May 02, 2019
Hello,
Dr. Dong Kim, professor and chair of the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, recently gave an overview of his department’s past, present, and future. I am delighted to share highlights of that impressive presentation with you.
Just over a decade ago, Dr. Kim was recruited from Harvard to chair our Department of Neurosurgery and to direct the Mischer Neuroscience Institute, serving as chief of Neurosurgery at Memorial Hermann. Under his leadership the department has made amazing strides – developing outstanding clinical programs, a flourishing research program, and a competitive neurosurgery residency.
The department’s faculty includes 22 neurosurgeons, six pain management specialists, two neuro oncologists, three radiation oncologists, nine critical care specialists, 23 neurologists, and one neuropsychologist. The department is home to 17 residents, eight fellows, 36 advance practice providers, and 250 employees. This team serves 24 clinic locations and provides coverage at nine Houston-area hospitals.
Neurosurgical case volume, as well as elective patient referrals and emergency transfers, have markedly increased in the Texas Medical Center and across the system. Neurosurgery has become a clinical leader in quality and safety across service lines at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, with improved outcomes and reduced mortality rates over the years.
A neurosurgery residency was approved by ACGME in 2008, and fellowships and third-year medical student clerkships soon followed. Nearly 100 McGovern medical students had rotations in the department last year, compared to none a decade before.
Dr. Arthur Day leads the educational program. He requires all residents to take the AGNS board exam each year. Board scores now rank in the 91 percentage range for all residents, and last year one of our residents achieved the nation’s highest score. All residents have the opportunity to complete a fellowship in their seventh year, and Dr. Kim said each resident takes advantage of this offering. The department also offers a unique coaching program for all of its residents to better prepare them for the “real world.”
The department is a leader in research, with over 30 clinical trials in progress and ranks 13th nationally among all neurosurgery departments in NIH funding. Dr. Balveen Kaur was recruited in 2018 to lead the department’s research and was named a holder of the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair. The research program includes 17 PhD and 13 engineering faculty who focus on translational projects that span topics from micro robotics and device development to stem cell treatment for regeneration.
When Dr. Kim came to Houston more than a decade ago, he created Mischer Neuroscience Associates, which became a multi-specialty neuroscience group of UT faculty and PhyTex-employed physicians. That group operated independently of UT Physicians. The group is transitioning back to UT Physicians with a goal of being integrated into UT Physicians between July 1 and September 1 of this year. All of the physicians and their locations, except the group at The Woodlands, will be a part of UT Physicians; all staff and administrative leadership will also join UT Physicians, the clinical practice of McGovern Medical School. Neurosurgery will have a service line agreement with Memorial Hermann System like our other clinical departments.
Dr. Kim has done a remarkable job building our Department of Neurosurgery in all three mission areas – patient care, research, and education. We are proud to have him and his impressive team as part of McGovern Medical School and UT Physicians and look forward to continued collaborations across our many departments and service lines as we work together to improve outcomes for our patients.
Warm regards,
Barbara
P.S. Just this week, members of our neuroscience faculty, including Dr. Louise McCullough, Dr. Jair Soares, and Dr. Joy Schmitz, proudly represented UTHealth at the UT System Chancellor’s Council Annual Meeting and Symposium in Austin. UTHealth President Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo moderated the session on Addressing Addiction.
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