CHICAGO (April 28, 2008) - In recognition of his unwavering dedication to neurosurgical science and the medical community, Robert J. Dempsey, MD, has been named the recipient of the 2008 Humanitarian Award of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). The award will be presented at 12:26 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30 at the AANS Annual Meeting, April 28-May 1, in Chicago. Dr. Dempsey is being honored for dedicating a good portion of his career to advancing neurosurgery in Latin America and east Africa. In fact, this has been a family effort, with Dr. Dempsey's wife Diane, an aquatic biologist, and their two children, Kara Eileen and Conor Patrick also volunteering their time to these humanitarian efforts.
Dr. Dempsey has dedicated a portion of his time over the last 15 years to volunteering in developing countries, teaching neurosurgery primarily in Guatemala and Ecuador. This has involved developing educational programs for medical students, trainees and graduate neurosurgeons. Through his involvement with Medical Mission Ecuador, Dr. Dempsey has helped to revitalize the charity care network of south central Ecuador, including rebuilding of infrastructure, operating rooms, equipment and teaching physicians modern techniques with supplied and donated equipment.
As a member of the Board of Directors and the Secretary of the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery (FIENS), Dr. Dempsey has been active in building the groundwork for neurosurgical training programs in developing countries throughout the world. In addition to Latin America, he has been very active in the east Africa program working with FIENS volunteers. The program has successfully won approval from the Kenyan Ministry of Health to fund the first residency program in east Africa, an area of 300,000,000 people without a training program. This multinational program will help address the vast maldistribution of medical care and poor regionalization of this area.
Dr. Dempsey is chair and professor of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, a position he assumed in 1995. He is founder and director of the Multidisciplinary Stroke Program and established the cerebrovascular research laboratories. In 1998, he became the first Manucher J. Javid Endowed Professor in Neurological Surgery.
Prior to this, he was on the faculty at the University of Kentucky, where he was founding director of the Center of Excellence in Stroke Research of the Center on Aging and medical director of the cerebrovascular laboratory.
Dr. Dempsey received his medical degree from the University of Chicago in 1977, followed by his neurosurgical residency at the University of Michigan, under the mentorship of Richard C. Schneider, MD, Glenn W. Kindt, MD, and Julian T. Hoff, MD.
Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 7,200 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to patients. 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.
