President’s Welcome
It is truly a pleasure to invite you to join us in Cape Town, the Mother City for the 28th Society of Neurosurgeons of South Africa (SNSA) Congress 2019.
In 2015 we made one of the most significant moves in the 49-year history of our Society in changing from biennial meetings to annual meetings. Getting together every year has helped us gather momentum in dealing with the challenges and opportunities faced by neurosurgeons in all spheres of practice across our country, and build a society that better meets the needs of our profession.
We have added a new dimension to our meetings through partnering with another international society and this year promises to be one of the best as we welcome the Society of British Neurological Surgeons, who we are confident will attend in numbers to enliven, debate and strengthen longstanding friendships!
Another important change was introducing a scientific committee which allows us to draw on input from across South Africa, and you can be assured of a relevant and cutting-edge programme under the leadership of Professor Anthony Figaji and his team. As always, our Congress will be preceded by workshops and symposia, and this year we look forward to a Neuro-oncology Workshop held as part of South African Congress of Oncology (SACO) in conjunction with Paediatric Brain Tumour Workshop (PBTW ) and the Society for Neuro-oncology of Sub-Saharan Africa (SNOSSA).
This is an exciting time to be a neurosurgeon, with extraordinary scientific and technological advances driving our profession forward like no other, while contending with rising costs, reimbursement hurdles and medico-legal risks. This is a particular challenge for younger colleagues starting in practice, and our annual meeting is an important opportunity for us all to benefit from the experience of senior colleagues.
Our meeting is always hosted by one of the academic departments and this year it is the turn of Stellenbosch University, under the leadership of Professor Ian Vlok, who will ensure you enjoy an unforgettable visit to the Cape. SNSA has put in a bid to host the 18th World Congress of Neurosurgery in Cape Town in 2023 and our annual meeting this year is a valuable opportunity to show the world what we can do.
We look forward to welcoming you and making this premier event the most successful gathering yet!
Sincerely,
Professor Graham Fieggen Professor Ian Vlok
SNSA President 2018-2020 SNSA Annual Meeting Chair 2019
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| Professor Graham Fieggen President |
Professor Ian Vlok Chairman |
Professor Anthony Figaji Scientific Chair |
Committee
SNSA Executive Committee 2019
Professor Ian Vlok – Congress Chairman
Professor Anthony Figaji – Scientific Chair
Professor Graham Fieggen – Congress President
Professor Allan Taylor – Past President
Dr John Ouma – President Elect
Professor Patrick Lekgwara – Secretary
Dr David Roytowski – Treasurer
Dr Gian Marus – Medico-Legal Representative
Dr Rohen Harrichandparsad – Membership