August 18, 2020, Schaumburg, Illinois – The Congress of Neurological Surgeons Foundation (CNS Foundation) announced that Nicolas Au Yong, assistant professor of Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine, was named the third recipient of the NINDS/CNSF “Getch” K12 Scholar Award by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award, which aims to increase the number of neurosurgeon-scientists trained to conduct research into neurological disorders, is made possible by a collaboration with the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH).

“The CNS Foundation’s commitment to the NIH K12 program is a vital part of our philanthropic efforts,” said Steven Kalkanis, 2020 CNS President. “As has been made abundantly clear in recent months, we must continue to invest in the brilliant, curious minds of our young clinicians so they may focus on solving our most vexing problems.”

“On behalf of the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University, I want to express our deep gratitude to the NINDS and the CNS Foundation for honoring our colleague, Nicholas Au Yong, as the most recent NINDS/CNSF “Getch” K12 Scholar Award recipient,” said Daniel Barrow, Professor and Chairman of the Pamela R. Rollins Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine. “Dr. Au Yong is the newest member of our stereotactic and functional neurosurgery team. His K12 project continues his long-standing commitment to spinal cord injury and physiology research, spanning two decades. Programs like this and surgeon-scientists like Dr. Au Yong will ensure the long tradition of research in our specialty continues.”

Dr. Au Yong’s preclinical research program at Emory is centered on the development of neuromodulation therapies for restoring motor control and homeostatic regulation through leveraging residual viable peripheral, spinal and supraspinal networks.
“We look forward to seeing Dr. Au Yong continue in his role as a key investigator,” said Elad I. Levy, Chair of the CNS Foundation. “The uniqueness of this award’s value to provide two years of protected research time at his home institution cannot be understated. We are confident that his research will lead to significant and lasting contributions to our field.”

Previous NINDS/CNS K12 “Getch” Scholar Award recipients are:

2016-2017
Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy
Brian Dlouhy, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
Presented at the 2018 CNS Annual Meeting

2018-2019
How Brain Tumors Develop, Grow, and Become Malignant
Babacar Cisse, Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center
Babacar Cisse, to present at the CNS Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida, September 13-17, 2020.

About the 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. As a 501(c) (3) based in Schaumburg, Illinois, the three mission pillars are International Philanthropy, Innovative Clinical Research and CNS Guidelines Development. The 2019 “Matched 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.

About the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) is the global leader in neurosurgical education, serving to promote health by advancing neurosurgery through innovation and excellence in education. The CNS provides leadership in neurosurgery by inspiring and facilitating scientific discovery and its translation into clinical practice. The CNS maintains the vitality of the profession through volunteer efforts of its members and the development of leadership in service to the public, to colleagues in other disciplines, and to neurosurgeons throughout the world in all stages of their professional lives. For more information, visit cns.org.

About the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH)

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health creates and manages alliances with public and private institutions in support of the mission of the NIH, the world’s premier medical research agency. The Foundation, also known as the FNIH, works with its partners to accelerate biomedical research and strategies against diseases and health concerns in the United States and across the globe. The FNIH organizes and administers research projects; supports education and training of new researchers; organizes educational events and symposia; and administers a series of funds supporting a wide range of health issues. Established by Congress in 1990, the FNIH is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) charitable organization. For additional information about the FNIH, please visit fnih.org.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is one of the institutes within the NIH with a mission to see fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. The NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH, its institutes and programs, visit www.nih.gov.

About the NRCDP (K12) Program

The Neurosurgeon Research Career Development Program (NRCDP; https://www.neurocdp.org/) is a national program developed by NINDS to ensure that outstanding neurosurgeon researchers who are post residency have the opportunity to develop strong research programs early in their faculty careers. The program has a twofold mission: 1) to financially support a select group of neurosurgeons in their first and second faculty years to enable them to develop a strong research program that will be competitive for individual NIH funding and 2) to annually engage a community of neurosurgeon leaders,
department chairs, established researchers, and the emerging generation of neurosurgeon researchers to facilitate the growth and vitality of neurosurgeon research.