History and Archives

For more than 55 years, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons has provided neurosurgeons with the educational resources and leadership development opportunities they need to become leaders and innovators in the field.

The CNS began in the post-World War II era, when an explosion of young neurosurgeons returned home to their communities, seeking advanced neurosurgical training and recognition from organized neurosurgical societies. To fill this need, 22 men met in Saint Louis, Missouri, on May 10, 1951 and held the founding meeting of the CNS. The first Annual Meeting of the Congress followed in November 1951, in Memphis, Tennessee, with a total membership of 121 neurosurgeons. Since that time, the CNS has grown to be a world leader in neurosurgical education and currently boasts a membership of 6,763 neurosurgeons, worldwide.