James Rutka Honoured by American Association of Neurological Surgeons
University of Toronto Professor James Rutka received the Cushing Medal from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons this week at its annual meeting in San Diego. He is just the second Canadian to win the award in its 43-year history.
Rutka is the RS McLaughlin Professor and Chair in the department of surgery at U of T. In his acceptance speech, he thanked the staff of the association, his colleagues on its executive committee, and the editorial staff of the Journal of Neurosurgery, of which he is editor-in-chief. He also thanked his family.
“Receiving the Cushing Medal from the AANS is one of the greatest honours of my professional career, as it is an organization in which I have worked hard to make a difference these past 30 years,” Rutka said, when asked about the importance of the award.
The Cushing Medal is named after Dr. Harvey Cushing, the founder of neurosurgery as a specialty within surgery. It is the highest honor the association can bestow on a member. The award recognizes association members for distinguished service and outstanding contributions to neurosurgery.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons was founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, and today has more than 8,000 members, dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery and to providing the high-quality patient care.
