It’s not every day you meet a young neurosurgeon with over 700 operations under their belt. It’s even rarer to find one that has published an equal amount of academic papers. Yet, Dr. Robert Starke has done both with excellence and candor. Some may think his level of productivity comes naturally, but the reality is …
Dr. Robert Starke’s Secrets to Success as a Neurosurgery Clinician Scientist Read More »
A big piece of providing evidence for optimal spine surgery is the use of randomized control trials. However, unlike most drug trials, surgery is irreversible. You can’t just switch someone to a different medication if it doesn’t work for them. Therefore, it’s difficult to establish equipoise, which is the ethical basis for assigning patients to …
Dr. Zoher Ghogawala Is Improving Clinical Trial Design Read More »
Whether it’s in the classroom or through one of the 370 chapters he’s written, Dr. Edward Benzel is training the next generation of spine surgeons. After all, he wrote Benzel’s Spine Surgery, the definitive textbook on spine biomechanics, now in its fifth edition. I recently sat down with Dr. Benzel to discuss some of the …
Dr. Edward Benzel Is Training the Next Generation of Spine Surgeons Read More »
When you think of Dr. Dalton Dietrich, you should think of inflammasomes. His research group was the first to show inflammasome signaling in brain cells, neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and other things of this nature. However, most people have never heard of inflammasomes or how critical they may be to the research and treatment of traumatic …
Dr. Dalton Dietrich Is Changing the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury Read More »
I love having conversations that shift my perspective. I don’t even have to initially disagree with someone for it to be a meaningful experience. It’s simply the gift of being given a window into someone else’s world that I enjoy so much. That’s exactly the kind of conversation I had on a recent episode of …
Dr. Steven Kirshblum Raises Awareness for Specialized Spinal Cord Injury Care Read More »
What is the driving force behind medical progress? Some would say it’s more advanced technology, and they wouldn’t be wrong. However, I believe the fastest path to optimization, especially in the field of spine surgery, is better data. The more we study patient outcomes to see what works and what doesn’t, the better we will …
Dr. Steven Glassman is Shedding Light on Spine Surgery Outcomes Read More »
Neurosurgery residency has and never will be for the faint of heart. However, recent studies show that the field’s attrition rate is somewhere between ten and eleven percent. What can we do to make sure more residents make it through our programs and continue to advance our field? Enter Dr. Aurora Cruz. She’s a chief …
Dr. Aurora Cruz Is Tackling Burnout in Neurosurgery Residency Read More »
When you sit down with someone like Dr. Haring Nauta, you become acutely aware that you are in the presence of immense wisdom and experience. At 75 years old, Dr. Nauta has a lifetime training residents and doing research in the field of neurosurgery. Aside from the seemingly endless insights on leadership and training, one …
Dr. Haring Nauta is Targeting Neurosurgical Pain Read More »
In 2004, Dr. Mark Bilsky changed the world of spinal oncology forever with the introduction of the NOMS decision framework. This provided a basis for the rational integration of new technologies and evidence-based medicine into the treatment of metastatic and primary spine tumors. Long since had standard scoring systems such as the Tomita and Tokuhashi …
Dr. Mark Bilsky Takes a Multidisciplinary Approach to Treat Spinal Cancer Read More »
When I think of a pioneer, I think of someone taking on the unique challenges of uncharted territory and paving the way for future success. By definition, Dr. Andrea Behrman is a pioneer in the field of pediatric spinal cord injury. With nearly three decades of research under her belt, Dr. Behrman has seen a …
Dr. Andrea Behrman Is a Pioneer of Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Research Read More »