Forty teams of neurosurgeons from top medical institutions competed on June 9, 2018, in New York City’s Central Park as part of the 15^th Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament. An article to commemorate the tournament’s 15th anniversary and its impact on brain tumor research funding was published in a spring 2018 issue of JNS.

The event hosted by Columbia University benefited brain tumor research via the Andrew T. Parsa Honor Your Mentor Fund through the NREF. Sponsorship was strong again this year, with over $120,000 raised to support neurooncology research fellowships. “The event was a success again this year, securing much-needed support for brain tumor research,” according to tournament Founder and Co-director Ricardo J. Komotar, MD, FAANS, of the University of Miami.

Barrow Neurological Institute captured their sixth championship in nine years by beating Miami in the finals. The playoff field included Miami, Rutgers, Puerto Rico, Wash U, Florida, Ohio State, Columbia, UCSF, USF, Barrow, Vanderbilt, Emory, UT Houston, Carolina NSA, Wake Forest and Tennessee. The elite eight teams were Miami, Puerto Rico, Florida, UCSF, Barrow, Emory, Carolina NSA and Tennessee. The final four teams were Miami, Florida, Barrow and Carolina NSA.

This year’s field of competing neurosurgical departments included:

Barrow Neurological Institute

Case Western University

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates

Columbia University

Duke University

Emory University

Harvard University

Indiana University

Johns Hopkins University

Mayo Clinic

Mount Sinai School of Medicine

New York University

Northwestern University

Pennsylvania State University

Rutgers University

The George Washington University

The Ohio State University

The University of Alabama

The University of Buffalo

The University of Tennessee

The University of Texas – Houston

The University of Utah

The University of Virginia

Thomas Jefferson University

University of California, San Francisco

University of Colorado

University of Florida

University of Kansas

University of Miami

University of Michigan

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

University of Puerto Rico

University of South Florida

University of Toronto

Vanderbilt University

Wake Forest University

Washington University

Weill Cornell Medical College/Memorial Sloan-
Kettering Cancer Center

Yale University

After the tournament, participants enjoyed a reception in midtown Manhattan. Planning has begun for the 16^th Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament scheduled for June 8, 2019. For more information, visit the tournament website or contact Ricardo J. Komotar, MD, FAANS, (rkomotar@med.miami.edu) and Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD, FAANS, (jnb2@columbia.edu).