The Western takes great pleasure in awarding the Cloward medal to one of its own, Dr. Ellenbogen, for his innovative work in pediatric neurosurgery and sports related head injuries. Dr. Ellenbogen got his education in the Ivy League, receiving his BA and MD from Brown University in Rhode Island, then did his residency at Harvard, finishing in 1989. He then spent 8 years on the faculty of the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda before being lured to the West Coast in 1997 as Associate Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle where he resides to this day, now as Full Professor and Chairman of UW neurosurgery. He is also Director of the UW Medicine Neurosciences Institute. In addition, he is Director of the Neurological Surgery Residency Program and Founding Co-Director of the Seattle Sports Concussion Program, a joint program sponsored by Seattle Children’s Hospital and UW Medicine. He is currently a member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Neurological Surgery. He has served as Chair of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, President of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons (ASPN), President of the Society of University Neurological Surgeons and President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). He met his wife Sandy when he was interning at Walter Reed where she was an Army surgical nurse and after 37 years and three children, they are enjoying empty nesting—somewhat. His daughter is a family practice doc at the U. of Rochester and his two sons are on the East Coast as computer security experts. Dr. Ellenbogen also served as Commander of the 252nd Medical Detachment KE Team (XVIII Airborne Corp) during Operation Desert Shield/Storm and was awarded a Bronze Star for his service. Richard joined the Western Neurosurgical Society in 1999 and has been an active member ever since. We look forward to his presentation entitled “The Myth of Equipoise”.