Anthony L. Asher, MD, FAANS, has been named president-elect of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
Asher serves as president and enterprise service line leader of Atrium Health Neurosciences Institute, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and academic lead, Department of Neurological Surgery at Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center. He recently served as director of the neurosurgery residency training program at Carolinas Medical Center and surgical director of the neuro-oncology program at Atrium Health’s Levine Cancer Institute. He is a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Carolinas Medical Center, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as well as professor of orthopedic surgery at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Musculoskeletal Institute.
Asher is a member of one of the nation’s largest and most respected private practices, Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates, where his primary clinical interests include neuro-oncology, skull-base surgery, stereotactic surgery, trigeminal neuralgia and minimally invasive spine surgery.
In the field of neurosurgery, Asher has served in numerous leadership positions, including president, Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), vice chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) and treasurer, American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). He is also past chairman of the Central Nervous System Organ Site Committee of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group.
Asher is passionate about improving surgical quality outcomes and has developed and directed several unprecedented national cooperative clinical databases in neurosurgery and related fields including the Quality and Outcomes Database (QOD), the American Spine Registry (ASR) and ABNS POST, the latter serving as the primary clinical data resource supporting the process of ABNS primary board certification.
“Given the prevalence and massive societal impact of neurosurgical disorders, such as stroke, tumors and degenerative spine disease – along with dramatic recent breakthroughs in associated care – neuroscience research and therapies represent some of our most potent methods to positively impact the health and well-being of individuals, as well as unique patient populations,” says Asher. “The AANS has, throughout its long history, been dedicated to advancing the science and practice of neurosurgery for the benefit of our many domestic and international members, along with the patients we are so privileged to serve. In that regard, I am very grateful to have been named president-elect of the AANS, and I’m thrilled to work alongside the association’s dedicated physician leadership, staff and executive leadership to advance our singular mission. It’s a true honor to serve on behalf of an association that speaks for all of neurosurgery and is committed to maintaining the vitality, integrity and relevance of our specialty.”
Asher completed his neurosurgery residency training at the University of Michigan and was awarded one of the original Howard Hughes Medical Institute-National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Scholarships. He amplified his basic and translational research training as a fellow in the surgery branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH.
The 2022-23 AANS Executive Committee members are President Ann R. Stroink, MD, FAANS; Past-President Regis W. Haid Jr., MD, FAANS; President-elect Anthony L. Asher, MD, FAANS; Vice President E. Sander Connolly, Jr., MD, FAANS; Secretary E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, PhD, FAANS and Treasurer Sepideh Amin-Hanjani, MD, FAANS.
Media Representatives:
If you have interest in a topic related to neurosurgery or would like to interview a neurosurgeon, please contact Spencer Bone, AANS communications, via email at sbone@aans.org.
About the 2022 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting:
April 29-May 2 in Philadelphia, Penn., neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals will join together for the 2022 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting. This meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the field’s latest research and technological advances. This is the first in-person annual meeting since 2019. The scientific presentations accepted for the 2022 event will represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery. Find additional information about the 2022 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, themed “The Culture of Neurosurgery,” and the meeting program at www.aans.org/meeting.
About the AANS:
Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 13,000 members worldwide. The AANS promotes the highest quality of patient care and advances the specialty of neurological surgery. Fellows of the AANS are board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, A.C. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the spinal column, spinal cord, brain, nervous system and peripheral nerves.
For more information, visit www.AANS.org.
