Honors
Eldad Hadar, MD, was appointed as the Interim Chair of the UNC Department of Neurosurgery. This move allows former chair, Matt Ewend, MD, FACS more time to focus on his responsibilities as President of UNC Physicians. Learn more >
Carolyn Quinsey, MD, was recently appointed to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Young Neurosurgeons committee.
Research
Scott Elton, MD and Carolyn Quinsey, MD, along with neurosurgery residents Michael Cools, MD, and Weston Northam, MD, published collaborative research in two JNS Focus articles that included a study on readmissions following prenatal vs. postnatal myelomeningocele repair and a cost comparison of the two procedures.
Neurosurgery residents, Michael Catalino, MD, and Brice Kessler, MD, along with neurologist Dedrick Jordan, MD, recently published research in World Neurosurgery titled, “Reducing the reported mortality index within a Neurocritical Care Unit through documentation and coding accuracy.”
Drs. Scott Elton and Carolyn Quinsey along with neurosurgery resident Dr. Wes Northam and UNC medical student Allie Harbert published research in Child’s Nervous System titled, “Targeted head CT reduction for pediatric patients with hydrocephalus and traumatic brain injury.”
Presentations and Outreach
Three UNC neurosurgeons presented at the 2019 CNS Annual Meeting in October:
- Deb Bhowmick, MD, co-presented “Novel Techniques for Management of Lumbar Spondylolisthesis”
- Deanna Sasaki-Adams, MD, co-presented “A Comprehensive & Evidenced-Based Guidelines Review for the Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms”
- Carolyn Quinsey, MD, co-presented “Pediatric Concussion”
Carolyn Quinsey, MD, returned to Malawi in September to teach, collaborate and contribute to neurosurgical care in Malawi. She also gave a talk on brain injuries to students of the UNC Physician Assistant Studies program in October.
Events and Fundraising
Kristi Hildebrand, MSN CPNP-AC was lead organizer of the inaugural UNC Spina Bifida Family Conference and Reunion held on October 5, 2019 at the St. Thomas More Church in Chapel Hill. This fun-filled day included education, activities and networking opportunities for UNC pediatric neurosurgery faculty and staff, and for UNC pediatric spina bifida patients and their families. This event was a collaborative effort between the UNC Departments of Neurosurgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Urology, Orthopedics, and Physical and Occupational Therapy. Special thanks to our sponsors: UNC Health; Affordable Medical; Sophysa; and Tim Donahoe and Melody Watral. More Photos >
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The 5th annual Head for the Cure 5K Run/Walk had another year of growth and success. Held on September 7 in Southern Village, the event raised $47,700 with over 500 participants and 25 teams – significantly exceeding our goals. One patient, a Verizon employee, had a team of over 100 supporters, and his story inspired Verizon offices in Michigan and Texas to hold their own virtual walks in support of his fundraising campaign. Many thanks to everyone who participated and donated funds to benefit the UNC Brain Tumor Program and the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative.
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Several members of the UNC Neurosurgery Department participated in the Ellie Helton Memorial 5K Run/Walk on October 12 in support of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
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Eldad Hadar, MD, and Deanna Sasaki-Adams, MD, ran the New York Marathon on November 3 in support of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. In addition, Dr. Hadar ran the Marine Corps Marathon on October 27 in Washington D.C. as part of the Ainsley’s Angels in North Carolina – Team Maddie.
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Media
Carolyn Quinsey, MD, was featured in this touching video produced by Plexus Worldwide about one of her pediatric patients who was being treated for spina bifida and other medical issues.
In addition, Dr. Quinsey and UNC medical student, Casey Hribar, wrote an article published online at KevinMD.com titled, “Why millennials in medicine want a different dress code.”
Dr. Quinsey was also part of the interdisciplinary team that provided complex surgical services to help save this infant’s life. UNC Surgery patient story >
Residency Program
From October 23-25, we interviewed 39 medical students from across the country for two residency positions available next June. Final results will be announced on Match Day – Friday, March 20, 2020.
Join our team!
The department has openings for a neurosurgeon, two advanced practice providers (spine focus and skull base surgery), and a lab manager. Learn more >
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