The Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) has long recognized that strategic investments back into the field pay significant dividends in terms of growing and broadening the reach of the organization and supporting the academic careers of our members. Over the years, SNO has created a number of committees, each tasked with addressing an unmet need in the field or increasing the participation and presence of an underrepresented group. This installment of the series of articles commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Society for Neuro-Oncology will focus on the work of the International Outreach Committee, the Young Investigators Committee, the Wellness Committee, and the recently established Women and Diversity Committee.
The International Outreach Committee
The International Outreach Committee of SNO was created in 2006, thanks to the visionary leadership of Abhijit Guha, then the President of the Society, and his recognition of the increasingly global perspective of the membership of the organization. Volunteer members to serve on the Committee were recruited, and eight global regions of particular need were identified: Central & Southern Africa, China and Associated Countries, Eastern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East & North Africa, Central America, South America, and Australasia.
Through a competitive application process, the International Outreach Committee has awarded travel scholarships to physicians and scientists from low-income countries, allowing promising young professionals from developing regions to attend and participate in the SNO Annual Meeting. As noted in Table 1, to date, close to 100 scholarships have been awarded to physicians from over 40 different countries.
Table 1.
Countries participating in the SNO Travel Scholarship Program
| Country | Number of investigators per country |
|---|---|
| Algeria | 1 |
| Argentina | 3 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| China | 5 |
| Colombia | 3 |
| Cuba | 1 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 |
| Egypt | 5 |
| Georgia | 2 |
| Ghana | 1 |
| Guatemala | 1 |
| Honduras | 1 |
| India | 12 |
| Indonesia | 2 |
| Iran | 1 |
| Jordan | 1 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 1 |
| Kenya | 1 |
| Malaysia | 1 |
| Mexico | 3 |
| Mongolia | 1 |
| Morocco | 2 |
| Namibia | 1 |
| Nepal | 4 |
| Nigeria | 6 |
| Pakistan | 2 |
| Panama | 2 |
| Paraguay | 1 |
| Philippines | 4 |
| Qatar | 1 |
| Russia | 4 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 |
| Serbia | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 |
| Sudan | 1 |
| Tunisia | 1 |
| Turkey | 2 |
| Ukraine | 2 |
| Viet Nam | 1 |
| Yemen | 1 |
The International Outreach Committee has also sought to address the imbalances and inequalities in the care of patients with brain tumors by organizing courses and symposia in low-income regions so that education can be delivered to those who cannot attend the Annual Meeting. Thanks to the generous support of the Greg Wilkins-Barrick Chair in International Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, and with additional matching support from the SNO Foundation, the International Outreach Committee has had the opportunity to develop symposia in Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Nigeria, and most recently, South Africa. In 2017, the Committee was pleased to partner with the International Brain Tumour Alliance and the Zimbabwe Brain Tumour Association to organize a meeting in London that ultimately led to the creation of the Society for Neuro-Oncology in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In an exceptionally successful program that leverages the resources of SNO’s publishing partner, Oxford University Press, the Society has been able to significantly extend the global reach of our official journals, Neuro-Oncology and Neuro-Oncology Practice. Both publications are now available at a significant discount, and in some instances, at no cost, to educational institutions, libraries, and individuals in developing nations around the world. And looking forward, our recently launched new journal, Neuro-Oncology Advances, developed in partnership with the European Association of Neuro-Oncology, offers cutting science to researchers in every corner of the world at no cost to the reader.
The Young Investigators Committee
The SNO Young Investigators Committee was established in 2010 with a mandate to develop educational and academic resources specifically for the Society’s junior members. The Committee is tasked with the responsibility of advising the Board of Directors on issues pertaining to graduate students, residents, fellows, and members within the first five years of their initial clinical or academic appointment.
The work of the Committee has included social “speed networking” events, specially commissioned courses for those new to the field, lectures, and roundtables on the practical aspects of managing a career in neuro-oncology, and more recently, assistance with vitae review and the creation of a formal mentorship program. Through these efforts, the Society has become a dynamic force in promoting the careers and knowledge of young scientists and clinician-researchers who are able to gain access to the expertise of the senior membership.
Wellness Committee
SNOCares, an initiative of the SNO Wellness Committee, was launched in 2017 to address SNO member burnout after results shared from the Neuro-Oncology Burnout and Career Satisfaction Survey found that 63% of neuro-oncology professionals have a higher incidence of burnout than those working in other areas of cancer.
Through the SNOCares initiative, the Wellness Committee has organized various activities during the Annual Meeting and throughout the year to provide healthy ways to manage stress, which in turn mitigate symptoms of burnout. These efforts have included morning yoga sessions, chair massages, complimentary stress balls, and the creation of tip cards containing techniques that can be incorporated within one’s daily routine to promote relaxation.
More recently, the SNO Wellness Committee has been actively involved in developing resources to help neuro-oncology professionals around the world manage and ameliorate burnout during the current pandemic.
Women and Diversity Committee
In 2018, the Women in Neuro-Oncology Committee (WiN.) was established with a primary mission of advancing the careers of women in neuro-oncology. The inaugural meeting of WiN took place at the Annual Meeting in New Orleans, in a conference room filled to capacity.
The Committee was highly productive from the outset, and in 2019 created working groups focusing on career enhancement, research, the unique needs of women in neuro-oncology, and networking and mentorship. The Committee also established a working group to highlight the accomplishments of outstanding women in the Society with a Mentorship Award, an Exemplary Mid-Career Physician Award, and research awards for Basic Science and Clinical Research.
As a result of WiN.’s successful initiatives, in an effort to support all underrepresented groups within the field of neuro-oncology, the decision was made to broaden the scope by officially renaming the Committee this year as the Women and Diversity Committee. In addition to carrying on and extending the important work of WiN., the new Committee is also developing new initiatives to further support member engagement, research, and clinical care. Working groups have been developed to focus on inclusivity in clinical trials, community outreach, neuro-oncology of women and diverse populations, diverse investigator taskforce, and mentorship and networking. In addition to the working groups, the Committee is organizing a Symposium focused on Inclusive research and the scope of SNO’s diverse membership as an adjunct to the 2020 Annual Meeting.
Conclusion
As the field of neuro-oncology experiences major advances driven by new scientific insights and discoveries, we are obligated to also advance the careers and wellbeing of our members. While outreach and inclusive initiatives have accomplished a great deal, there is no doubt that more work needs to be done. The Society for Neuro-Oncology, therefore, remains committed to investing in its diverse and talented membership in its next quarter-century.