To fulfill its mission to provide quality training and education to neurosurgeons, NREF has funded courses for over 2,000 residents and fellows and thousands have viewed course presentations online. In addition, NREF webinars and programs offered at the AANS Annual Scientific Meetings provide cutting-edge technology and education for neurosurgeons at all career stages.
For over twelve years, NREF has secured industry support to offer free senior-level resident and fellow courses in a wide range of neurosurgical topics, such as:
- Endovascular
- Exit Strategies
- Fundamentals in Spine Surgery
- MIS and Emerging Spinal Technologies
- Open Vascular
- Pediatric Resident Review
- Peripheral Nerve
- Science of Practice
- Skull Base
- Spinal Deformity
- Stereotactic and Functional
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
A seat at one of the weekend courses for senior-level residents and fellows is available by invitation-only from neurosurgical program directors around the country. These unique, hands-on courses provide specialized training in areas not always covered during neurosurgical residency and are highly-regarded by academic leaders.
One of the goals of the NREF is to stimulate learning by neurosurgeons and enhance educational opportunities for them throughout their careers. As part of that endeavor, continuing education and new technologies are presented at NREF programs, such as the following:
- Complimentary webinars, supported by industry partners, have covered topics such as: strategic use of BCNU Wafers in contemporary care, current applications and advances in fluorescence-guided surgery and the surgical benefit of utilizing 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) for fluorescence-guided surgery of brain tumors. Visit nref.org for more information.
- Prior to the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in April 2018, the Second AANS/NREF International Brain Mapping Course was presented, featuring an international faculty from Europe, North America and Asia. The course focused on advances and practical issues in contemporary pre-operative and intra-operative brain mapping applications for brain tumor and functional neurosurgery.
- The NREF provided seed money for a day-long Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camp held in spring 2018.