Celebrating 75 Years of Women at the American Academy of Neurology.

Although the field of neurology was dominated by men at the time the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) was founded in 1948, women were involved from the inception of the organization, albeit in limited numbers. This historical review highlights the challenging experiences of some of those trailblazers who participated in the AAN during the early days and made a mark for themselves in neurology. They helped pave the way for an increasing number of women who now serve in leadership roles-including back-to-back-to-back presidents-and make up 42% of the Academy's membership today.

Joseph Resch and the plea of the practicing neurologists: A postwar neurology resident's tale.

When University of Minnesota neurology resident Joseph A. Resch complained to the department director, A. B. Baker, in 1946 about the lack of a professional neurological association open to young neurologists like himself, he set into motion a chain of events that culminated in the founding of the American Academy of Neurology in June of 1948. This provided a supportive professional organization for practicing neurologists as the traditional bond between neurology and psychiatry was broken during the postwar era. Resch went on to become a pivotal figure in the practice of neurology in the Twin Cities and succeeded Baker as chairman of the University of Minnesota neurology department.