Kepes Symposium 2019
Dr. Eyas Hattab was an invited speaker at the annual John J. Kepes Symposium! This event was held on November 16th in Kansas City, Kansas. Dr. Hattab's presentations were "The Aftermath of the 2016 WHO Classification of CNS Tumors" and " Useful Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of CNS Neoplasms". He had a great time but was happy to be home, Kansas City only had one vending machine for a gift shop!
A brief history of John J. Kepes, M.D.
Dr. John J. Kepes served as Chief of Neuropathology to The National Institute of Neurosurgery in Budapest before he immigrated to the United States after narrowly surviving the Nazi occupation in 1956. He escaped from Hungary on foot with his family while his pockets were stuffed with slides from "interesting cases". Dr. Kepes found sanctuary in the Portuguese embassy while a fellow doctor wrote a letter on his behalf to help him gain entry into the United States. It worked. Dr. Kepes completed part of his training at the Mayo Clinic and then worked at the University of Kansas for the next 48 years of his life. Dr. Kepes was a world-renowned Neuropathologist who taught students for decades and became a mentor to many physicians alike. He designated a new tumor entity, Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, also known as the Kepes tumor, in 1979. Dr. Kepes also wrote a monograph on meningiomas, the first such book since Harvey Cushing's, decades previously. His list of accolades are impressive as was his research. Dr. Kepes was a treasured member of the medical community remembered for his generous, kind spirit, meticulous detail and vast knowledge by all who learned alongside him.