Thank you. I always love following a really weak speaker who had really nothing to say, so wasn't that fantastic? Thanks to the Scientific Program Committee for a wonderful session this morning. It's my pleasure to introduce my friend Dr. John Adler for the Cushing Award for Technical Excellence and Innovation. These are the things I think about when I think of John Adler. Disruptive, determined, collaborative, patient-centered, dynamic personality, and business-oriented, and a realist. Born in Yonkers, New York, and matriculated completely through the Harvard system. During a fellowship, he left the United States and went to work with Lars Leksell, Christopher Lindquist, and other innovators in a very fruitful time at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. That's the academic list. The corporate list includes his innovation that led to the formation of Accuray, working as a scientific leader and innovator with Varian, his work in publication with Curious, and his new company, Zapp Surgical Systems. John Adler and the first CyberKnife procedure was a long ride, and this little introduction is in no way a substitute for that. But perhaps the best thing I could tell you is that John could easily win this award in the field of urology. In fact, he probably already has. And in fact, this device, the CyberKnife, may have treated more patients with prostate cancer than with neurologic disorders in the world. This is his current innovation, and in John's mind, translating a new idea for radiosurgery to more patients, and breaking some of the barriers, some of the economic barriers there as well. Now, a real innovator has a legacy of not just students and residents, but also scientists and engineers that follow him around at his innovation. And I would say that some of the people that he has trained, like Steve Chang, really excellent people at Stanford and people in the world of physics and engineering are part of his legacy, including education. He started the CyberKnife Society, which became the Radiosurgery Society. And his current real interest is in disruption of how we learn and how we communicate with each other in the field of medical publishing. So, it's such a pleasure to introduce the Cushing Award for Technical Innovation, Disruptive, Determined, Dynamic, John Adler. Thank you. I was told that I would say nothing. So, indeed, I am speechless. It is clearly the greatest honor of my life to be standing up here today and be so recognized. It's especially an honor because my path has been so untraditional. I have immense respect for what all of you do each and every day. And there's a great sadness in my own life that more of me is not like more of you, enhancing the lives of our patients every day. Having said that, I am proud of the fact that I can contribute, hopefully, to the tools of the future that will bring neurosurgery not only in the 21st but even the 22nd century, where I think we have a great role not only just through our hands, as this award recognizes, but through our minds. And the surgery of the 21st and 22nd century is going to be increasingly using machines we can only dream of and which I'm hoping to make real someday. So, with the greatest sense of gratitude, I thank all of you. And I hope yet my best act is yet to come. So, thank you very much.

Dr. John Adler

Cushing Award

CyberKnife

radiosurgery

innovator