The Society for Neuro-Oncology: 20/20 vision for the future

摘要

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) and with that, the opportunity to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of the organization over the past quarter-century. With current membership at over 2600 neuro-oncology professionals across all disciplines, the scientific and clinical landscape was quite different in the mid-1990’s. Recognizing the potential of centralizing multidisciplinary interactions and generating synergy to move both basic research and clinical therapies of neurological malignancies forward, several leaders in the field, led by Victor Levin, MD, conceptualized and laid the initial foundation in late 1994 for what we now know as SNO. Initially called The North American Society for Neuro-Oncology, the nascent organization included only 88 professionals from the United States and Canada. The founding members further refined the concept, rewriting the bylaws, and, in its new iteration, officially renaming the collective body as the “Society for Neuro-Oncology”. The next landmark to lay out the mission of the Society was formulated at an organizational meeting in late 1995 held during the 11th International Conference on Brain Tumor Research and Therapy, also known as the “Asilomar” meeting, at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Membership then grew to 163 professionals, and in 1996, SNO was officially incorporated as a non-profit (charity) organization in Texas. The astronomical growth of the society since then has been due to an unprecedented dedication and collaboration among members within all aspects of the field, which has helped grow SNO to its current stature as a highly reputed international society that has helped launch national and global efforts not only for the benefit of its membership, but also for the neuro-oncology community and patients at large. It is with this spirit of cooperation, vision, and leadership that SNO arrives at this 25th anniversary of its existence in 2020.