Neurosurgery
About the program:
The primary objective of our residency program is to develop competent, well-rounded neurosurgeons capable of practicing the art of neurosurgery in either a community or academic environment. This objective will be pursued in a collegial atmosphere allowing an individual’s path to be customized to their specific interests and needs. Through this, the success and well-being of our neurosurgical graduates remains a source of pride for our residency program. These goals will be achieved through the following educational experiences: The specific goals are structured according to the CanMEDS core competencies.
Supervised clinical patient encounters in the operating room, the hospital ward, the emergency department and the clinic.
Formal teaching rounds (resident and faculty administered)
Clinical case rounds
Courses and conferences
Web based curriculum
Simulation exercises
Individual study
Flexible PGY-4 year used for clinical elective, enfolded fellowships, or research with optional extension leading to a graduate degree
Extra learning opportunities available for neuroICU care, including airway management and central venous access.
Continuous, longitudinal exposure to pediatric neurosurgery given unique setup of the Stollery Children's Hospital within the University Hospital.
Annual rotation spent as sole resident at our second site, Royal Alexandra Hospital, offering early independence inside and outside of the OR.
All subspecialties of neurosurgery represented (complex spine, peripheral nerve, pediatrics, neuro-oncology/skull based/radiosurgery, open cerebrovascular/endovascular surgery, functional/epilepsy.
To learn more about the Division of Neurosurgery, please visit our divisional site: https://www.ualberta.ca/surgery/divisions/neurosurgery
Program Director: Dr. Michael Chow
Assistant Program Director: Dr. Jenny Souster
Program Administrator: Jen Granfield
New Surgical Microscope
The Mighty Millions Lottery purchased a new surgical microscope for the Stollery Children's Hospital. First one in Western Canada! See Divisional Director, Dr Vivek Mehta on Global News.
Gamma Knife
The Clinical Neurosciences Department teamed up with the University Hospital Foundation to bring a state of the art “Brain Centre” to the University Hospital site. The Brain Campaign has already brought an IMRIS intraoperative 3T MRI suite, a new Leksell stereotactic DBS system, new multi-modality Neuro-ICU brain monitoring systems the first (portable CT) Stroke Ambulance in Canada. The new Leksell Gamma Knife opened in December 2017.
The addition of a Gamma Knife is particularly exciting, especially for the management of cerebrovascular disorders, trigeminal neuralgia, vestibular (acoustic) schwannoma and pituitary disorders – all areas of excellence within the Edmonton Program.
To see more watch Dr Keith Aronyk on Global News.
Dan and Bunny Widney Intra-operative
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Surgical Suite
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Surgical Suite
The Dan and Bunny Widney Intra-operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Surgical Suite, provides surgeons the room and resources to perform brain surgery with unprecedented precision, and to see the finely detailed images of their work in real-time during the procedure.
Surgeons can use the suite’s specialized equipment during a procedure to confirm they’ve completely removed a brain tumour, preventing the need for followup surgeries. This specialized equipment includes a six-tonne, 3-Tesla MRI, operated by on-site radiologists who can take multiple images throughout the surgery, and powerful new microscopes specifically designed for neurosurgery.
