SAN FRANCISCO (April 10, 2000) - Stewart Ben Dunsker, MD, was elected the 2000-2001 President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) at the AANS Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, April 8-13, 2000. An active member of the AANS since 1973, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors (1992-1999), as Treasurer (1996-1998), as Vice President (1998-1999) and as Chairman of the Bylaws Committee (1986).

Dr. Dunsker joined The Mayfield Clinic in 1970 where he continues to work with his colleagues in Cincinnati, Ohio. Currently, he is Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery, Vice Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Director of the Division of Spine Surgery at the University of Cincinnati. He has been Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati since 1982.

After completing his bachelor's degree, cum laude, from Harvard College in 1956, Dr. Dunsker went on to earn his medical degree from the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. He completed an internship at the University of Illinois, one year of residency in internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati, and a tour of duty in Germany, where he served in an artillery battalion in the Army. He then joined the neurosurgery program at Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri) for his residency. Dr. Dunsker became Board certified in 1972.

During his distinguished career, Dr. Dunsker has played an active role in many local, state and national professional associations. He has served as President of The Ohio State Medical Association, The Ohio State Neurosurgical Society, and The Society of University Neurosurgeons. He has also served as Vice Chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, Vice President of the American Academy of Neurosurgery, Co-founder and Chairman of the Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, and as a Delegate to the American Medical Association. In addition, he was selected Neurosurgeon of the Year in 1992 by The Ohio State Neurosurgical Society.

A renowned speaker, Dr. Dunsker has authored and/or edited 50 articles, chapters and books on a variety of neurosurgical topics, including anterior cervical discectomy and cervical spondylosis. He has served on the editorial boards of Neurosurgery, Spine and the Journal of Spinal Disorders and he has been invited to other countries to deliver lectures.

Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with nearly 5,500 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. All active members of the AANS are Board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the spine, brain, nervous system and peripheral nerves.