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 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.
