As part of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence Neurosurgery's mission is to deliver excellent patient care, provide superior education to the resident staff and the community as a whole, and engage in innovative research.
We are proud of the award-winning Children's Hospital of Georgia at Augusta University, our nationally recognized patient-centered care approach, and the Augusta University Gamma Knife Center.
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Department of Neurosurgery
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Medical College of Georgia's Neurosurgical Residency Program at Augusta University
Research Program
Medical College of Georgia's Neurosurgical Research Program at Augusta University
History of MCG Neurosurgery
The history of the Medical College of Georgia's Neurosurgery department.
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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...
Dr. Fernando Vale & epilepsy patient Sy Raulerson
A Thank You From His Family
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.
Toni Phillips & neurosurgeon Dr. Martin Rutkowski
North Augusta woman, hardened by faith, survives lengthy surgeries, emergency birth.
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.
Read her story
Shawn Neal with Students
Three weeks after having brain surgery to remove a rare type of tumor at Wellstar MCG Health, Shawn Neal was incredulous at how quickly her life was returning to normal.
“It’s crazy! Like, I’ll be walking around my house and I’m like, ‘I just had brain
surgery.’ It’s just hard to believe,” she said.
Despite an eight-hour surgery, she only leaned on painkillers twice to manage her pain afterward, when it became significant.
Otherwise, her regimen consisted of acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
“That’s unheard of! I mean, just incredible. Here I’ve had an eight-hour brain surgery, and I’m just using Tylenol and ibuprofen,” she said.
Within a month, Neal returned to her job as a dental hygienist at the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University completely cancer free.
Funding Educational Activities for Neurosurgical Residents & Medical Students
How to donate The Neurosurgery Resident Education Fund (211550)THE GENERAL NEUROSURGERY FUND (211530)
