Practical Clinics
Friday, May 1
Elevate Your 2026 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting Experience with Practical Clinics!
Immerse yourself in hands-on, in-depth sessions designed to equip you with cutting-edge skills and practical knowledge. Our Practical Clinics offer a focused, interactive learning environment where you can master new techniques and best practices that will directly impact your daily work. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your professional development.
8 – 11:30 am
This course is aimed at assisting medical students interested in applying to a neurosurgical residency program. Facilitators will present the essentials in the application process and discuss specific attributes that program directors, residents and faculty associate with a successful neurosurgical resident. The topics include research as a medical student, taking time off, foreign applicants, women applicants, neurosurgery mentorship and shadowing. Panels of both successful neurosurgery residents and neurosurgical department leaders (chairs, program directors) present their “do’s and don’ts” for sub-internships, interviews and their optimal residency candidates. A comprehensive review of resources available to assist medical students in the application process and during residency is presented.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify key attributes for success in a neurosurgical residency applicant.
- Prepare for the neurosurgical application process from the written application to the interview.
- Discuss a variety of medical student paths for applying to neurosurgery (including research years, foreign medical students, women in neurosurgery).
- Summarize the available resources of the AANS to assist medical students, including mentorship and ways to get involved with the AANS.
$450 Physicians & Non-Physicians | $130 Neurosurgical Team, Residents/Fellows and Medical Students
View the full agenda, faculty and moderators here.
8 - 11:30 am
This half-day didactic only course will review basic and advanced endoscopic spine surgery procedures through a simple “why, when and how (and how not to)” structure. This session will start with the “why”, expanding on the spectrum of benefits and risk reductions to understand the goals of investing in an endoscopic learning curve. “When” will detail appropriate surgical strategies for various spinal pathologies. “How” will review the practical tips, techniques and pearls for success.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the benefits of endoscopic spine surgery, as well as identify barriers that need to be overcome.
- Understand the specific anatomy of both transforaminal and interlaminar approaches when visualized through an endoscope.
- Appreciate the potential value of endoscopic approaches for complex pathologies, including thoracic disc herniations and treatment of the unstable lumbar spine.
$450 Physicians & Non-Physicians | $130 Neurosurgical Team, Residents/Fellows and Medical Students
View the full agenda, faculty and moderators here.
8 - 11:30 am
This session will explore emerging virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms tailored to cranial neurosurgery. From advanced tools for preoperative planning and patient counseling to intraoperative navigation and decision support, participants will gain insights into the latest technologies enhancing cranial workflows. Emphasis will also be placed on AI solutions for optimizing documentation and billing practices. Attendees will engage in hands-on demonstrations with expert guidance from neurosurgeons utilizing these tools in clinical practice.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify VR tools that support preoperative cranial planning and patient counseling through immersive visualization.
- Evaluate AI platforms designed to improve EMR documentation, coding accuracy, and billing in cranial neurosurgery.
- Describe current cranial-specific technologies that enhance intraoperative workflow, navigation, and surgical precision.
$650 Physicians & Non-Physicians | $130 Neurosurgical Team, Residents/Fellows and Medical Students
View the full agenda, faculty and moderators here.
Supported by: Avatar Medical, Medtronic, Omniscient Neurotechnology and Surgical Theater
12:30 – 4 pm
Focusing on spine surgery, this session highlights the integration of AI and VR into modern spinal workflows. Topics include intraoperative guidance systems, preoperative simulation, and AI-driven practice tools that reduce administrative burden and improve patient outcomes. Hands-on stations will allow participants to experience spine-specific platforms under the guidance of expert users and spine neurosurgeons.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe how VR technologies can aid in spinal surgical planning, patient education, and preoperative rehearsal.
- Analyze AI solutions that streamline EMR workflows, enhance documentation accuracy, and optimize billing practices in spine surgery.
- Examine spine-specific platforms that support intraoperative navigation, workflow efficiency and improved surgical outcomes.
$650 Physicians & Non-Physicians | $130 Neurosurgical Team, Residents/Fellows and Medical Students
View the full agenda, faculty and moderators here.
12:30 – 4 pm
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming neurosurgical care, offering tools that enhance diagnostic precision, support intraoperative decision-making, and personalize postoperative management. This hands-on workshop is designed for practicing neurosurgeons and trainees who want to explore how AI can be applied directly to clinical workflows. Participants will examine real-world use cases, engage with interactive demonstrations of AI-powered tools, and discuss practical strategies for implementation in their own practice settings.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze key AI technologies—such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing—and evaluate their evidence-based applications in neurosurgical diagnosis and treatment.
- Interpret AI-generated diagnostic and intraoperative data outputs (e.g., lesion segmentation, hemorrhage detection, instrument tracking) to inform clinical decision-making.
- Design an implementation plan for integrating an AI tool into a neurosurgical workflow, addressing technical infrastructure, team training, and ongoing performance monitoring.
$450 Physicians & Non-Physicians | $130 Neurosurgical Team, Residents/Fellows and Medical Students
View the full agenda, faculty and moderators here.
8 – 11:30 am (Didactic) and 12:30 – 4 pm (Hands-On)
This two-part course will review basic and advanced endoscopic spine surgery procedures through a simple “why, when and how (and how not to)” structure. Participants will attend a half-day didactic course that expands on the goals of investing in an endoscopic learning curve, strategies for spinal pathologies and essential techniques for enhancing surgical outcomes and minimizing risks.
The afternoon half of this course will focus on hands-on techniques, where attendees will test out their newly acquired knowledge on endoscopic spine simulators. Hands-on course participants will rotate through stations from 12:30 – 4 pm.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the benefits of endoscopic spine surgery, as well as identify barriers that need to be overcome.
2. Identify the specific anatomy of both transforaminal and interlaminar approaches when visualized through an endoscope.
3. Explain the potential value of endoscopic approaches for complex pathologies, including thoracic disc herniations and treatment of the unstable lumbar spine.
4. Demonstrate proficiency by performing endoscopic spine surgery techniques on simulators.
$550 Physicians & Non-Physicians | $225 Neurosurgical Team, Residents/Fellows and Medical Students
View the full agenda, faculty and moderators here.