Dear friends and colleagues,  

As the current President of the National Neurotrauma Society (NNS), I would like to thank our immediate past NNS President, Gene Gurkoff, for his steadfast stewardship of the society through very challenging times.  Indeed, we were very concerned that the 42nd NNS Symposium in Philadelphia this past June would be poorly attended due to multiple sudden travel and financial concerns across the NNS membership.  However, through no small effort by our dedicated program committee, the symposium was a huge success, with attendance only slightly lower than last year.   Program Committee chairs, Audrey Lafrenaye and Adam Ferguson were quintessential hosts of the engaging meeting.  They were supported by council members, multiplecommittees and our partners at International Conference Services, who deserve our heartfelt thanks. The amount of volunteer service performed by our membership is truly astounding and demonstrates our collective dedication to the NNS mission. 

For our 2025 Society Award Winners and Poster Award Winners, I would like to congratulate and thank you for yourongoing contributions to the Society and beyond. This past meeting was also the first to hold a special session where Society Award winners presented their research.  This well attended session was very touching and impactful, so we plan on having it again this coming symposium.  Please consider worthy individuals to nominate for next year’s awards and follow the instructions on the NNS website to submityour choices. 

Please mark your calendars for the 43rd Annual National Neurotrauma Society Symposium, to be held in Milwaukee, WI, from June 14–17, 2026, at the Baird Center. As in previous years, the NNS will co-host this meeting with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care.  Our theme this year is “Brainstorming for Breakthrough. ”Milwaukee, also known as “Brew City”, is an ideal city for my favorite part of our symposia, the social gatherings at the end of each day.   I look forward to ‘brainstorming’ over a beer or other beverage with you and whipping upnew ideas and collaborations during the meeting.    

For symposium session ideas, the Session Proposal Submission portal will be open October 1 – November 8. We encourage all our members to submit exciting and timely themes.  Our multidisciplinary program committee, representing all career stages, will carefully consider each submission.  They are committed to deliver a bold program that highlights the most exciting developments in our field and fosters collaborations. 

I look forward to seeing everyone storm Milwaukee next June, where swirling discourse will lead to breakthroughs! 

Douglas H. Smith, MD

President, The National Neurotrauma Society