Dear friends and colleagues,

It is with immense pleasure that we welcome you to be part of the unique neurosurgical event in Romania – The Neurosurgical Masterclass, which will be held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania from 28^th February – 1^st March 2020.

Cluj-Napoca has a long-standing tradition in the field of Neurosurgery with the oldest Neurosurgery Students’ Circle, organizing, for more than 15 years, weekly meetings where topics of neurosurgery, neurology, neuroanatomy, are debated between students and experts in the field.

There is always more we can do, so from this passion for neurosurgery was born The Neurosurgical Masterclass- a Congress that has the Students as a main target. This Event wants to play an important role in promoting education and dissemination of knowledge, not only for medical students thinking about a career in neurology/neurosurgery but also for neurosurgical residents that are at the beginning of their road thorough this fascinating field and are interested in improving their knowledge regarding different neurosurgical concepts.

In the present eight edition we have chosen subjects that cover the spectrum of pediatric neurosurgery, a multi-faceted specialty, in part because of the age of the patient, as well as the relationship that develops between the neurosurgeon, the patient and the family. It has been said, and rightly so, that a society should be judged by the way it treats its young and its old—those on the vulnerable edges of life.

Thereby, we have attempted to address pediatric pathologies by inviting expert leaders in neurosurgery to provide their points of view, based on an extensive experience. Practice of pediatric neurosurgery is, after all, an amalgam of time-honored methods that have been passed on from mentors, who learned in a similar manner from their mentors, in a cycle dating back to the origins of pediatric neurosurgery.

What future neurosurgeon would not wish to discover how the experts deal with conditions? Medical students and residents will present among world-leading neurosurgeons, who will come and present us not only approaches to pediatric neurosurgical conditions but also will share their wisdom and life experience.

This congress was not meant to be an exhaustive talk on pediatric neurosurgery, as many such sources of information exist. The strength and benefits of this congress lie in its accessibility towards medical students, its practical approach to the most common diseases and the opportunity to hear the stories of great neurosurgeons.

Congress attendees will have the chance to benefit from experience exchange during the formal activities or the informal meetings with colleagues from different backgrounds. They will also have a chance to actively participate in our event by submitting an abstract on the topic of pediatric (neurologic/neurosurgical) pathology.

We have confidence that find the conference stimulating and rewarding. We are looking forward to welcoming you to Cluj-Napoca in 2020 to what promises to be an exciting, meaningful and fruitful event!

Sincerely yours,

Prof. Ioan Ștefan Florian MD, PhD
Victor Volovici MD, PhD
Stud. Laura Popovici