assfn

What assfn does

ASSFN is the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, a nonprofit professional medical society founded in 1973 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It serves as the AANS/CNS Joint Section for stereotactic and functional neurosurgery in North America, with six membership tiers (Active, Associate, International, Senior, Honorary, and Residents/Fellows/Students) that are processed through the MyAANS portal and require concurrent AANS or CNS membership for active status.

Its core products are membership services anchored by an online subscription to the official peer-reviewed journal Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (published by Karger), biennial scientific meetings (next scheduled March 25-28, 2028 in Tucson, AZ), an annual hands-on training course at the University of Colorado, an archive of webinars and podcasts on DBS, epilepsy surgery, brain-computer interfaces, and practice development, and patient education materials covering movement disorders, epilepsy, OCD, and chronic pain procedures such as DBS, RNS, laser ablation, and focused ultrasound. Research is supported through the ASSFN Research Fund, the ASSFN Research Fellowship Award, and the AMPLify (Authorship, Mentorship, Partnership, and Leadership) visiting fellowship program.

Revenue derives from recurring membership dues, print journal subscriptions at a reduced $172 annual rate for members, biennial meeting registration fees, donations to the research fund, and industry sponsorship from medical device companies including Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Nevro. Distribution is multi-channel: direct via the membership portal, through Karger for journal access, via SF Match for fellowship routing, and through digital channels (website, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, quarterly newsletters). Leadership is volunteer-based, drawn from senior academic neurosurgeons at institutions including Henry Ford Health, Cleveland Clinic, Mass General Brigham, Mayo Clinic, University of Arizona, and Vanderbilt, with a 2026-2030 officer slate led by President Ellen Air.

Name

assfn

Legal name

American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery

Website

https://assfn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ASSFN is a nonprofit professional medical society founded in 1973 that serves as the AANS/CNS Joint Section for stereotactic and functional neurosurgery in North America, providing its neurosurgeon members with an official peer-reviewed journal, biennial scientific meetings, fellowship training, research grants, and patient education resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from active, associate, international, and senior members. Active members receive online subscription to SFN Journal included in dues; other categories receive reduced rate.
2. Journal Subscriptions: Print edition of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery journal available at reduced rate of $172 for members. General (non-member) subscription through Karger publishers.
3. Meeting Registration Fees: Biennial meetings and CNS annual meeting sessions with reduced fees for active members. CNS 2026 Annual Meeting registration available.
4. Donations and Research Fund: ASSFN Research Fund accepts donations to support pilot studies, seed grants, trainee and early-career investigator research, and multicenter collaborations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ASSFN is a professional medical society that provides membership services, continuing education, scientific meetings, and research funding for neurosurgeons specializing in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. It sells memberships in six categories (Active, Associate, International, Senior, Honorary, and Resident/Fellow/Student), publishes the official Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery journal via Karger, hosts biennial scientific meetings and an annual hands-on training course, and administers research grants and mentorship programs through the ASSFN Research Fund and AMPLify Program.

Product overview

ASSFN (American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery) is a professional medical society, not a product company. Its offerings consist of membership services providing access to the Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Journal, biennial scientific meetings, educational media (webinars/podcasts), research funding through the ASSFN Research Fund and Fellowship Award, the AMPLify mentorship program, annual hands-on training courses, research highlights, and patient education materials covering neurosurgical procedures. These services support neurosurgeons and healthcare professionals in the field of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SFN Journal: Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery - the official journal of the society for publication of basic and clinical research.
• AMPLify Program

Products and services

• ASSFN Membership Professional membership in the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, with six categories (Active, Associate, International, Senior, Honorary, and Resident/Fellow/Student). Members receive access to the SFN Journal online, reduced meeting registration fees, professional networking, and educational resources.
• Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Journal Official peer-reviewed journal of ASSFN publishing basic and clinical research in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, published by Karger. Online subscription is included with active membership; print edition available at a reduced member rate of $172.
• Biennial Scientific Meeting The society's scientific meeting held every two years, featuring sessions on stereotactic and functional neurosurgery topics, workshops, and networking opportunities for members. Next meeting scheduled for March 25-28, 2028 in Tucson, AZ. Reduced registration fees for active members.
• Annual Hands-on Course in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Three-day training program for neurosurgery fellows and residents hosted at the University of Colorado, covering stereotactic techniques and functional neurosurgery procedures.
• AMPLify Mentorship Program Authorship, Mentorship, Partnership, and Leadership program providing funding for 3-month visiting fellowships that pair residents and medical students with mentors in functional neurosurgery.
• ASSFN Research Fund Research funding initiative supporting pilot studies, seed grants, trainee and early-career investigator research, and multicenter collaborations in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, supported through member donations.
• ASSFN Research Fellowship Award Grant program matching young members with senior mentors to develop successful research careers as physician/scientists in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Biennial meetings held since 1980 with full historical record of presidents and locations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSFN is an affiliate section of AANS and fulfills the functions of the AANS/CNS Joint Section for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Members are bound by AANS bylaws. Officers represent ASSFN at AANS Executive Council and Board meetings.
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSFN is an affiliate section of CNS and fulfills the functions of the AANS/CNS Joint Section for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Members are bound by CNS bylaws. Officers coordinate scientific programming for CNS Annual Meetings.
• World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational umbrella organization that meets every 4 years since 1977. ASSFN meets biennially in the period between WSSFN meetings, maintaining international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
• European Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ESSFN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean counterpart organization meeting in alternating years. Attendance at both ASSFN and ESSFN meetings has been international, reflecting collaborative origins of the field.
• American Epilepsy Society (AES)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative society for epilepsy research and treatment. Joint programming includes Resident EEG Course and Resident Epilepsy Surgery Course. ASSFN participates in AES Annual Meeting.
• Karger PublisherscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, the official journal of ASSFN. Manages journal subscriptions, distribution, and online content hosting at karger.com/sfn.
• Medical Device Industry PartnerssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry partnerships support ASSFN-directed educational content, industry-led courses open to membership, research grants for new technology or disease indications, and event sponsorship at biennial meetings. Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Nevro mentioned as funding opportunity partners.
• Asian-Australasian Society for Stereotactic Functional Neurosurgery (AASSFN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional society covering Asia-Pacific region. Listed as related society with links for meeting information and collaboration.
• SF MatchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFormal match system for functional neurosurgery fellowship applications. Programs and applicants register through sfmatch.org. Match day occurs approximately July 1 two years ahead of fellowship start.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS): ASSFN's parent organization and the primary North American professional society for neurosurgeons. AANS operates the membership portal (MyAANS) through which ASSFN memberships flow, making it a structural partner with overlapping governance and member base but a much broader specialty scope.
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS): Joint parent organization of ASSFN, governing the other half of the AANS/CNS Joint Section. CNS runs the Annual Meeting where ASSFN hosts SFN track sessions, making it a direct structural peer in neurosurgery professional society governance.
• World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN): The international umbrella society founded in 1973 alongside ASSFN, meeting every four years since 1977. WSSFN coordinates the global network of regional functional neurosurgery societies including ASSFN, ESSFN, and AASSFN, and shares the same specialty focus.
• American Academy of Neurology (AAN): The largest US professional society for neurologists. Many functional neurosurgery patients and research subjects come through neurology channels, and DBS/movement disorder care crosses both specialties. AAN is comparable in governance, scale, and education/journal/membership business model.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): The world's largest neuroscience professional organization. SfN serves the broader research community whose translational work feeds functional neurosurgery practice. Operates a comparable membership/journal/annual meeting model at much larger scale, making it a structural peer for society operations.
• American College of Surgeons (ACS): The premier US professional society for surgeons with a comparable governance, fellowship, education, and congress model. While ACS spans all surgical specialties, it is the structural archetype that specialty societies like ASSFN are modeled after, making it a useful operational peer.

Regional players

• European Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ESSFN): The European counterpart to ASSFN, holding biennial meetings in alternating years. ESSFN serves the same functional neurosurgery specialty in Europe, operating an essentially identical society model (meetings, membership, research), but with a non-overlapping geographic mandate.
• Asian-Australasian Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (AASSFN): The Asia-Pacific counterpart in the WSSFN family, covering the same functional neurosurgery specialty for a different geography. Operates with the same society model — meetings, membership, scientific exchange — but in a non-overlapping region from ASSFN.

Direct peers

• American Epilepsy Society (AES): A formal collaborative partner of ASSFN that jointly runs the Resident EEG Course and Resident Epilepsy Surgery Course. AES is a US-based medical professional society focused on epilepsy — a key indication for functional neurosurgery procedures (RNS, laser ablation, VNS) — and shares the same membership/meeting model.
• International Neuromodulation Society (INS): A global professional society dedicated to neuromodulation — the core therapeutic category underlying DBS, spinal cord stimulation, VNS, and RNS, which are ASSFN's central procedural focus. INS runs an identical specialty society model (journal, meetings, members) overlapping meaningfully with ASSFN's clinical scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.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

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about assfn