Past Fellows

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.

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.

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.

Dave has  come to us from the Barrow Neurological Institute, following in the footsteps of Peter Nakaji, Pankaj Gore, Andrew Little and Scott Wait. Despite our desire to train fellows from different regions and countries, it is hard to reject the residents from the BNI, especially if their references are full of superlatives…..Dave’s were so complimentary we were compelled to take him and so far we have not been disappointed. Although he is a single young man in a “target-rich” environment, he has shown amazing discipline by rejecting the advances of many broken-hearted Sydney ladies to concentrate on reviewing the hundreds of scans sent to us by desperate patients from around the world. We thank him for his commitment and look forward to an enjoyable 6 months.

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 Aneela 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!

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.

Scott joined the ranks of such past luminaries as Pankaj Gore and Andrew Little by coming to us from the Barrow Neurological Institute. Both his predecessors were exceptional for their diligence and professionalism. Scott gave these descriptives new definition. Scott refused to leave the hospital until all tasks were executed to absolute perfection.

The Centre receives over 50 patient files a week that are sent to us from all over the world. Each file contains complex clinical information, hundreds of MRI images and often scanty contact details. Although reviewing these files is offered by the Centre as a free service, we feel obligated to review each one with the same thoroughness as when we see a patient in the clinic. The job of reviewing these files falls on the shoulders of the fellow, who, after operating until the small hours of the morning may not get to the files for days to weeks after they arrive. Scott wouldn’t let a file sit in his mail box for more than 48 hours no matter how late he needed to remain in the hospital. As well as being an exceptional clinician, his dexterity and appreciation of 3D anatomy were second to none.

Scott’s surgical skills, clinical acumen, conscientious attitude and personal integrity will make him one of the finest neurosurgeons in the world...mark my words! Scott was joined by his delightful family of Regina, his beautiful wife, and his 4 gorgeous children...although I am unsure as to when they ever saw him! When Scott wasn’t caring for his patients, or reviewing files or writing journal articles, he was training for an ultra-marathon, which he completed in an admirable time. We wish him the best of luck in the future.

When Aneela first approached me many years ago to be considered for the fellowship, I had some reservations. I had never taken a female fellow and I was worried that my, often politically incorrect, bantar in the operating room might offend.

I often swear and certainly enjoy banal conversation over philosophical "deep and meaningfuls" while concentrating on the surgery. I agreed to take her after speaking with the Chairman of her program in New York, Prof. Charles Hodge (Past President of the Society of University Neurosurgeons), who gave her a glowing reference. I truly believe I have never made such a wise decision.

Aneela has been a tremendous asset to our Centre. She is extremely conscientious, talented and compassionate. Furthermore, her engaging personality has allowed her to fit into the Centre with total harmony. She is a Muslim from Pakistan, my regular co-surgeon is Jewish and my anesthetist is Indian. The operating room runs as one big happy family....I wish the world would follow suit. Welcome aboard Aneela....we expect big things.

Martin joined us from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. This centre has the reputation of excellence in research and medical innovation and is one of the leading Universities in the world. Martin's pedigree was pretty typical of someone who has trained at such an auspicious centre. Having completed his residency in neurosurgery he then received a PhD in molecular biology before successfully applying for the Aesculap Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery. The Swedish are well known for their modesty and Martin was no exception. Although extremely talented both in and out of the operating room he went about his work quietly and conscientiously without the fanfare so often seen in gregarious neurosurgeons!

He became comfortably familiar with innovative endonasal techniques and was soon itching to return to his homeland to offer this minimally invasvie operation to patients suffering from skull base tumours. He was accompanied by his beautiful wife and 3 gorgeous children and we wish them the best of luck in their bright future in Sweden.

Andrew typified the descriptive of the quiet achiever. Once again, this extremely capable doctor came to us from the Barrow Neurological Institute which is considered to be the most respected neurosurgical practice in the world. When deliberating over the 55 applications we received for that period of time the one description of Andrew that convinced us to take him on board was that when you asked Andrew to do something "...it had already been done!". ...never has one phrase described a person more accurately. For the entire 6 months Andrew was on top of things before anyone else had time to even think about problems.

Andrew is honest, conscientious, professional, compassionate, talented, inquisitive, and all together a great colleague and friend. My only criticism is his musical talent. As an initiation, the fellows are taken to a Karaoke Bar often after operating until the small hours of the morning, to test their constitution. Andrew was always willing to socialise but never willing to sing. When we eventually forced him to perform, we wish we hadn't! We wish him and his wonderful and supportive family the best of luck.

Gary came to us from no less an esteemed institution than Johns Hopkins University. The hospital has been voted, by physicians, the Best Hospital in America for the last few years. The neurosurgical department, Chaired by Henry Brem, was recently ranked number 3 in the USA. Gary did his University proud. Gary performed exceptionally in all areas. He was technically good, clinically astute, academically brilliant and socially lovable. He endeared himself to all the staff, patients and their families. If having Gary wasn't enough of a blessing, we were privileged to have his lovely wife, Christine, for several weeks in Sydney. Christine is an oncologist at Hopkins and was kind enough to help Gary establish some collaborative projects studying brain tumours. We will miss them both and wish Gary the best of Australian luck in his new position as Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.