Schaumburg, Ill., October 14, 2025—The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) is pleased to announce Martina Stippler, FCNS as its president for the 2025-2026 term. Dr. Stippler officially assumed the role during the 2025 CNS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles and is now the first woman president of the 12,000-member organization, the global leader in neurosurgical education which promotes health by advancing neurosurgery through innovation and excellence in education.
Dr. Stippler is the director of neurotrauma at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston and holds an appointment as associate professor of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Stippler completed residency in neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine after graduating from the University of Innsbruck School of Medicine, Austria. She completed Harvard Medical School’s Rabkin Fellowship in Healthcare Education in 2020.
When I joined the Executive Committee a decade ago, I was the only woman serving at that time. Since then, the Committee and Neurosurgery has become more diverse, and I am proud to now serve as the CNS’s first woman president—a milestone that reflects the change we are starting to see in neurosurgery.
Dr. Stippler has also held administrative leadership positions in academic medicine. She has been a member of the executive committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons since 2016 including a 3-year term as CNS Secretary, and in addition to her role as President-Elect, currently serves as Washington Committee Liaison, and Senior Advisor to the CNS Foundation. Dr. Stippler is also the past chair of the AANS/CNS Section of Neurotrauma and Neurocritical care and a member of the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons. Her academic work focuses on developing clinical guidelines for traumatic brain injury and surgical education. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Dr. Stippler becomes the 76th President of the CNS marking an important milestone in the profession of neurosurgery.
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About the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) is the global leader in neurosurgical education, serving to promote health by advancing neurosurgery through innovation and excellence in education. The CNS provides leadership in neurosurgery by inspiring and facilitating scientific discoveries and its translation into clinical practice. The CNS maintains the vitality of the profession through the volunteer efforts of its members and the development of leadership in service to the public, to colleagues in other disciplines, and to neurosurgeons throughout the world in all stages of their professional lives. For more information, visit cns.org.