Guest post from Ricardo Komotar, MD
University of Miami, Department of Neurosurgery
Miami, FL
Thirty-two teams of neurosurgeons from top medical institutions competed on May 30th in New York City’s Central Park as part of the 12th Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament. The event was hosted by Columbia University, with proceeds benefitting brain tumor research through the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation(NREF) of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
This year’s competing Departments of Neurosurgery included, The University of Alabama, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Barrow Neurological Institute, University of Colorado Denver, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, University of Florida, The George Washington University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Louisiana State University, Mayo Clinic, University of Miami, University of Michigan, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York University, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Puerto Rico, University of South Florida, University of Tennessee, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Toronto, The University of Utah, Yale University, Vanderbilt University, and Weill Cornell Medical College/Memorial Sloan Kettering.
The eight elite teams were from Barrow Neurological Institute, Columbia University, Duke University, Emory University, Harvard University, The University of Alabama, The University of South Florida and The University of Tennessee. The final four teams were from Barrow Neurological Institute, Duke University, Emory University and The University of Tennessee. Barrow claimed their fifth championship in six years by beating Emory 8-6 in the finals.
Sponsorship was strong again this year, with $100,000 being raised to support neuro-oncology fellowships. “The event was a success again this year, securing much-needed support for brain tumor research,” stated tournament founder and co-director Ricardo Komotar, MD, of the University of Miami.
Planning already has begun for the 13th Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament in June 2016.
For more information about the tournament, visit www.NeuroCharitySoftball.org.