American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery

What American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery does

The American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) is a U.S.-based nonprofit professional medical society founded in 1973 as the American branch of the international stereotactic neurosurgery community (WSSFN lineage dating to 1961). The society serves practicing neurosurgeons, neurosurgery residents and fellows, and a broader associate membership of neurologists, engineers, researchers, industry partners, and advanced practice providers engaged in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery in the United States and Canada, with international membership also accepted. It functions as the AANS/CNS Joint Section for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, operating under bylaws of its parent organizations.

ASSFN's product surface is built around eight core offerings: the peer-reviewed Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery journal (published by Karger, included in active membership), biennial scientific meetings plus a dedicated SFN track at the CNS Annual Meeting, the AMPLify three-month visiting-fellowship mentorship program, an Annual Hands-on Course in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery hosted at the University of Colorado, the ASSFN Research Fund for pilot and seed grants, an SF Match-curated fellowship opportunities database, clinical guidelines and oral board resources, and an education media library of webinars and podcasts. Patient-facing content covers disease areas including Parkinson's Disease, Essential Tremor, Epilepsy, Chronic Pain, OCD, and Dystonia, and procedures such as Deep Brain Stimulation, Responsive Neurostimulation, Laser Ablation, SEEG, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Intrathecal Therapy, and Focused Ultrasound.

Revenue is generated through annual membership dues, journal subscriptions (print edition at a $172 reduced member rate), biennial meeting registration fees, voluntary Research Fund donations, and industry sponsorship from neuromodulation device manufacturers including Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Nevro. The headquarters is a corporate mailing address in Atlanta, GA, with operational leadership distributed across major academic neurosurgery departments (Henry Ford Health, University of Arizona, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo). The organization operates with a five-person administrative core, governed by an elected Executive Council (President Ellen Air, Vice-President Clement Hamani, Secretary/Treasurer Dario Englot) and a 10-14 member Board of Directors.

Name

American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery

Legal name

American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery

Website

https://assfn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) is a U.S.-based nonprofit medical society founded in 1973, serving practicing and trainee neurosurgeons with membership, the SFN Journal, biennial scientific meetings, fellowship and mentorship programs, and hands-on training in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from Active, Associate, International, and Resident/Fellow/Medical Student members. Active members receive online subscription to SFN Journal included in dues; other categories receive reduced rates.
2. Journal Subscriptions: Print edition of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery journal available at reduced rate of $172 for members.
3. Event Registration: Revenue from biennial meeting registration fees, with reduced fees for active members. Also includes CNS meeting track sessions registration.
4. Research Fund Donations: Voluntary donations to the ASSFN Research Fund supporting pilot studies, seed grants, trainee and early-career investigator research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ASSFN is a nonprofit professional medical society that provides membership services to neurosurgeons practicing stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. It delivers the peer-reviewed Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Journal, biennial scientific meetings, hands-on training courses, mentorship programs, and research grants. The organization operates as the AANS/CNS Joint Section for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, focused on advancing education, research, and clinical practice in the subspecialty.

Product overview

ASSFN is a professional medical society (not a technology product company) offering membership-based services to neurosurgeons. The organization's offerings include the official Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Journal, biennial scientific meetings, the ASSFN AMPLify Mentorship Program, the Annual Hands-on Course in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, the Research Fund for grants, education media (webinars and podcasts), and a fellowship opportunities database. These services are provided to members through the AANS/CNS joint section structure and are focused on education, research collaboration, and professional development in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SFN Journal: Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery - the official peer-reviewed journal of the society published by Karger.

Products and services

• ASSFN Membership Program A professional membership organization providing education, research funding, and networking for stereotactic and functional neurosurgeons, including access to the SFN Journal, biennial meetings, webinars, podcasts, mentorship programs, and fellowship opportunities.
• Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Journal Official peer-reviewed journal of the society covering stereotactic and functional neurosurgery research, published by Karger, with online access included in active membership and reduced-rate print subscription available.
• ASSFN Education Media Library Educational media including webinars, podcasts, and video content covering epilepsy surgery, brain-computer interfaces, deep brain stimulation, pain management, and surgical techniques for healthcare professionals.
• Annual Hands-on Course in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Annual hands-on training course for neurosurgery fellows and residents covering neuromodulation, ablative techniques, and stereotactic planning, hosted at the University of Colorado.
• ASSFN AMPLify Mentorship Program Three-month visiting fellowship program providing funding for mentorship relationships with ASSFN members, including clinical experience and research projects with presentation at the biennial meeting.
• ASSFN Research Fund Research grant program supporting pilot studies, seed grants, trainee and early-career investigator research in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.
• ASSFN Biennial Scientific Meeting Biennial scientific meeting bringing together ASSFN members and international experts to share research and innovations in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, with reduced registration fees for active members.
• Fellowship Opportunities Database Comprehensive list of fellowship opportunities at institutions across North America for training in stereotactic, functional neurosurgery, and epilepsy, many CAST-approved and utilizing the SF Match system.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSFN is an affiliate section of AANS and operates as the AANS/CNS Joint Section for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Members must be AANS or CNS members to hold active status. Society is bound by bylaws of parent organizations.
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSFN is an affiliate section of CNS and operates as the AANS/CNS Joint Section for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Executive Council and Board meet at Annual Meetings of both AANS and CNS.
• World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSFN and European Society (ESSFN) meet in periods between WSSFN quadrennial meetings. WSSFN has met every four years since 1977. Historical collaboration dating to 1961 when the International Society for Research in Stereoencephalotomy was formed.
• European Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ESSFN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational sister society that meets in alternating periods. Attendance at both ASSFN and ESSFN meetings has been truly international, reflecting collaborative beginnings of the field.
• Other Related Organizations (Movement Disorders Society, American Epilepsy Society, etc.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSFN provides links and collaborative information with related organizations including Movement Disorders Society, American Epilepsy Society, International Neuromodulation Society, and others in the field.
• Industry Partners (Medical Device Companies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSFN welcomes industry partners to sponsor educational content, run industry-led courses, fund research grants for new technology or disease indications, and sponsor events at biennial meetings. Industry partners include companies such as Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Nevro as referenced in funding opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS): Parent/affiliated umbrella organization for U.S. neurosurgeons, of which ASSFN is a joint section. Operates a much broader scope of neurosurgical education, advocacy, and member services that fully encompasses ASSFN's specialty focus.
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS): Co-parent organization for ASSFN as the AANS/CNS Joint Section. Delivers the large-scale CNS Annual Meeting where ASSFN hosts its dedicated SFN Track, making it the closest institutional comparator for scale, governance, and member-driven programming.
• American Academy of Neurology (AAN): Largest U.S. neurology professional society. Overlaps with ASSFN on the neurology side (Associate Members include neurologists) and competes for clinician continuing-education attention, though its scope is far broader.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): Broadest basic and translational neuroscience society globally. Tangential overlap with ASSFN's research-funding mission and academic members, but operates at substantially larger scale and scope.

Direct peers

• World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN): Direct international peer representing the same subspecialty at a global scale, with quadrennial meetings that ASSFN participates in. Highly comparable membership, journal, and meeting model in the same clinical niche.
• European Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ESSFN): European sister society for the same stereotactic and functional neurosurgery subspecialty. Mirrors ASSFN's structure—scientific meetings, membership categories, and educational programs—making it the most direct functional peer.
• International Neuromodulation Society (INS): Global scientific society covering neuromodulation therapies, including many of the same modalities (DBS, SCS, VNS) that anchor ASSFN's curriculum. Comparable journal, congress, and chapter structure focused on overlapping clinician audiences.
• North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS): Regional neuromodulation society covering North America with a similar device- and therapy-focused remit. Competes for the same functional neurosurgery clinician audience and industry sponsorship dollars from the same medtech partners.

Emerging players

• American Epilepsy Society (AES): Disease- and procedure-focused society whose members overlap significantly with ASSFN's epilepsy surgery audience (RNS, SEEG, laser ablation, resection). Competes for the same clinician CME dollars and epilepsy-focused industry partnerships.
• International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS): Global society for movement disorders whose members overlap heavily with the DBS patient population ASSFN's members treat. Comparable international meeting cadence and educational mission for clinicians involved in functional neurosurgery decision-making.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ASSFNeurosurg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AmSocStereotacticFunctionalNeu
• Facebookfacebook.com/assfn.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/assfn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery