SNS 2027 Featured Speakers

Learn more about our honored guests at the 77th Annual Meeting

Downing Lecturer

John T. Edge
Author, House of Smoke and The Potlikker Papers

John T. Edge, author of House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home, is a writer and host of the National Emmy Award-winning television show TrueSouth, now in its ninth season. He has written or edited more than a dozen other books, including The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the American South, and his work has appeared widely in magazines. He currently serves as a columnist for Garden & Gun. From 1999 through 2021, Edge directed the Southern Foodways Alliance, and he now serves as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi, where he is also leading the development of the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency on William Faulkner’s former mule farm. Edge lives in Oxford with his wife, artist Blair Hobbs.

Hudson Lecturer

Daniel Prevedello, MD

Dr. Daniel Prevedello served as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs and Director of the Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery Programs at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He joined OSU in 2010 and was promoted to Professor in 2017. In October 2026, he left Ohio State to serve as Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

His medical journey began in Brazil, where he attended medical school and completed his residency training. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Neuroendocrine and Pituitary Surgery at the University of Virginia, followed by a fellowship in Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Prevedello specializes in brain and skull base tumors and is a pioneer in the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) and other minimally invasive techniques for brain tumor removal. He is among a select group of neurosurgeons worldwide who have performed more than 2,000 EEA procedures. This technique enables surgeons to access the skull base, intracranial cavity, and upper spine through the nasal passages and paranasal sinuses, minimizing the need for traditional open approaches.

His research focuses on developing innovative minimally invasive approaches to the brain and skull base that maximize tumor resection while minimizing disruption to healthy tissue.

Dr. Prevedello values an individualized approach to patient care and believes that the combination of highly specialized surgical expertise, collaborative care, and a commitment to innovation is the key to achieving the best outcomes for patients.

Semmes Lecturer

Judy Huang, MD

Since joining the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery in 2002 as the first woman faculty member in the department’s history, Judy Huang, MD, has built a distinguished career in academic neurosurgery. She is currently the Irving J. and Florence Sherman Endowed Professor, Vice Chair, and Residency Program Director.

Dr. Huang’s clinical practice focuses primarily on the microsurgical treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, while her research aims to improve outcomes for patients with arteriovenous malformations, intracerebral hemorrhage, and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. She has authored more than 390 journal publications and book chapters and has served on the editorial boards of both Neurosurgery and the Journal of Neurosurgery, including service as Associate Editor. She is frequently invited to lecture nationally and internationally and has received numerous honors for research, teaching, and clinical excellence.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Huang has trained and advised students, residents, faculty, and visiting neurosurgeons from around the world, with a particular commitment to advancing women in neurosurgery. Her extensive national leadership has included service with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Society of Neurological Surgeons, and Joint Cerebrovascular Section of the AANS/CNS. She served as President of the Neurosurgical Society of America in 2023–24 and as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, contributing to national standards for neurosurgical training and certification.

Distinguished Practitioner

Daniel L. Barrow, MD

Daniel L. Barrow, MD, is the Pamela R. Rollins Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Emory Stroke Center at Emory University School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, completed his general surgery internship and neurosurgical residency at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals, and pursued additional training in neurology and cerebrovascular surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, and the Barrow Neurological Institute.

Dr. Barrow’s clinical and research interests have focused on cerebrovascular disease and stroke. He has authored more than 300 scientific articles and textbook chapters and has authored or edited 19 monographs, including The Practice of Neurosurgery. He has served as a visiting professor at major institutions throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia and has received numerous professional honors, including recognition as the 2010 Honored Guest of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the CNS Founder’s Laurel in 2019. More recently, he received the 2026 Emory School of Medicine Lifetime Service and Leadership Award and was named the 2027 Distinguished Practitioner by the Southern Neurosurgical Society.

Dr. Barrow has held numerous leadership roles in organized neurosurgery. He served as President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, held leadership positions with the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and served as President of both the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons and the Society of Neurological Surgeons. He has also contributed extensively to neurosurgical publishing through service on multiple editorial boards and publications committees. Outside of medicine, Dr. Barrow is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, and other sporting activities.

Dan is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, and other sporting activities. He is married to Mollie Winston Barrow, a practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeon. They have three children and four grandchildren.