Welcome to March! March often signifies a transition in seasons, basketball excitement, Major League Baseball spring training and swings in the weather. For the NCS, March marks a time of celebrating recent achievements, focusing on collaboration and planning our future steps. In February, we outlined four NCS strategic aims, of which two are at the forefront of our agenda this month: 1) Addressing ACGME Training Program Requirements and 2) Ensuring Fundraising Success.

Of timely importance is our focus on Addressing ACGME Training Program Requirements. On February 27, the ACGME released a much-anticipated revision of the NCC Fellowship Training Program Requirements, specifically addressing concerns raised by the NCS. A collaborative leadership team from the NCS, inclusive of fellowship directors and section leaders, the Joint Neurocritical Care Section of the AANS/CNS, UCNS, AAN, ABNS and ABPN worked tirelessly over the past year to raise awareness of our concerns. This process was quite involved and delicate yet resulted in valuable collaboration and bonding among stakeholders. Collective advocacy amplified the voice of the NCS. We applaud the ACGME for embracing our concerns, engaging with us in dialogue and proposing revisions in an urgent fashion ahead of the routine schedule normally considered for official changes. The revised requirements resolve the concerns of our fellowship programs in a timely way that fosters the fellowship application and selection process for prospective new fellows for 2026.

I highly encourage NCS members, especially fellowship faculty and fellowship program directors, to review the revised requirements and provide feedback comments to the ACGME by April 11, 2024. It is crucial that you weigh in and provide feedback to the ACGME. If appropriate, please take a moment to express your appreciation for the urgent and meaningful response by the ACGME. Our training programs are fundamental to empowering the next generation of neurocritical care specialists to meet the challenge of improving outcomes for our patients. Please share this call to action with your colleagues and encourage their participation.

Also of great significance is our commitment to Ensuring Fundraising Success. This strategic aim underscores the vital role of financial support in advancing neurocritical care research, education and advocacy. It is through the generous contributions and tireless dedication of our community that we can bolster our efforts in shaping the future of neurocritical care. The NCS Board of Directors, in cooperation and agreement with the Neurocritical Care Foundation leaders, recently voted to approve a plan to enhance fundraising efforts in 2024.

As March heralds the celebration of World Coma Day on March 22, 2024, please plan to spend part of the day at the Virtual Conference. The around-the-globe, 24 hours of World Coma Day will feature a combination of Stories of Hope, scientific discussions and practical lessons on the care of comatose patient. We will have the whole world watching, and we hope you will join us both in spirit and presence. I hope that you will revel in the profound impact that our work has beyond the confines of the physical setting. It is through our collective endeavors that we can transcend boundaries and offer hope and healing to those affected by coma and related disorders.

As we commemorate this World Coma Day, let us also reflect on the transformative power of our contributions and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to advancing the frontiers of neurocritical care. In observance of World Coma Day, I urge each of you to consider how you can contribute to our ongoing efforts through a donation. Your support will help the Curing Coma® Campaign and Neurocritical Care Foundation expand our collective reach, deepen our impact and champion the cause of neurocritical care on a global scale.

In the coming weeks, I invite each of you to actively engage with these strategic aims, leveraging your unique skills, insights and perspectives to propel our society forward. Together, we can harness the power of collective action to shape a brighter future for neurocritical care.