April 5th saw the launching of Dr Charlie Teo’s book on the “Principles and Practice of Keyhole Brain Surgery”. The book is the accumulation of 30 years of experience and over 8000 brain operations. Although the material mostly came from Dr Teo’s archives, the body of work was written by one of Charlie’s ex-fellows, A/Prof.…
April 5th saw the launching of Dr Charlie Teo’s book on the “Principles and Practice of Keyhole Brain Surgery”
Dr Nicholas Koechlin
Nick did his residency training in Zurich at the University of Zurich. This is considered one of the most prestigious centres in the world, indeed the hospital where Prof. Gazi Yasargil was Chairman for many years. He then completed a fellowship with Prof. Robert Reisch, considered one of the pioneers in minimally invasive neurosurgery. Nick was with us for 12 months. Initially as an Observational Fellow then as the Clinical Fellow.
Neurosurgery is arguably the most physically and emotionally taxing of all the medical and surgical specialties. It is a demanding discipline where patients can die unexpectedly and mistakes are unforgiving. With this pressure, neurosurgeons often develop a hard exterior, distancing themselves from their patients and sometimes even their loved ones. It is a plausible self-preservation defence mechanism. Nick was the opposite.
He was warm and compassionate with his patients and relatives and engaged all the nursing staff and other health care workers in his daily interactions. He was not only like this professionally but also in his social interactions. Nick is a technically excellent surgeon, who has been very well trained and will be a worthy addition to any neurosurgical team. We wish him and his beautiful family the best of Aussie luck.
Dr Tyler Auschwitz
Dr Yashar Kalani
Yashar Kalani….please remember the name. Yashar is a genius. He is the kind of person who can read an entire hard-copy textbook on Cancer in one week. A few of you might now be saying, so what? Well, Yashar, unlike the majority of us mortals, can remember every fact in that textbook!! Yashar did an undergraduate degree in stem cell biology before embarking on a career in neurosurgery. He received his PhD from Stanford University and was then accepted at one of the most prestigious neurosurgical centres in the USA, the Barrow Neurological Institute under the guidance of Robert Spetzler.
The 6 months spent with Yashar was most humbling. He is not only a consummate scientist, he is also a caring and compassionate clinician. His enthusiasm was unparalleled and his zest for life outside of neurosurgery was only equalled by his thirst for knowledge. He entertained us, surprised us, taught us and sometimes shocked us……the only fellow to be further on the dark-side than me!
I had the privilege of meeting his beautiful parents, brother and fiancée and it quickly became obvious where Yashar inherited his great human qualities. Yashar embraces life. He then makes life better for all who are lucky enough to be around him. We will miss him dearly and wish him the best of luck in the future. Remember the name!!
Dr Samy El Hammady
Link to website
Samy wants to be and will likely succeed in being, the best neurosurgeon in the world! I have never seen anyone as driven and ambitious as Samy. There was not a day in the 6 months that he was here where he did not give himself a challenge and pursue it relentlessly. If I ever raised an issue or clinical fact that was previously unknown to him, he would trawl through the neurosurgical literature researching every aspect so that he would be totally familiar with the latest information. God forbid if I ever gave him any misinformation! He was not backward in coming forward, and would quickly correct me and before I knew it, I became the pupil and he the teacher! That was probably the most appealing facet of his personality….Samy is a no bullshit kind of guy…..what you see is what you get. We found his honesty, spirituality, commitment to excellence and generosity of spirit without equal. His technical skill in the operating room is second to none and only equalled by his clinical care.
As with many of my previous fellows, as the 6 months drew to a close, I wasn’t sure if I had taught the fellow any more than he had taught me. We will miss Samy terribly and wish him the best of luck with his career and family
Dr Brian Dlouhy
Website
Brian Dlouhy came to us from Iowa City, USA. You will recall that Brian was mentored by one of our previous fellows, Jeremy Greenlee, who was an exceptional neurosurgeon. They say that the best compliment that you can give to someone is imitation. Brian was almost an exact clone of Jeremy. Brian was quiet but when he spoke people would listen. He ran a very tight ship and when he had a clinical dilemma you knew that the problem was serious. Brian didn’t talk the talk….he walked the walk! Throughout the entire 6 months my practice ran so smoothly I thought that I had reached a new level of clinical excellence. I have since discovered that it wasn’t my surgical skills as much as Brian’s diligence and ability to handle any complication or communication issue.
Despite being a hot-blooded, single, handsome (…I am told), young American surgeon, he cast aside his carnal desires for patient responsibilities, often spending entire weekends in the office, reviewing scans from across the globe.
At the end of his fellowship, Brian’s parents came to visit and I had the good fortune of spending time with them over Christmas dinner. It was very obvious where Brian had learnt his life skills of conscientiousness, responsibility, moral integrity and humility. At the risk of offending my good friend, Jeremy, there is another saying that applies to Brian…..the sign of a great teacher is when his pupil outshines him….sorry Jeremy, but you are obviously a great teacher! We wish Brian the best of luck in his new position as a fellow in Pediatric Neurosurgery…our loss is their gain.
Dr Lola Chambless
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It is with much sadness that we farewell Lola and her “extended family”. It would be so wrong not to include her beautiful daughter, Harper, and her dedicated nanny, Kate, when reflecting on the last 6 months. Lola came to us from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the most prestigious neurosurgical departments in the USA. So respected by her colleagues at the end of her residency Lola was offered a position back at Vanderbilt as an Assistant Professor. She started in that role 2 days after leaving Sydney! Lola gave new meaning to the title “Wonder Woman”. Not only did she fulfil her clinical duties with absolute dedication and precision, she also managed to be a loving and nurturing mother to Harper, who was only 4 months old when they arrived in Sydney. Lola is an excellent surgeon, a compassionate caregiver, a quick learner and, most impressively, an awesome Karaoke performer. Finally, I wanted to thank Sid, her devoted husband, for allowing us to have Lola and Harper for 6 months. We often forget the sacrifices that are made when fellows come across the oceans from faraway lands….not only by the fellows but also by their families. It is with much sadness that we say goodbye to the Chambless family and wish them the best of luck in Nashville.
Dr Mike Sughrue
It has always amazed me how different each fellow has been. They have all excelled at various aspects of being a neurosurgeon…bedside manner, technical skill in the OR, compassion shown to families etc. Mike epitomised the dictum…knowledge is power! Mike excelled at all aspects of neurosurgery, not necessarily because he was born with inherent talents, but because if he didn’t have them, he learnt them. Mike was able to communicate with any person on any subject. He knew every surgical approach, not necessarily because he had performed them, but because he had read and memorised them. He is the consummate intellectual with the ability to disseminate his knowledge to anyone who wishes to learn no matter what their station or level of education and the ability to put into practice what he has studied. Mike endeared himself to all our staff and especially my family and their friends. He has a most engaging sense of humour, a pleasant and even temperament, a passion for neurosurgery and a considerate and kind nature. I believe, if anyone can find the cure for brain cancer, it will be Mike. We wish him the best of luck in his new position as Head of the Brain Cancer Center in Oklahoma City.
Dr Dave Wilson
It is with much sadness that we farewell Dave back to the Barrow Neurological Institute for his last 12 months of training. He will be sadly missed by all my patients who had the good fortune to be touched by his compassionate nature and conscientious clinical attention. Dave will be remembered for his pleasant manner, clinical acumen and neurosurgical excellence. Many girls will remember him for his good looks and charm, but having shared a hotel room with him, I would like to warn them that he snores! Dave Wilson is a lovely man and a fine neurosurgeon. His patients will be blessed having him care for them both in and out of the operating room. We wish him the best of luck in his future career.
Dr Caroline Hayhurst (Hons.)
Link to website
Caroline Hayhurst joined us from Toronto, Canada, where she had just completed a 12 month fellowship in Skull Base Surgery under the guidance of Fred Gentili. Previous to that she had been extremely well trained under the mentorship of Conor Mallucci. She was only the second female fellow to pass through the Centre and maintained the high standard set by Dr Darbar, who is currently forging a brilliant career in St. Louis, Missouri. There is no doubt that Caroline will establish the same admirable reputation in the United Kingdom. While she was with us it became clear she was confident but not arrogant, quiet but not backward in coming forward and knowledgeable but not a know-it-all. The single most frequently voiced comment made about her since she departed refers to “…her amazing knowledge of the neurosurgical literature”. We will miss her passion, her measured and accurate suggestions in the operating room, her diligence and her clinical excellence. I am not sure she will find the surf as attractive in Cardiff, but they are certainly the better off for having her in their health system. We wish her the best of British luck!
Dr Jacob Fairhall
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Jacob was the first Australian neurosurgeon to apply for and receive the Fellowship at our Centre. Given the disdain with which my fellow neurosurgeons treat me and anyone associated with me, this was an incredibly courageous and admirable step. I had the pleasure of working with Jacob several years ago when he rotated through the public hospital as a junior registrar. He impressed me then. I had briefly contemplated seducing him back to the Centre one day in the hope that he may wish to specialise in brain tumours. Over the last 6 months he did not disappoint us. Jacob is an exceptional human being. He has warmth and compassion, immeasurable professionalism, a great depth of knowledge, surgical courage and dexterity and superb communication skills…… and a wicked sense of humour! He became an immediate team member and was liked by all with whom he made contact. Jacob will be furthering his training in Canada in the field of neurovascular surgery with the plan of becoming both a brain tumour and a vascular neurosurgeon. I couldn’t think of a more worthy colleague in whom I would place the care of my patients and hope that he will consider returning to our Centre in 2012. We wish him and his wonderful family the best of luck in Toronto.