The CNS Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Future Women Leaders in Neurosurgery Scholarship (FWLN), established by a generous gift from an anonymous donor. The three inaugural winners of Future Women Leaders in Neurosurgery Scholarships will receive grant awards between $1,500 and $2,500 to pay for their selected courses in leadership skills.

Beverly Cheserem, Assistant Professor and Consultant neurosurgeon at the Aga Khan University Hospital, is from Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Cheserem will allocate her award to attend, “Surgical Leadership Program” at Harvard Medical School.

Kimberly Hoang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Hoang will allocate her award to attend the three-day online symposium, “Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare,” offered by Harvard Medical School.

Sylvia Shitsama is a consultant Neurosurgeon and a lecturer at the School of Medicine, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Shitsama will allocate her award to attend the three-day online symposium, “Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare,” offered by Harvard Medical School.

Beverly Cheserem	Kimberly Hoang	Sylvia Shitsama

In addition to the grant awards mentioned above, the three winners will also receive a travel grant to attend the CNS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. The winners will be honored during the CNS Annual Meeting at CNS Foundation events and at the Women in Neurosurgery 30th Anniversary Celebration on October 17th. The travel grants were made possible through the generosity of Foundation industry partner Penumbra, Inc.

"In the spirit of the 2021 Annual Meeting theme, "Vision for the Future," I am thrilled to welcome these future leaders of neurosurgery to the 2021 CNS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. Thank you, CNS Foundation, for making this possible," said President Brian Hoh.

“The CNS community responded generously to the lead donor’s challenge. Together, we have raised more than $70,000. Let’s continue building this scholarship fund so that these awards are given to deserving women luminaries in neurosurgery for years to come,” said Elad Levy, Chair of the CNS Foundation and CNS President-Elect.

“We are delighted to be able to meet these three future leaders in neurosurgery during the CNS Annual Meeting. Thanks to the generosity of our visionary donor and Penumbra, Inc., our WINS celebration will have even more to celebrate,” said Martina Stippler, a CNS Foundation Board member, CNS Secretary-Elect and Past President of Women in Neurosurgery Section (WINS).

“The pool of applicants was outstanding,” said Ellen Air, CNS Member-at-Large and President of WINS, “There is a large group of ambitious, admirable women in neurosurgery. With the support of many, we look forward to continuing these scholarships for years to come.”

The anonymous donor has pledged two more years of gifts to the Clinical Scientist Career Development fund and asks that the CNS community continue to contribute and build this scholarship’s success.

To learn more: Foundation@CNS.org, or contact Courtney Johnson, Manager of CNS Foundation and Giving at CJohnson@CNS.org. 

###

About CNS Foundation
The CNS Foundation’s philanthropic mission is to improve worldwide patient health by supporting innovative programs that allow neurosurgeons to collaborate globally as researchers, learners, educators, and caregivers. Based in Schaumburg, Illinois, the three mission pillars are international philanthropy, clinical scientist career development and neurosurgical guidelines development, review and dissemination. The 2019 “Match for the Mission” campaign will match all gifts from individuals and medical societies until the entire $1 million is matched. For more information about the CNS Foundation or to make your gift, please go to https://www.cns.org/about-us/foundation, or contact Courtney Johnson, Manager of Foundation & Giving, at Foundation@CNS.org.