Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:02:17 +0000

Distinguished neurosurgeon and scientist Bob Carter, M.D., Ph.D., has been named chief of the division of neurosurgery at UC San Diego Medical Center and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. Under his leadership, the university will launch a multidisciplinary Brain Tumor Treatment Center that will serve as a destination for patients and referring physicians seeking integrated care from multiple specialists in one location.

Internationally recognized for advancing novel therapies for the treatment of glioblastomas at both the genetic and surgical level, Carter was one of the first researchers to identify a genetic signature for brain tumors in blood samples of cancer patients. This form of profiling enables the early diagnosis and personalized treatment of brain tumors. Carter is also a leader in immunotherapy, researching how the body’s own biologic system can be used to reject cancerous growths.

“Dr. Carter is one of the nation’s most sought-after neurosurgeons for the treatment of complex neurological disease,” said Dr. Mark A. Talamini, professor and M. J. Orloff Family Chair of the Department of Surgery at UC San Diego Medical Center. “Our region is fortunate to have one of the world’s preeminent brain surgeons to enrich and expand California’s health sciences innovation platform.”

Carter arrived from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School where he specialized in surgical treatment of brain and skull base tumors, brain aneurysms, and other intracranial neurologic diseases. Carter obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Public Health respectively. His post-doctoral training included residency in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and post-doctoral fellowships at the Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, Mass., and Children’s Hospital, Boston.

“UC San Diego Medical Center has a patient-focused vision of how to treat all forms of neurological disease from diagnosis and imaging to surgery and rehabilitation,” said Carter, professor and chief of neurosurgery at UC San Diego Medical Center. “UC San Diego has an amazing trajectory in terms of innovation and growth. The UCSD Division of Neurosurgery will continue to increase its slope and acceleration forward.”

Carter will lead UC San Diego Medical Center’s effort to develop a specialized ICU for neurological patients, offering rapid assessment and treatment of complex neurological illnesses including stroke, brain hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, coma and neurological infections. Advanced technologies and procedures include new endovascular therapies, awake surgery for brain tumors to preserve limb and speech function, functional brain mapping, and deep brain stimulation.

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Are there too many spine surgeon meetings?  Or, are there too few good spine surgeon meetings?  One that consistently rises to the top is the 2010 Preservation of Motion in the Spine meeting at Duck Key which starts in about three weeks (April 7 - 10).

What makes this meeting stand apart? Three reasons:

1. Intimacy and a rich schedule of hands-on work shops

2. Superior faculty from around the world. It certainly helps that the meeting is held at Hawks Cay. It’s amazing how many top lecturers are ready for sea breezes after hibernating all winter in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Denver or Minneapolis.

3. State of the art information including probably the best series on biomechanics of any meeting in the U.S. But, to be precise, the lectures cover all types of spinal disorders and include a truly excellent review of complex cases covering disc replacement options, revisions and the latest techniques and technologies for tough cases.

Snowbirds take note. It is so great to attend these courses with the sounds of the ocean and dolphins wafting through the open windows.

The course director is the perennial podium speaker at NASS, SAS and other major conferences Dr. Antonio Castellvi. This is Tony’s conference. It reflects his style which is open, comprehensive, sophisticated and a little fearless—particularly when it comes to posting up tough, challenging cases.

If you attend, and we hope you will (no, we don’t have a financial stake—we pay our own way to the meeting) you will come away with an improved ability to:

• Assess and critique emerging surgical techniques and be able to compare them with current treatment options. This is an increasingly important skill.
• Assess and critique the latest implant, biologic and motion preserving technologies.
• Review clinical and biomechanical outcomes from motion sparing devices
• Assess, discuss and critique the biomechanics in both cervical and lumbar spine and how fusion and motion sparing devices affect motion
• Summarize evidence-based information and discuss current controversies in spine

Bring Your Whole Team

Calling all orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgical and neurosurgical assistants including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, orthopedic nurses and neurosurgical nurses. That’s right. The whole team. Dr. Castellvi has designed this course to elevate the surgeon and the team. Since the morning is set aside for lectures and hands-on clinical sessions, the afternoon is a great time for your team to relax and perhaps do some planning away from the day-to-day demands back home.

The Faculty

Many of these names will be familiar—they’re often authors of the peer reviewed papers you see in your journals.