The ASBN Global Neurosurgery Committee Newsletter
The American Society of Black Neurosurgeons Global Neurosurgery
Committee Presents:
Our monthly newsletter delivers updates on events, research, resources, and initiatives of the global neurosurgery committee (ASBN-GNC) and in the larger global neurosurgery space, all curated specifically for our ASBN members.
The ASBN Global Neurosurgery Committee (ASBN-GNC) is a subcommittee of the Service and Communications/Outreach committee. Building on the ASBN mission, ASBN-GNC centers on three core values:
I. Global Health Equity
II. Decoloniality
III. Pan-Africanism
Research Highlight:
Stay informed with the latest updates and information on groundbreaking research, innovative projects, and cutting-edge developments within ASBN-GNC.
Neurosurgeon Highlight
Myron L. Rolle, MD MSc.
Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in New Jersey, Myron Rolle has always been ambitious. As a high schooler, Dr. Rolle maintained a 4.0 GPA while also going All-American and making 112 tackles in Football. Furthermore, he played the saxophone in the school band and sang in a school play. Dr. Rolle went on to play college football at Florida State University and was later selected to play for the Tennessee Titans. In college, he studied exercise science and later won the Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford. He then returned to the United States to play for the NFL.
In 2013, Dr. Rolle left the NFL to attend Florida State University College of Medicine. He then completed his neurosurgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Currently, he is an attending pediatric neurosurgeon at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Rolle states that playing football taught him the necessary dedication needed for maintaining parts of life: marriage, family, and neurosurgery. He is very passionate about global neurosurgery and expanding people’s ideas about this subspecialty. In places like the Caribbean, where Dr. Rolle spent part of his childhood, conditions like stroke, hydrocephalus, and trauma, all of which are usually treatable, can become a death sentence. To improve global health, Dr. Rolle works with various international organizations to train clinicians, treat, and educate vulnerable populations.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Rolle is married to Dr. Latoya Legrand-Rolle and has two sets of twins. He is passionate about his family, demonstrated through continuous encouragement of his sons and daughters and through the love and support of his wife.
Around the Globe: Impacts and Projects
A look at current events in global neurosurgery
Dr. Rolle:
Training, Teaching, Research, & Initiative
Family and hobbies:
Dr. Rolle enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, reading the Bible with them and engaging in his health initiative projects in medically underserved and resource-limited areas and in the Caribbeans.
Favorite Food:
Cracked conch with rice and peas
Career and research interests:
Dr. Rolle’s clinical subspecialty is pediatric neurosurgery. His primary research interests encompass:
Traumatic global neurosurgery
Neurotrauma management
Endoscopic techniques for hydrocephalus
Congenital spinal deformity
The 2% Way by Dr. Rolle is a memoir that illustrates how small, consistent improvements—just 2% better each day—helped him overcome adversity and achieve success as an NFL player, a Rhodes Scholar, and a neurosurgeon.
Academic and Global Brain Health:
Dr. Rolle's Initiatives
The Caribbean Neurosurgery Foundation:
Dr. Rolle serves as the chairman and founder of the Caribbean Neurosurgery Foundation, a not-for-profit that spearheads capacity-building and health-system strengthening across the Caribbean. Through partnerships in Montserrat, Antigua & Barbuda, and beyond, the foundation has impacted over 3.5 million people by enhancing neurosurgical policy, expanding service delivery, and advancing regional research and training programs.
Myron L. Rolle Foundation:
In 2009, Dr. Rolle founded the Myron L. Rolle Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting health, wellness, and education programs for underserved children and families. The foundation underwrites three core initiatives focused on clinical outreach, educational scholarships, and community‐based wellness projects.
In partnership with the CARICOM Neurosurgical Initiative (CNI) to implement solutions in solving neurosurgical disease across the Caribbean and under the Caribbean Neurosurgery Foundation, Dr. Rolle aims to expand neurosurgical capacity across Caribbean nations by providing the following:
Visiting professorships: Experts travel to CARICOM nations to teach clinical skills
Virtual neurotrauma modules: Online education for nurses and general practitioners
Hands-on workshops: Held in places like the Bahamas and Guyana, training dozens of nurses and clinicians
Public service campaigns: Raise awareness about traumatic brain injury prevention
Training Caribbean general surgeons and frontline healthcare workers to perform emergent neurosurgical procedures, including burr holes, bridging the neurosurgical gap in resource-limited areas within the CARICOM nations.
Emerging Scholars Project:
Dr. Rolle also co‐created the Emerging Scholars Project to mentor underrepresented college students applying for Rhodes Scholarships. He serves on the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Clinton Global Initiative, leveraging these roles to advocate for student‐athlete welfare and broader educational equity
Neural tube defect partnership project with Boston Children's Hospital:
Dr. Rolle is actively involved in initiatives to combat neural tube defects (NTDs)—such as spina bifida—through research, public health advocacy, community outreach, and clinical work, particularly in collaboration with Boston Children’s Hospital as part of his broader mission on improving neurological health outcomes equity for underserved populations. Such include extended mission on maternal health equity such as the importance of folic acid supplementation for NTD prevention, the education and expansion of access to prenatal vitamins
The Bahamas is an archipelago nation of 700 islands with a rich history shaped by its indigenous Lucayan roots, colonial past, and African heritage, all reflected in its cultural expressions like Junkanoo, rake-and-scrape music, and historical landmarks such as Fort Fincastle and the Queen’s Staircase. Its food culture centers around seafood staples like cracked conch and peas and rice, while tourism thrives on its pristine beaches, festivals, and heritage sites.
The Bahamas healthcare delivery system provides a mix of public and private services, with ongoing efforts to improve access and infrastructure across the Family Islands, though specialized care like neurosurgery remains limited and centralized, prompting initiatives to expand neurological services and training to address conditions such as spina bifida and traumatic brain injuries.
As it stands, the country provides primary and secondary healthcare through public hospitals such as Princess Margaret Hospital and Rand Memorial Hospital; however, advanced neurosurgical procedures are often unavailable locally due to a shortage of neurosurgeons and specialized equipment. Thus, patients requiring complex neurological interventions, such as brain tumor resections or cerebral aneurysm repairs, are frequently referred to facilities abroad, particularly in the United States and neighboring Caribbean countries.
That said, the Bahamas has made strides in improving healthcare delivery through partnerships with international institutions and the introduction of telemedicine, which aids in diagnostics and consultations for neurological conditions. Efforts to enhance training programs and infrastructure are ongoing, with an emphasis on expanding local capabilities for managing common neurological disorders such as stroke, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injuries.
Visit The Bahamas
The Bahamas offers a vibrant blend of rich history, warm and welcoming people, and stunning natural beauty—from the pink sand beaches of Harbour Island to the lush forests and marine sanctuaries of Andros Island. Moreover, one can savor flavorful Bahamian cuisine like conch fritters and guava duff and cracked conch with peas and rice, explore cultural landmarks like the Queen’s Staircase and Junkanoo parades, and learn about the nation’s natural resources including fish, fruits, and arable land that sustain its economy and heritage.
Committee Meeting Highlights
July 2025 Meeting
The position paper series was discussed. Papers 1, 3, and 5 are done and will be submitted to the executive committee for review. Group authorship approval from the executive committee is still pending. Submission to World Neurosurgery is still the plan with consideration of the submission fee. Paper 2 and 4 are near completion with a few needed edits. These papers are likely to be considered perspective pieces rather than traditional peer-reviewed articles.
We also discussed a collaborative paper distinct from the ongoing ASBN GNC position paper series, on the topic of decolonization and its relevance in the field of global neurosurgery. This paper will be a collaborative effort among multiple organizations, including ASBN, operating in the global neurosurgery space, and will focus on the impact of colonial legacies on (in)equitable access to safe, timely and affordable neurosurgical care not only in Africa, but around the world. Interested medical students and residents should submit a paragraph to Dr. Barthélemy (globalneurosurgeon@gmail.com) discussing a sample of what they propose to write about/contribute to this paper. The goal is to have a working draft of ASBN’s contribution to this position paper by the next WFNS biennial conference in December. Attending neurosurgeons are encouraged to participate by also contributing their invaluable perspectives to this project.
The CAANS’ Young African Neurosurgeons Forum is running a research methods course and is looking for speakers. Attending academic neurosurgeons and other scientists are strongly encouraged to volunteer as lecturers in the series, which aims to improve the research capacity of African neurosurgeons. Medical students and residents are also welcome to help if they have relevant experience and a research-related graduate degree. Speakers would discuss scientific methods, how to flesh out projects, writing and more. Volunteers should reach out to Dr Barthélemy if interested in participating as a lecturer or attendee.
There is plan for the next GNC meeting to be scheduled on August 23rd, 2025.
Fostering Worldwide Global Neurosurgical Care Advancements
Any ASBN member (students, residents, attendings, etc..) that is engaged in a project, particularly one focused on global neurosurgical healthcare and international or multi-organizational collaboration, we encourage you to reach out to our team. We are committed to fostering partnerships and facilitating proper collaboration to achieve our shared goals. Let's work together to make a meaningful impact.
Upcoming Conferences and Conventions
International Summit on Neurosurgery & Brain Disorders to be held on September 22-23, 2025 in Paris, France.
Each issue, we recommend published research articles with a unifying theme. You can also always check out our comprehensive reading list linked below!
Analysis of the Caribbean Neurosurgery Workforce: Scope of Practice, Challenges, and Ways Forward (2023)Led by our highlighted neurosurgeon of the month, Dr. Myron Rolle, this authorship team explored the current state of the neurosurgical workforce among a diverse set of 38 Caribbean nations. In doing so, they found that the majority of countries did not have enough trained neurosurgeons to ensure safe neurosurgical care by current European and American standards. Remarkably, some countries had one neurosurgical center for as many as over 11 million people, highlighting the effects of “brain drain” and limited domestic neurosurgical training opportunities.
Timely Access to Neurosurgical Care in the Caribbean Using Geospatial Analysis (2021)In another study led by Dr. Rolle, the authorship team employed geospatial analysis using ArcGIS to map times to neurosurgical care for citizens throughout the Caribbean region. Of the approximately 18 million people included in the study region, almost 4 million were at least a four-hour distance by car to the closest neurosurgical center, corresponding to a marked increase in mortality from disease entities such as acute subdural hematomas, according to previous studies.
Neurosurgery Research Productivity in Latin American and Caribbean Countries: A Bibliometric and Visualized Study (2022) This bibliometric study sought to quantify the research productivity of Latin American and Caribbean researchers in terms of publications with corresponding authors from the region in the Web of Science database. Although the region has seen an increase in its representation in neurosurgical literature throughout the past decade, they noted that publications tended to come from larger, wealthier countries in the region such as Brazil and that they also tended to be concentrated in global neurosurgery-focused journals rather than journals targeted to more general neurosurgical audiences.
The impact of traumatic brain injury on economic productivity in the Caribbean (2023)This study, also first-authored by Dr. Rolle, calculates the economic impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the Caribbean region. Using the number of people with moderate to severe TBI, the employment-to-population ratio, the relative reduction in employment for those with TBI, and the per capita gross domestic product, the authors were able to estimate that TBI leads to an estimated loss of 1.2 billion USD in productivity, highlighting the need for preventive and acute management interventions for TBI to improve not only quality of life but also economic indicators in the region.
