Resident's Prize
One way that the Association promotes research and leadership in hydrocephalus is through our annual Resident’s Prize. This prize is awarded each year to the most promising hydrocephalus-related research paper presented by a neurosurgical resident at the Pediatric Section meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (AANS/CNS).
The Association is pleased to announce Dr. Ellen Air as the winner of our 2008 Resident’s Prize. Dr. Air received the $500 award for her paper titled “A longitudinal comparison of pre- and postoperative DTI parameters in young hydrocephalic children” which she presented at the recent Pediatric Section of the AANS/CNS meeting in Spokane, WA.
Dr. Air earned her B.A. degree from Northwestern University in 1997. She then matriculated into the M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, earning her Ph.D. in 2002. Her thesis work focused on the hypothalamic regulation of food intake and body weight and was supported by a Physician Scientist Training Award from the American Diabetes Association. After completing her M.D. in 2004, she began neurosurgical training at the University of Cincinnati, where she is currently in her fifth year. She continues active research in several areas of neurosurgery, including new applications for neuromodulatory techniques and the use of advanced imaging techniques for the diagnosis and prognosis of hydrocephalus. These efforts have resulted in 20 peer-reviewed publications, including a first-authored paper in Nature Medicine. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, and she was recently recognized by the Ohio State Neurosurgical Society for her presentation on stereotactic biopsy of eloquent brain.
Congratulations to Dr. Air!