NEW ORLEANS (April 18, 2005) Fremont P. Wirth, MD, was named president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) at the AANS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 16-21, 2005. A member of the AANS since 1980, he serves on the following committees: Bylaws, Executive, Finance, Long-Range Planning (Chair), Nominating, Professional Liability Task Force, the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Executive Council, and Van Wagenen Fellowship. Dr. Wirth served as AANS vice president from 2002 to 2003.

Dr. Wirth has served as president of the Georgia Medical Society, president of the Southern Neurosurgical Society, vice president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, governor of the American College of Surgeons and director and vice chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons.

Dr. Wirth is assistant clinical professor of the Department of Surgery (Neurosurgery) at the Medical College of Georgia. He received his undergraduate degree from Williams College in 1962, and earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University in 1966. Dr. Wirth completed his surgical internship and a one-year general surgery fellowship at Johns-Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. He served as a clinical associate in neurosurgery at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. and completed his residency and fellowship in neurosurgery at Barnes Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

He is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Medical Association, American Board of Neurological Surgery, Georgia Medical Society, The Academy of Neurological Surgery, The Southern Neurosurgical Society, Neurosurgical Society of America, Georgia Neurosurgical Society, Medical Association of Georgia, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Wirth has edited many books, and has been author or co-author of numerous book chapters and presentations on a variety of neurosurgical topics, such as head and spinal cord injuries, aneurysms, tumors, and cervical disc disease. Dr. Wirth is engaged in the practice of neurosurgery at the Neurological Institute of Savannah.

Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 6,800 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. All active members of the AANS are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Neurosurgery) of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves.