The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has elected Ralph L Sacco (Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Miami, USA) as its 35th president. Sacco succeeds Terrence L Cascino, who completed his two-year term as president during the recent AAN Annual Meeting (22–28 April, Boston USA).
“The AAN is a growing, vibrant organisation that is committed to its mission of providing the highest quality patient-centered neurological care, and enhancing member career satisfaction,” said Sacco. “Like the presidents before me, I am dedicated to expanding the reach of the AAN, and demonstrating the immense value of neurology. I am also committed to helping grow our pipeline of future neurologists to ensure the one in six people affected by neurologic disease has access to a neurologist.”
Sacco is a career-long member of the AAN, most recently serving as president-elect and on the AAN Board of Directors. In addition to his involvement at the AAN, Sacco is the Department of Neurology chair and the Olemberg Family chair in Neurological Disorders at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is also the executive director of the Evelyn McKnight Brain Institute and chief of the Neurology Service at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, USA.
Sacco was the first neurologist to serve as the president of the American Heart Association from 2010 to 2011. He is the principal investigator of the Northern Manhattan Study, the Florida Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities, AHA/ASA Bugher Center of Excellence, as well as co-investigator of multiple other NIH grants. He has received numerous awards, including the AAN Wartenberg Lecture, AHA Feinberg Award of Excellence in Clinical Stroke, the WSO Global Stroke Leadership Award, AHA Gold Heart Award and the NINDS Javits Award in Neuroscience.
The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with 32,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care.
