It is an incredible honor for me to lead and serve this great Society of ours. While we have seen great success, we want to do more. Our industry is grounded in tradition – but respects innovation. We are headed for greater places – as healthcare changes, we aim to evolve with it. Our job is to ensure that CNS thrives in the next 50 years.
As we start a new phase of our journey together, I want to share some background on myself and what inspires and motivates me.
Who am I?
I am 50ish. I’ve been married for 24 years, and we have three kids. I am a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Like you, what I do and how I think are shaped by my family and my overall life experiences. Many who know me say I am also defined by my curiosity and commitment to life-long learning. I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. So family, curiosity, and desire for knowledge all define me.
Why am I here?
When deciding to join the CNS, four areas stood out most:
- That patient care is first and foremost
- The dedication demonstrated by the CNS professional staff team to assist members like you
- A duty to the future of the specialty and,
- Your commitment to leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We have a great team at the CNS, and I am excited to build upon that team as we continue to make it the premier organization for current and future child neurologists. We plan to grow the team, give people the resources they need, and continue to deliver the highest quality programs, products, and services to you.
Our plans for the CNS include:
- Strengthening the governance model with the board, committees, and SIGs
- Enhancing our digital footprint by expanding our social, mobile, and web experiences
- Growing opportunities for you to engage through new and expanded offerings
- Amplifying our operations and infrastructure that enables us to meet your needs as CNS members
This is going to be a team effort. And I am deeply grateful to the entire team here at the CNS – our Board Chair, Bruce Cohen, the Search Committee, and CNS professional staff – for their support and assistance in helping me transition into this position.
The CNS looks to meet the changing needs of our community. I hope we can count on you to join us as a future board, committee, and SIG member that drives innovation and strengthen the specialty. Share your expertise, experience, and research as a speaker or faculty member for our annual meetings, webinars, and podcasts or as an author for our new journal, Annals of the Child Neurology Society (ACNS).
If you have questions about CNS and our plans, don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. You can reach me at smterrell@childneurologysociety.org.
Thank you.