Neuro-Oncology Committee Report

The global COVID-19 pandemia scrambled all plans the Neuro-oncology Committee (NOC) had launched for 2020.

A new committee was formed in January 2020: JC TONN (Germany); Chair, Y NARITA (Japan), Co-Chair; B Ti ANG (Singapore); FG COLMENA (Argentina); S DAS (Canada); C DIRVEN (Netherlands); N FOROGLOU (Greece); R GROSSMAN (Israel); R KIROLLOS (UK); F LANG (USA); V NARAYANAN; WH NG (Singapore); S OYA (Japan); F RINGEL (Germany); P SCHUCHT (Switzerland; S SHAMIM (Pakistan); G TABATABAI (Germany); A TALACCHI (Italy); Gabriel VARGAS (Colombia); M VOGELBAUM (USA); C WATTS (UK); M WELLER (Switzerland); M WESTPHAL (Germany); G ZADEH (Canada).

Very enthusiastically we started with plans to participate in all major neuro-oncological conferences to interact both on the basis of educational and training courses as well as active members of the scientific community.

The following events were already fixed, with programs and speakers being confirmed:
• Educational Day and participation in the scientific programme at ASNO (Asian Society of Neuro-Oncology) to be held in Bali, Indonesia from October 28 - 31
• WFNS masterclass session during EANS October 2020 in Belgrade (the on-site conference was later cancelled and held as virtual-only with reduced programme)
• Session of the NOC at the WFNS International Symposium Pakistan November 5 - 8 ALL THESE MEETINGS HAD TO BE CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19!

The following events took place with participation by NOC members:
• 29th National Congress of Neurosurgery March 5th – 7th, Monteria, Colombia (Gabriel Vargas Grau, Member NOC and JC Tonn, Chair NOC, as speakers)
• 10th International Brain Tumor Awareness Symposium Nov 7th (virtual) Bucaramanga, Colombia (Congress President Gabriel Vargas Grau, Member NOC and JC Tonn, Chair NOC as speakers)

The Neuro-Oncology Committee looks forward to involvement in the following programmes:
• EANS in Hamburg, October 2021
• WFNOS together with ASNO in Seoul, March 2022
• WFNS meeting in Cape Town in 2023
We sincerely hope that the global COVID-19 pandemia will be under control in 2021 and 2022 so that conferences and meetings can take place again in-person. Despite certain advantages of virtual video and internet-based meetings, nothing can replace the get-together of real persons.