Who Received the 2024 AAN President’s Award?

January 22, 2024

Ann H. Tilton, MD, FAAN, got quite the shock late last year during a phone call with AAN President Carlayne Jackson, MD, FAAN.

Jackson faced the challenging privilege of choosing a recipient for the 2024 President’s Award, which honors members for outstanding service to the AAN and the profession of neurology. She had talked to Tilton earlier in the year to ask for recommendations—so Tilton assumed this phone call was for the same reason.

However, Jackson had already decided on an awardee: Tilton herself. 

“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to sit down here for a second,” Tilton said. “After it sank in, I was thrilled. It was so totally unexpected.”

Tilton, who was born and raised in Texas, is a professor of neurology and pediatrics and Section Chair of Child Neurology at Louisiana State University Health Science Center. She also leads both the Rehabilitation Center and the Comprehensive Spasticity Program at the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. She has published numerous articles on topics in child neurology and spoken on her research in venues both at home and abroad. In addition to her leadership within the AAN, she has served as President of the Child Neurology Society, President of the Child Neurology Foundation, and Chair of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

“As surprised as she was when I told her, it’s certainly time that Dr. Tilton is recognized for her spectacular service to the AAN and neurology as a whole,” said Jackson. “She’s incredibly consistent in going above and beyond, always taking that extra step to mentor other neurologists and help our profession keep moving forward despite significant challenges.”

Tilton earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where her path to child neurology wasn’t exactly straightforward. While she loved neurology when her class did its rotation in neuroscience, she said the decision between adult medicine and pediatric medicine was partially up to chance. Deciding between the two areas, the young medical student literally flipped a coin. The coin landed, and Tilton chose pediatric medicine—but soon found her way back to the specialty that had so intrigued her.

“When you’re in the regular clinic, you tend to see similar things over and over. But I went to this particular clinic—a neurology clinic—and behind every door was a diagnosis I’d never seen. I kept gravitating to those cases and realized where my interest really was. I said, ‘I’m home.’”

Along with her professional achievements, Tilton has a long and storied history of involvement and mentorship with the AAN. Some of her most prominent recent positions include Vice President of the AAN Board of Directors and Secretary/Treasurer of the AAN Institute. Tilton has also served on the Editorial Board of Neurology Today®, been a part of numerous committees and subcommittees focused on advancing women in neurology, and maintained a consistent presence in sections and work groups. Many AAN members know Tilton best as a mentor—enough that in 2022, she earned the Leading in Excellence Through Mentorship Award.

It all started when Tilton, who had newly moved to New Orleans to join both the LSU faculty and the Children’s Hospital, made a pilgrimage back to Texas to attend her first Annual Meeting in 1987. The power suit was in style, shoulders were padded, and thousands of neurologists were bustling from event to event.

“My eyes were as big as saucers,” Tilton said. “I didn’t even know where to go or what to do! I remember that I wanted to be in three places at once, but—well, it’s terrible—I guess my timing was off at first, so I kept missing everything I wanted to go to.”

Part of the problem, Tilton said, was that events in child neurology were somewhat cordoned off rather than dispersed among general neurology offerings, making it difficult for her to race back and forth between her subspecialty and the other events that fascinated her. But before long, she found the rhythm of the busy meeting—and developed an unshakeable enthusiasm for the way it showcased science and education.

Tilton would continue to attend the Annual Meeting sporadically in the 80s and 90s as she built her career. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that she began to seek a deeper involvement, joining the Academy’s Neuromuscular and Child Neurology Sections and the Neuroscience Research Subcommittee. Later that decade came Tilton’s first AAN work group and Annual Meeting panel—and from then on, a dizzying array of committees, councils, and leadership roles. In part, she credits the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum for showing her the ropes of advocacy and involvement as an AAN member neurologist.

One of Tilton’s first major contributions to the AAN was her work shaping the Section system, including a period as chair of the Executive Council for Sections and Subspecialties.

“This was critically important,” Tilton said of the group’s work. “Members needed to have the ability to communicate and affect their world—to have their voices move up in the Academy. In order to be a member of an organization, you’ve got to feel like you have an influence.”

One of Tilton’s current areas of influence within the AAN is a big one—and one that takes her involvement with the organization full circle. She chairs the Meeting Management Committee , which chooses site locations and shapes the structure of all AAN conferences—including, of course, the Annual Meeting.

“People at work say, ‘I’m so sorry that you have to go to another meeting!’” Tilton said, grinning. “Oh, yes, I’m so sad. What a shame. But jokes aside, that kind of connection is incredibly valuable. It’s one of the antidotes to burnout—that moment to step outside of your own little microcosm and be part of a wider world. It’s like going on vacation and coming back refreshed.”

According to Jackson, Annual Meeting attendees may know Tilton best from her HeadTalks. These talks are known for unique, engaging approaches to neurology, but Tilton’s topics are especially entertaining—she has held HeadTalks on the neurology of Voodoo, the Salem witch trials, and how to do consults on zoo animals. Her schedule for the 2024 Annual Meeting includes a HeadTalk on optical illusions and how they can “trick” the brain.

Along with the chance to shape the meeting that first drew her in, Tilton says involvement with the AAN has allowed her to build friendships that go beyond the conference table or networking lunch.

“There are lots of people in the Academy who I can just pick up the phone and call, and they can do the same to me. How fortunate to have colleagues I can call dear friends.  I look forward to long chats, even longer dinners. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a supportive community.”

Tilton plans to spend many more years mentoring other members and lending her voice to committees, work groups, and more at the AAN—all with the goal of helping other members know that they belong. As for newer members, she said there are many ways to start getting involved.

“Look at leadership programs like the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum,” she said. “Not only will you become a stronger leader, you’ll meet a cohort of other professionals and learn how the system works. Then start thinking about where your passion lies. You could start teaching in courses, organizing something for the Head Talks or hubs at the Annual Meeting—there are all kinds of opportunities.”

Jackson is very confident in her choice for the 2024 President’s Award. She’s only surprised that Tilton wasn’t chosen sooner.

“The AAN is very, very fortunate to have Dr. Tilton,” Jackson said. “In fact, the entire field of neurology is fortunate for the same reason! She is always full of fresh ideas and innovative solutions, and her research, practice, teaching, and mentorship have made an immense positive impact on the field of neurology. I feel very honored to give her this award.”