Pittsburgh, June 8, 2026 — Faculty and residents from Pitt Neurosurgery joined 56 neurosurgery departments from across North America at the 21st Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament, held June 6 in New York City's Central Park to raise funds for brain tumor research.
Top row, from left: Ali Alattar, MD; Hansen Deng, MD; Joseph Hudson, MD; Andrew Legarreta, MD; Nikhil Sharma, MD; Costas Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD; Sharath Anand, MD; James Bayley, MD; Daniel Wecht, MD. Bottom row, from left: Edward Andrews, MD; Jeffery Head, MD; Anthony Schulien, MD; Michael Lang, MD.
Hosted by the Columbia University Department of Neurological Surgery, the tournament brings together neurosurgery programs nationwide for a day of competition supporting the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF). Proceeds from this year's event will benefit the NREF K12 Scholars Program, which supports mentored research career development for early-career neurosurgeon-scientists.
The Pitt team of residents and faculty competed throughout the day in temperatures that climbed past 90 degrees. Costas Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD credited the residents and faculty for representing the department and playing for an important cause.
The tournament has been held in Central Park since 2004 and raises funds each year to advance neurosurgical research and training. By supporting the NREF K12 Scholars Program, this year's event helps fund the next generation of neurosurgeon-scientists working to improve outcomes for patients with brain tumors.