Taiwanese neuro-cerebrovascular surgeon elected WFNS chief

 2011/09/26 Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) A renowned Taiwanese neuro-cerebrovascular surgeon has overcome strong opposition from China to be elected the next president of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS). Tu Yong-kwang, a professor at the Department of Surgery at National Taiwan University's College of Medicine, will lead the federation from 2013 to 2017 after winning a vote on Sept. 16 at the WFNS' annual congress held in Brazil. Chiu Chung-ching, president of the Taiwan Neurosurgical Society, said the WFNS is known as the "United Nations of the global neurosurgical community" and plays an important role in exchanges of research and clinical expertise among its member organizations. "Tu was not only the first Taiwanese but also the first Asian to be elected to the top WFNS leadership post since its creation 56 years ago," Chiu said. Until now, the federation had always been led by either Americans or Europeans. Tu, who is now the WFNS president-in-waiting and will formally take over the federation's helm in two years, said he hopes to help narrow the gap in medical services among countries around the world and upgrade Taiwan's international visibility after assuming the post. "I plan to set up neurosurgical peace corps to allow people in countries with inadequate medical resources to enjoy advanced medical and health care," Tu said. He also pledged to promote the application of Internet and cloud computing technologies to facilitate sharing of knowledge in the field and offer easier access for young neurosurgeons to pursue advanced studies. The 63-year-old pioneer in neuro-cerebrovascular surgery in Taiwan was nominated last September for the WFNS presidency election along with a Japanese expert in the field. His nomination immediately drew a backlash from China, which demanded that the Taiwan Neurosurgical Society be renamed to include "China" in its title. China also lobbied Latin American and Middle East countries to back the Japanese candidate instead of Tu. Despite China's year-long effort to block Tu's election, Tu managed to beat his Japanese rival by more than 20 votes in last week's poll, Chiu said, because of his recognition around the world for pioneering a number of surgical techniques in Taiwan. Chiu said Tu won the support of neurosurgical societies in North American, European and most Asian countries, and even two Japanese neuro-cerebrovascular surgical assoications voted for Tu. In the process, Chiu said, many Taiwanese medical practitioners and scholars have voluntarily lobbied their friends in the global medical community to support Tu's bid. Founded in 1955, the WFNS is headquartered in Geneva. It now has over 40,000 members, all of whom are members of neurosurgical societies in more than 120 countries around the world.