book chapters and given over 300 national and international presentations on topics predominantly related to spinal surgery.

Dr. Heary has been actively involved with both the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF), where he serves as the secretary of the organization, and the NeurosurgeryPAC, where he is currently the vice-chair. For 13 years, he has served as a delegate from New Jersey to the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies, which addresses the major socioeconomic issues affecting organized neurosurgery. For more than a decade, Dr. Heary has been committed to giving back to the organizations, which support neurosurgical issues from an educational standpoint, from a research standpoint and from a socioeconomic position. 

“The opportunity to serve on the AANS Executive Committee is a dream come true from a personal and a professional standpoint. Working together with the societal leaders to help shape the future of the AANS is something I have been interested in doing since I entered practice 25 years ago. I feel blessed and humbled to have been selected for this role,” Dr. Heary commented.

Media Representatives: The 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website’s press section includes releases on highlighted scientific research, AANS officers and award winners and other relevant information about the 2019 program. Releases will be posted on the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website. If you have interest in a topic related to neurosurgery or would like to interview a neurosurgeon — either onsite or via telephone — during or after the event, please contact Alice Kelsey, AANS associate executive director, via email at [email protected].

About the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting Attended by neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals, the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the field’s latest research and technological advances. The scientific presentations accepted for the 2019 event will represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery. Find additional information about the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting and the meeting program here.

About the AANS Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 11,500 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. Fellows of the AANS are board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, A.C. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the spinal column, spinal cord, brain, nervous system and peripheral nerves.

For more information, visit www.AANS.org.