AAN President's Spotlight
A monthly video series from the American Academy of Neurology President, Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA, quickly covering the latest from her and the AAN.
A note from your AAN President
With Congress failing to pass government funding legislation by its deadline, the federal government has shut down as of midnight on Tuesday, September 30. This means federal employees deemed “non-essential” cannot report to work and many services will be paused until Congress reaches an agreement to fund the government.
Learn more about how this could affect you and your patients, and strengthen the voice of neurology on Capitol Hill.
Sincerely,
Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA
President's Spotlight: October 2025
Read this month's President's Spotlight video transcript.
Listen to the President's Spotlight series on the Neurology Minute
President's Spotlight video transcript (October 2025)
Hello! I am Dr. Natalia Rost, your president of the AAN—talking to you today about research as a clinician and scientist.
As neurologists and neuroscience professionals, we understand the critical importance of research. We understand the drive and responsibility that urges us onward to advance groundbreaking science, constantly improve patient care, and shape a healthier tomorrow. We are the transformation that the future of brain health for all deserves.
But there continue to be strong headwinds against us, with a tremendous number of individual researchers, entire labs, and many projects—both ongoing and future—being devastated by funding cuts.
At the same time, we are witnessing exceptional momentum in neuroscience research. Our AAN Research Program—offering awards of up to four hundred and fifty thousand dollars—saw more than 250 applications. The American Brain Foundation’s 10 million dollar award to explore neuroinflammation received nearly 500 pre-proposals, and dozens of pre-proposals were submitted for the Cure One, Cure Many Award in Lewy Body Dementia.
This is truly a testament to what’s possible when philanthropy, science, and purpose align, and the AAN is proud to help guide this work forward.
However, the gap is significant. We recognize how much more research funding is needed—and it’s so much more than we can provide. Therefore, our shared advocacy is another key in the fight for robust neuroscience research funding. That’s why we doubled down on our commitment to support neuroscience research, as we joined forces on the Capitol Hill during the Legislative Summit last month.
I assure you, we make our voices heard on the vital need for research funding—like we did at the American Brain Coalition’s Neuroscience Caucus Briefing, which I had the great honor of opening on the Hill last month. And we continue to monitor the ongoing budget work in the House and Senate that will determine the NIH’s funding levels in 2026—so stay tuned for updates in our Capitol Hill Report.
So, today, I encourage you and your colleagues to do one of these two things: 1) apply for funding and move your own research ahead or 2) give to research so a colleague or a mentee can push those scientific boundaries.
Thank you, and let’s get to work!