It is hard to believe we are already halfway through the year, and that I am halfway through my fourth year serving as your Executive Director & CEO. Reflecting on the first half of 2026, I am encouraged by how far we have come and energized by what lies ahead.
We are also midway through the second year of our three-year strategic plan. At its heart, that plan asks a simple question: How must CNS continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of our members, our profession, and the patients and families you serve? We have accomplished much of what we set out to do, and the lessons learned along the way are already shaping what comes next. But the plan is not the story. You are. What follows is the proof of it.
Consider only the first half of this year. We welcomed 25 new Fellows of the Child Neurology Society. Our CN Training Task Force completed its work with the publication of an important article on the future of child neurology training, and many of you are now shaping that future directly through the ACGME program requirements process, ensuring the expertise of child neurologists is represented where it matters most. Members took part in our Advances in Pediatric Neurology Seminar Series, webinars, and tuned in to new episodes of the Brainstorm podcast. Every one of these is a member who chose to show up.
We also completed our child neurology workforce survey, which will offer valuable insight into our specialty today and where it is headed. We look forward to sharing that report later this year.
Nowhere is the power of showing up clearer than in advocacy. Much of this work happens behind the scenes, so I want to thank the members who have made time in demanding schedules to take part. Since launching our advocacy program, CNS members have participated in 15 legislative meetings, seven of them already in 2026, elevating the issues that matter most to child neurologists and the families we serve. This year, we also released our statement on vaccines, a companion series of educational videos from our Vaccine Action Task Force, and our statement on leucovorin use in autism. These efforts reflect our commitment to evidence-based expertise and to ensuring the voice of child neurology is heard on the issues affecting our patients, families, and profession.
If advocacy matters to you, I invite you to get involved. Join the CNS Community Panel and complete Advocacy 101 in the Education Center; from there, we can connect you with opportunities to help strengthen our collective voice.
There is no better place to strengthen that voice than in the same room. This October, we gather in Montreal for our 55th CNS Annual Meeting, October 14–17. I hope you will join us for the premier event of our year. We are also introducing two new pre-conference offerings, our Biomedical Writing Workshop and Genetics Summit, as part of a broader effort to create more ways for you to learn, participate, and connect all year long.
As we look ahead, we must recognize a fundamental truth: Membership takes work. Without members, there is no Society. Sustaining a strong organization is increasingly difficult amid political, financial, environmental, and societal change.
The future of CNS will take all of us.
So, I invite you to look to the colleague on your left and your right, in front of you and behind you. Invite them. Encourage them to join and engage. The more voices and perspectives we bring together, the stronger we become.
Because the Child Neurology Society is where we come together.
Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Executive Director & CEO. I look forward to seeing you in Montreal, and to all we will continue to accomplish together.