Medal Awardee 2011
During the 14th WFNS Interim Meeting in Porto de Galinhas/Brazil from September 14-17, 2011 the Madjid Samii Medal of Honor was awarded to Professor Maurice Choux from Marseille, France.
Maurice Choux was born on September 5, 1934 and studied at the Medical University in Marseille. He was progressively involved in pediatric neurosurgery from 1964. After several training visits in Chicago at the Children’s Memorial Hospital he decided together with Dr. Tony Raimondi to found the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) in 1972 which held its first official meeting in Tokyo in 1973.
His administrative functions in scientific societies are among others:
- Chairman of the Training Committee of the European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (1991-1994)
- Président de la SNCLF: Paris (1994-1997)
- President of the European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ESPN), 1996-1998
- President de la Société Française de Neurochirurgie Pédiatrique, Lille (1998-2001)
- Secretary of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), Amsterdam (1997-2001)
- Chairman of the Training and Education Committee of the WFNS, Sydney (2001-2005)
- Member of the WFNS Foundation (2005)
- Member of the Education and Training Committee of the WFNS (2005)
- Honorary President of the WFNS (2007)
Thanks to his dedication to the field of pediatric neurosurgery, this small, specific field of neurosurgery has gained the widespread recognition and acceptance it deserves around the world. Since his retirement, he has traveled the world to impart his knowledge to pediatric neurosurgeons, particularly in developing countries.
The WFNS Executive Committee and Madjid Samii agreed unanimously that Maurice Choux has deserved to be the first laureate of the Madjid Samii Medal of Honor.
