FROM THE CHAIRMAN

WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY AT UC IRVINE!

We wish to thank all of the readers who have contacted us with positive feedback and suggestions regarding our newsletter issues. We are grateful for the generous donations that we have received from many of our current and former patients and their families. Your contributions go directly to assisting our department in establishing a first-class neurosurgery research effort as well as re-establishing our residency training program.

We are proud that several of our faculty have received important awards since our last two issues went to press. Dr. Linskey was named one of America's Top Doctors for Cancer in the categories of Brain Tumors, Gamma Knife Surgery, and Skull Base Surgery by Castle Connolly. He is the only neurosurgeon in Orange County listed and is one of only 16 in California. Dr. Kim Anderson was nominated for induction to the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame and was named a finalist in the category of research into the quality of life for patients with spinal cord injury. Dr. Devin Binder was awarded an Early Career Physician Scientist Award from the Milken Endowment of the Epilepsy Foundation. Dr. Binder was awarded a spinal cord injury research grant by the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board. Dr. Linskey was named an Orange County Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association in collaboration with Orange Coast Magazine. Two other neurosurgeons, Dr. Michael Muhonen and Dr. Robert Jackson, voluntary faculty members, were also named.

We are very excited that both the Brain Tumor Research Laboratory and the Epilepsy Research Laboratories were brought on line and became operational during August and September 2006. These two laboratories are both located at the main UC Irvine campus and represent the first independent basic science research space for our new department.

We have passed a mock Residency Review Committee (RRC) site visit in September of 2006. The mock site visit was performed by Dr. Julian Hoff, a nationally known academic neurosurgeon and educator. The results of this site visit clear the way for our department to apply for re-establishment of our neurosurgery training program.

In October 2006, construction of the first intra-operative MR (iMRI) scanner in Orange County was completed. We began treating patients using this modality the same month. This is a major landmark event for the multidisciplinary Neuro-Oncology Program. The program is affiliated with the only National Cancer Institute designated comprehensive cancer center in Orange County. Our brain tumor patients no longer need to leave Orange County to benefit from the latest technology for guiding brain tumor surgery. On Saturday, May 10, 2008, our department along with the Deparment of Surgery hosted a major regional neurotrauma and critical care symposium at the Beckman Center. Visiting faculty include Dr. Jack E. Wilberger, Jr., Chairman of Neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital, Dr. Paul M. Vespa, Director of Critical Care at UCLA, and Dr. Shelly D. Timmons, Director of Neurotrauma at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

In the fall of 2006, the UC Irvine multidisciplinary Comprehensive Spine Program was given the green light by Medical Center and School of Medicine leadership to move forward with formal establishment and hiring of essential core personnel. Once activated, this will usher in a new era for integrated, comprehensive operative and non-operative spine care for patients in Orange County. The patient referral line 714-456-BACK, was launched in March 2007.

Our goal remains to establish and solidify our position as the only academic neurosurgery service in Orange County. We aim to be the primary Orange County site for advanced tertiary and quaternary neurosurgery patient care. In addition, we intend to be the principal Orange County site for clinical outcomes studies, clinical trials, and translational neuroscience research. Establishing a first-class neurosurgery training program is a priority. With the ongoing support of our administrative leadership along with the collaboration of our referring physicians, private industry, and the community, we are well on our way to these goals.

Mark E. Linskey, M.D.
Associate Professor & Chairman
Department of Neurological Surgery
University of California, Irvine
Email: mlinskey@uci.edu

University of California, Irvine • Irvine, CA 92697
(949) 824-5011
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