As part of NASS´ commitment to make the most current, evidence-based resources and knowledge available to spine specialists around the globe, the NASS International Annual Meeting, in collaboration with the Taiwan Neurosurgical Society (TNS), Taiwan Neurosurgical Spine Society (TNSS) and Taiwan Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (TSMISS) was held on July 21-26, 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan.

The meeting was led by Patrick C. Hsieh, MD, MBA, MS, and Scott Kreiner, MD, from NASS and by Chiung-Chyi Shen, MD, PhD, and Jau-Ching Wu, MD, PhD, from Taiwan, with the collaboration of internationally renowned faculty. There were over 360 attendees from all over the world, representing 22 countries.

The meeting began with a three-day intensive cadaver workshop at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, July 21-23, and continued with the NASS International General Meeting, July 24-26, at the Marriott Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan.

The workshops covered AI, surgical simulation, virtual and augmented reality, interventional spine care, basic and advanced endoscopy, and MIS and complex cervical and thoracolumbar spine surgery.

The general meeting topics ranged from spine care delivery around the world, advanced technology for spine surgery, the next era of spine surgery, intraoperative navigations and robotics, diagnosis and nonsurgical treatments of spinal stenosis, and spinal oncology in 2025. Additional topics included present and future of endoscopic spinal surgery, minimally invasive surgery, evidence-based approach in the management of osteoporotic spine fractures, evidence-based medicine and clinical guidelines, imaging, pain management, and medical rehabilitation. Live surgery sessions highlighted cutting-edge techniques and technologies in real time. The active participation of the attendees generated considerable and lively discussion during the presentations.

A key highlight at this year’s meeting was the inaugural International Award, which I was honored to receive. This special session also included the presentation of the first Best Paper Award at a NASS International Annual Meeting. The winning abstract, titled "Automated Lenke classification for preoperative spine surgery by extracting anatomical landmarks from X-ray images using a deep learning approach," was submitted and presented by AliAsghar MohammadiNasrabadi, PhD.

The gracious hospitality of our host allowed for a relaxed environment that facilitated the exchange of ideas and experiences and strengthened the ties among the different faculty, ties that will foster further collaborative efforts among spine specialists worldwide. We would also like to thank the companies that supported the meeting and cadaver workshop.

The success of this meeting is attributed to the hard work of the NASSi team and to the growing global efforts by NASS to promote and disseminate spine knowledge to spine specialists around the world.