On March 24, 2012, the Brain Science Foundation and Brigham & Women’s Hospital cosponsored Pituitary Day 2012. More than 100 people—patients, caregivers, family, and friends with leading clinicians, researchers, nurses and other experts—came together to discuss the latest in pituitary diagnosis and treatment. Click here to view the welcoming remarks from the day, and here to view the days’ program.
The all-day event opened with the Brain Science Foundation’s newest Trustee, Costa Sideridis, giving the welcome. “I’m here today because I was once in your shoes as an attendee at this event,” began Mr. Sideridis. “I’ve now been to a few of these and I learn something each time. We’re really blessed to have an organization like the Brain Science Foundation and especially someone like Dr. Laws here to put in the energy and resources to offer this event. I’m honored to have this chance to welcome you and I hope everyone has a great day.” The all-star faculty, led by Dr. Edward Laws, included experts from a number of leading health care institutions, including Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and St. John’s Medical Center in Santa Monica, California.
The event covered a wide spectrum of topics—from the prognosis of various pituitary tumors, to surgical treatment and hormonal therapies. A popular session on the psychological aspects of pituitary disease also elicited a great deal of participation from the group. The event emphasized providing patients with information about their disease with ample opportunity for questions from the experienced faculty. “Tremendous day,” one patient noted. “I attended to understand Cushing’s better, but now I understand the whole pituitary system better.”
The Brain Science Foundation is proud to offer educational events aimed at directly benefiting patients, which aligns closely with our mission to improve the knowledge and understanding of primary brain tumors and brain function. With the great success of this day, we hope to offer the program again next year. In the near future, we will be cosponsoring the Master Class in Endoscopic Anterior Skull Base Surgery, a course for neurosurgeons and other health professionals to learn about and witness Dr. Laws’s advanced techniques for operating on pituitary tumors. Dr. Laws noted “I am more convinced than ever that this is a great thing to do for our patients. All of the talks and discussions and arrangements were outstanding.”