Neurosurgery Newsletter, Fall 2023
Save The date - 08.23.23 Marshall B. Allen, MD Symposium at SRP Park
Fernando Vale, MD Among the 1st in the nation to perform Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy
Fernando Vale, MD, a neurosurgeon who was an early user of a nonpharmacological therapy for treatment-resistant epilepsy called vagus nerve stimulation, this week became among the first in the nation to put a new implantable pulse generator into a patient with one of those early models, which enables her to benefit from the latest technology updates without having to replace her entire device.
Vale, the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and chief of functional and epilepsy neurosurgery at AU Health, placed the new generator in a 40-year-old patient who received her implant 23 years ago.
Annual Southern Neurosurgical Society Meeting Featured Guest, Fernando Vale, MD - Semmes Lecturer
Annual Southern Neurosurgical Society Meeting Featured Guest, Fernando Vale, MD - Semmes Lecturer
February 8-11, 2023
Dr. Samuel Macomson, Dr. Khoi Nguyen, Dr. Lydia Kaoutzani, MD (PGY 5)
The award is given to recognize faculty and residents who have made a significant contribution in either undergraduate or graduate medical education at MCG in the past year. Selection is based on learner evaluations, number of learners or teaching activities, and input from course directors and academic leadership. Faculty awardees include campus and community faculty from all of MCG’s campuses and from the clinical and basic sciences.
This year, in addition to our faculty being recognized for their UME and/or GME teaching excellence, a set of residents and fellows are being recognized for their contributions to teaching and medical education at MCG.
Please see attached brochure that lists awardees by department and campus.
Dr. Nilufer Yalcin
Congratulations to Dr. Yalcin who was selected by her peers as “AU/MCG Woman Who Inspires". Your dedication to high quality patient care for our community is outstanding!
Parkinson's Foundation
Dr. Henson and Dr. Rutkowski
Ana meets with Dr. Henson and Dr. Rutkowski from Georgia Cancer Center to discuss brain cancer awareness, signs and symptoms, and treatment options.
Dr. Martin Rutkowski's patient Wendy Johnson
Her doctor in Albany sent her to AU Health. They knew whatever was going on would need complex surgery. Dr. Martin Rutkowski suspected it was a benign tumor outside the brain stem.
“In this case it was actually a lesion or a mass inside the brain stem itself. I was pretty surprised to see that, and at that point, the operation would be that much more complicated,” said Rutkowski, a neurosurgeon at AU Health.......... (Click below to read more)
Dr. Kumar Vaibhav
Southern Neurosurgical Society Pictures
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Fernando Vale: Past president 2014 & Phil Tibbs: Past President 2010
Jon Robertson, Harry van Loveren & Fernando Vale
Jay Howington: SNS President 2022, MCG alumni & Fernando Vale
Amir Ahmadian : MCG alumni & Fernando Vale
Dr. Martin Rutkowski and PGY 7 Resident Dr. Chris Banerjee
The award is given to recognize faculty and residents who have made a significant contribution in either undergraduate or graduate medical education at MCG in the past year. Selection is based on learner evaluations, number of learners or teaching activities, and input from course directors and academic leadership. Faculty awardees include campus and community faculty from all of MCG’s campuses and from the clinical and basic sciences.
This year, in addition to our faculty being recognized for their UME and/or GME teaching excellence, a set of residents and fellows are being recognized for their contributions to teaching and medical education at MCG.
Please see attached brochure that lists awardees by department and campus.
Dr. Fernando Vale and epilepsy patient Sy Raulerson
"I just wanted to show y'all the man who has taken such wonderful care of my husband. Dr. Fernando Vale has been more than amazing!!! Well him & his entire staff. So many prayers have already been answered & I just want to thank everyone who continued to pray for Sy. Our family appreciates every single one of you." - wife of the patient.
Dr. Martin Rutkowski and Dr. Babak Baban
One of the active ingredients in marijuana and hemp could show promise in fighting a deadly and aggressive brain tumor, said researchers at Augusta University. It could help target an immune-blocking enzyme first discovered at the school more than 20 years ago...
Toni Phillips and neurosurgeon Dr. Martin Rutkowski
" Rutkowski actually cleared his schedule that morning to meet with them because he could tell it was urgent. Toni had an epidermoid tumor, where a cell makes a wrong turn and begins reproducing as a skin cell inside the skull and forms a tumor. While it is not cancerous, "they grow and they create problems because they put pressure on the brain," Rutkowski said, which was the cause of her symptoms.
In Toni's case, it was a massive problem.
"Hers was by far the biggest I’ve ever seen," Rutkowski said, about nine centimeters – around 3.5 inches. On the MRI, it looked as if took up nearly a third of her brain, Zach said.
It would not be easy to take out. Rutkowski laid out a treatment plan for Toni that involved two or three long surgeries but there was an equally compelling consideration about what to do about her unborn child. " .......
(left to right) Rachel Poston, PA-C, Fernando Vale, MD, James Smith (Patient) , Debra Moore-hill, MD, MPH , Smith's Grandmother
“If I can inspire someone to find the humor in that bad situation, no matter what they’re going through,” James Smith said. “You got to be positive. There’s sunshine after the rain.”
Smith said he’s now living every day without fear of another seizure.
Dr. Ezequiel Yasuda
Dr. Ezequiel Yasuda from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Traveling Observership Fellow awardee - FLANC 2021
WYNN Symposium Highlights
The symposium was a success!
Thank you to the speakers, sponsors and everyone who came to support our event.
Dr. Ildemaro J. Volcan
Dr. Ildemaro J. Volcan shares the second edition of his book eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) with the Neurosurgery Department.
Fernando Vale, MD
AU becomes FLANC certified
August 2021- Augusta University was named a certified FLANC center for educational training of Latin American Neurosurgeons. Initiated by Department of Neurosurgery Chairman, Dr. Fernando Vale, this certification could allow Latin American Neurosurgeons to observe and further their learning opportunities at Augusta University.
Fernando Vale, MD
1. The Means Report: https://www.wjbf.com/featured/the-means-report/understanding-the-inner-workings-of-the-human-brain/
Neurosurgery Podcast (Neurosurgeryodgcast@gmail.com) Episode 76 - Neurosurgery in Puerto Rico https://soundcloud.com/user-838542034/episode-76-neurosurgery-in-puerto-rico
Martin Rutkowski, MD
Dr. Rutkowski speaks with News Channel 6 about a new imaging agent will soon be available at the Georgia Cancer Center that will make brain tumors more visible to surgeons. It’s called Gleolan and it turns malignant brain tumors fluorescent pink. This makes the tumors easier for neurosurgeons to see and separate from brain tissue.
Dion Macomson, MD
John Vender, MD
Receives the Intramural Grant Program Award for his project "Remote Ischemic Conditioning in Traumatic Brain Injury".
1st annual What's New in Neurosurgery and Neurology meeting
1st annual What's New in Neurosurgery and Neurology on October 2, 2021.
-Learn about current best practices and advances in neurosurgery and neurology
-Free CME program featuring many distinguished speakers
-Opportunities to exhibit, advertise, and provide workshop support
Dion Macomson, MD
is appointed AOA Co-Councilor, effective January 1, 2021.
Kumar Vaibhav, PhD
receives the 2020 AURI Research Award for Emerging Scientist!
Dion Macomson, MD
wins MCG Exemplary Teaching Award 2018/2019!
Congrats to Dr. Macomson!
Kris Dhandapani, PHD,
wins the TGS Distinguished Research Award for 2019-2020! Nominations for this award were solicited from all TGS faculty, and the award was voted on by members of the Graduate Council.
WJBF Article
Todd A. Maugans, MD
Todd A. Maugans, MD, pediatric neurosurgery, joins the Department of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Todd Maugans comes to us from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine
where he has served as the Chairman for Neurosurgery Education, Professor of Neurosurgery, and as the Chief of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Division. He attended medical
school at Temple University School of Medicine.
Martin J. Rutkowski, MD
Martin J. Rutkowski, MD, skull base complex cranial surgery, joins the Department
of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Martin Rutkowski comes to us from the University of Southern California. He is
a post-doctoral fellow of UCSF's Neuro-Oncology Laboratory of Manish Aghi, MD, PhD.,
where he studied pituitary adenoma pathogenesis. He was a research fellow at UCSF
Neuro-Oncology Labratory of Andrew Parsa, MD, PhD, where he studied innate immune-mediated
mechanisms of glioblastoma pathogenesis. He attended medical school at the David Geffen
School of Medicine at UCLA, and did his residency at UCSF.
Resident Nathan Todnem, MD
Alexander Post, MD
Krishnan C. Dhandapani, PhD
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