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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!
Tyler Atkins
Tyler was the first resident to train at and complete his residency at the Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Institute in Charlotte, NC. This is one of the largest private practice groups in the world and has an excellent reputation for hands-on training from some of the best neurosurgeons in the USA….think Tony Asher, Hunter Dyer, Tim Adamson and Scott Wait. As Visiting Professor there a few years back, I was observing Scott Wait, my previous fellow, performing a difficult case through an eyebrow approach. His assistant was Tyler. I was equally impressed with Tyler as I was with Scott, who I have described previously as the best technical surgeon I have ever trained. When Tyler applied for my fellowship I seriously thought that I would reject him simply because there was nothing that I could teach him that Scott hadn’t already.
He persisted and I am so thankful that he did. Tyler has been with us for 3 months and has already earnt himself several “superlatives”…..indeed, he may be the best “second generation” fellow that I have ever trained. Welcome Tyler and your beautiful family. Let’s hope that the Covid 19 pandemic prohibits you from returning to the US….just kidding!!
