Course Description: Elective run by Department of Neurosurgery at VUMC and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine to provide pre-clinical medical students a strong exposure to the field of neurosurgery through open discussions with faculty members about their personal and academic experiences, short journal club presentations on impactful neurosurgery literature, clinical exposure in the operating room and outpatient clinics, as well as hands-on experience through simulations. Each classroom session will have an academic and personal theme. These sessions will begin with a short journal club and a faculty member presentation about the academic theme of the week. At the conclusion, faculty members will lead an open question and answer discussion relevant to the personal theme of the week. In the clinical session, each student will have the opportunity to spend time in an outpatient clinic and the operating room.
Academic Themes: Brain tumors, brain aneurysms, neurosurgical oncology, brain trauma, spinal deformity surgery, spinal tumor surgery, sports neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery, global health neurosurgery, and functional neurosurgery
Personal Themes: Residency lifestyle, intensity of training, balancing a busy surgical practice and research, balancing neurosurgery and family life, neurosurgery and humanitarian aid, delivering bad news, academic and private practice neurosurgery, and working with children
Meeting Times: Fall semester, Wednesdays 5:30-7pm
Faculty Course Director: Reid C. Thompson, MD
Course Advisor: Scott L. Zuckerman, MD, MPH
Resident Course Directors: Aaron M. Yengo-Kahn, MD, Rob J. Dambrino, MD, Nishit Mummareddy, MD
Student Course Director: Sanjana R. Salwi