Awarded by the WFNS

Dr. Benabid was born in 1942, received his MD in 1970 and his PhD in Biophysics in 1978 at University Joseph Fourier, was Professor of Biophysics since 1978 until 2005, head of the Neurosurgery Department from 1984 to 2004. He was director of the Preclinical Neurobiology INSERM research unit from 1985 to 2004 and then chairman of the Edmond J Safra Research Center Clinatec at CEA (Atomic Energy Agency from 2007 to 2021). His clinical activity was mostly functional stereotactic neurosurgery, where he developed deep brain stimulation (DBS) at high frequency, epilepsy (SEEG, cortectomies and DBS) and Brain tumors (Resections and Brachytherapy). He initiated and developed robotic surgery, participating to 2 companies. He is member of numerous scientific societies and owns prestigious prices such as the Lasker prize (2003) and Breakthrough prize (2004), and he recently received the 2021 Brain Stimulation Award and the 2021 Honda Foundation prize. He published more than 350 papers and his last H Index was 107 with 50842 citations. He just received the 6th Madjid Samii Medal of Honor at the 2022 World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Meeting in Bogota.

Upon the occasion of the 15th Interim Meeting of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies in Rome, Italy from September 08-12, 2015 the Madjid Samii Medal of Honor was awarded to Professor Alexander N. Konovalov from Moscow, Russia. Alexander N. Konovalov was born in Moscow, Russia on December 12, 1933. In 1951 he finished high school and continued his education at the First State Moscow Medical Institute, named after Prof. I.M. Sechenov. He graduated his education in 1957 with distinction. He started on the field of Neurology at the Burdenko Neurosurgery Institute before his mentors paved the way for his Neurosurgical career. Throughout his career he focused on his role as surgeon and refined many neurosurgical techniques. He is still working as President of the Association of Neurosurgeons of Russia and Scientific Adviser at the Burdenko Neurosurgery Institute, which he headed about 40 years.

During the 15th WFNS World Congress of Neurosurgery in Seoul, Korea from September 08-13, 2013 the Madjid Samii Medal of Honor was awarded to Professor Sir Lindsay Symon from Wiltshire, UK. Lindsay Symon was born in Aberdeen, Scotland on November 4, 1929. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and Aberdeen University, graduating with honors and the Lyon Prize for the most distinguished graduate of the year in Medicine in December 1951. He was House Officer to Professors Harold Fullerton and W. C. Wilson in Medicine and surgery in the Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, and then served in the Royal army Medical Corps as a Junior Specialist in Surgery. He became Professor of Neurological Surgery in London University at the Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital in 1978 and was Senior Surgeon in the National Hospitals Group from 1981 until his retirement in 1995.

During the 14th WFNS Interim Meeting in Porto de Galinhas/Brazil from September 14-17, 2011 the Madjid Samii Medal of Honor was awarded to Professor Maurice Choux from Marseille, France. Maurice Choux was born on September 5, 1934 and studied at the Medical University in Marseille. He was progressively involved in pediatric neurosurgery from 1964. After several training visits in Chicago at the Children’s Memorial Hospital he decided together with Dr. Tony Raimondi to found the International Society for paediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) in 1972 which held its first official meeting in Tokyo in 1973.