2020 Annual Report Captures Successes of Challenging Year

It’s a year we may wish to put behind us, but to not read the 2020 Annual Report would be to miss out on how the Academy overcame extraordinary obstacles to end the year stronger and with more members than ever before. “2020 was a year like no other in the AAN’s history,” said President James C. Stevens, MD, FAAN. “Against a turbulent pandemic that endangered the health and welfare of our members and their patients, the Academy did everything it could to support your delivery of high-quality health care and increase the value of your membership. Virtual conferencing and added online education resources helped you continue to stay current with your skills. Our advocacy successes improved reimbursements, strengthened telehealth, increased research support, and helped ensure neurologists had the tools needed to confront the COVID-19 epidemic. The Academy publicly declared itself an antiracist organization and recommitted to a proven track record of promoting inclusion, diversity, equality, and social justice. All of this and more is captured in this report to members.” Visit AAN.com/AnnualReort to read how the AAN’s actions had a positive impact for neurologists, resulting in record membership numbers by the end of the year. 

I'm #NeurologyProud and proud to call the AAN my home!

Assessment of Leadership Program Graduates Shows Positive Impact

The AAN provides opportunities for all Hope O’Brien, MD, MBA, FAAN, and members to engage with its events, Beau Nakamoto, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAN, programs, and services at every point in chair and vice chair respectively of the their career. The Academy’s Leadership Leadership Engagement Subcommittee, Program is one such offering. These were charged with gathering and graduates are prepared to assume evaluating these responses. leadership roles in their places of work, their communities, and within the AAN. O'Brien “Based on the results of this assessment,” said O’Brien, “I am pleased to see such To better understand the progress a positive response to the leadership of graduates in that regard, the Leadership Development programs. However, there is still a need to support Committee embarked on a long-term follow-up assessment opportunities for leadership within and outside of the that would survey all leadership program graduates every two organization. As we continue to build on what we’ve learned, years. Results of the first long-term follow-up assessment we will work to expand our definition of leadership and strive include responses from 143 of 148 graduates from the 2013 to to meet the needs of all our members.” 2018 programs for Diversity Leadership, Emerging Leaders, Practice Leadership, Transforming Leaders, and Women Leading in Neurology. Individuals who participate in these programs are asked to complete a pre-assessment prior to the start of their multi-month program, a post-assessment “I am impressed by the overwhelming desire to engage with the AAN,” said Nakamoto. “I think the 97 percent participation with the long-term follow-up assessment is a reflection of the level of engagement from our leadership program graduates.” immediately following the completion of their program, and a Below are some of the results of the assessment. one-year follow-up assessment as alumni of the program.

Nakamoto

AAN Mission and Vision

Respondents rated their agreement or disagreement with understanding AAN mission and vision, understanding AAN committee structure and function, feeling that their contributions to AAN are meaningful, and that they have a strong network of colleagues on a 5-point Likert scale from as strongly agree (2) to strongly disagree (-2). Overall, 98 percent of leadership program graduates clearly understand the AAN’s mission and vision, 91 percent felt they had a strong network of AAN colleagues, 90 percent had a deep understanding of AAN’s committee structure and function, and 88 percent felt their contributions to the AAN were personally meaningful.

Leadership Potential

Respondents rated their agreement or disagreement to statements about achieving their leadership potential inside and outside of the AAN on a 5-point Likert scale from as strongly agree (2) to strongly disagree (-2). Overall, 80 percent of leadership program graduates felt that they were achieving their leadership potential outside the AAN while 56 percent thought they were doing so inside the AAN.

Current and Desired Level of Engagement with the AAN

Respondents rated their current and desired level of engagement with the AAN on a 5-point Likert scale from as very engaged (4) to not at all engaged (0). Overall, 92 percent of leadership program graduates desire to remain engaged with the AAN, and 72 percent stated that they currently are engaged.

Well-being and Resilience

Respondents rated their quality of life and average level of fatigue on an 11-point Likert scale from as bad as it can get (0) to as good as it can get (10) with 5 being the neutral point in the middle. Charts below show the percent of graduates who rated each question as good, with scores between 6 and 10. Overall, 87 percent of leadership program graduates rated their overall quality of life as good while 68 percent rated their average level of fatigue as good.

Nakamoto said, “I am excited to work with the AAN on the possibility of creating new ways for our members to engage with the AAN. It is also noteworthy to see the AAN’s commitment to diversity and equity in our organization. Training leaders who are representative of the AAN membership and our profession will improve the care we deliver to the patient communities we serve. “It makes me happy to be part of an organization of health care professionals who feel a strong connection to one another,” he continued. “I am excited about working with the AAN to help us develop deeper connections with other members within our organization.” 

Member Featured in Spotlight Video for International Accomplishments

A new entry in the series of inspirational Member Spotlight videos is available for viewing. AAN President James C. Stevens, MD, FAAN, has interviewed members living the values of the AAN in inspiring ways, and in this episode he chats with Jerome Chin, MD, MPH, PhD, FAAN, an adjunct professor in the department of neurology at New York University School of Medicine, the chair of the Academy’s International Subcommittee, and the founding chair of our Global Health Section. Chin shared with Stevens some of his experiences and motivations in carrying out international work and his proudest accomplishments. He is a visiting faculty member at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, and Muhumbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he teaches neurology for two months every year. Chin founded the Alliance for Stroke Awareness and Prevention Project, a student-led, volunteer initiative providing free, community-based screening and counseling for high blood pressure diabetes in Uganda, Tanzania, India, and Nepal. This exchange and previous videos that show how members are demonstrating AAN values can be seen in a playlist on the AAN YouTube channel at YouTube.com/AANchannel. 