“Part of this subspecialty that I enjoy is the rapidly evolving advancements in minimally invasive treatment for patients, which is why I have a large interest in focused ultrasound.” – Dr. Nicole Silva

UNC Neurosurgery residents are strongly encouraged to develop clinical, translational or basic science research interests during their seven years of residency training at UNC Health. Residents are also encouraged to explore research interests in partnership with the world-class scientists working in the School of Medicine, in the UNC School of Public Health, and with scientists throughout the university.

Here’s a look at some of the neurosurgery residency research that is happening in our department:

Chief neurosurgery resident Dr. Kelly Chamberlin is pursuing pediatric neurosurgery and is currently involved in the following research projects on campus:

• Quality improvement project regarding shunt infections
• Retrospective review on children with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus regarding surveillance shunt imaging
• Retrospective review on children with myelomeningocele undergoing surveillance imaging for detection of secondary tethered cord syndrome
• Resident Survey study on Motivations and Decision-Making Factors Behind Neurosurgical Residents’ Choices Regarding Fellowship Training
• Retrospective review on minimally invasive tethered cord release versus open laminectomy for tethered cord release which reviews post-operative complications and hospital length of stay

Chief resident Dr. Andrew Abumoussa was selected to present at the upcoming CNS Annual Meeting at the end of the month. During his presentation, Leveraging the Smarts in Your Phone: an AI-Driven iOS App for Surgical Navigation, Dr. Abumoussa will present the iOS app that he built for neuro-navigation during his 5th year of residency.

PGY 5 neurosurgery resident, Dr. Nicole Silva is a research fellow in the Krishna Lab. She received a grant from the Focused Ultrasound Foundation to fund her research, Evaluating Gender Differences in Treatment Delays in Focused Ultrasound Ablation for Essential Tremor. The project stems from my inherent interest in reducing health inequities.

Dr. Silva aims to pursue a career in functional and epilepsy surgery. Part of what draws Dr. Silva to this specialty is the rapidly evolving advancements in minimally invasive treatment for patients, specifically focused ultrasound.

Dr. Silva is also working on two case reports with faculty members, a research paper, and is actively involved in the following ongoing focused ultrasound research on campus:

• 3-D Tractography Focused Ultrasound Ablation for Essential Tremor
  Mentor and PI: Dr. Vibhor Krishna
  Role: Co-Investigator
• Tractography-guided VIM DBS for Essential Tremor: Imaging vs. electrophysiology
  Role: Co-Investigator
  Sponsored by: BrainLab

“Finding time to do research in your first year is difficult, but the faculty is very supportive and when you have good support, you can truly accomplish anything.”

PGY 1 Dr. Deveney Franklin’s poster on a case of primary mixed intramedullary-extramedullary spinal meningeal melanoma, an extremely rare tumor, was selected for presentation at the annual CNS conference. During her presentation, Dr. Franklin will discuss the surgical approach to resection and post-operative management. “Research interests me because as someone who is interested in neurosurgical oncology, it is the core of how we make advances from a treatment perspective, from research on targeted therapies to surgical approaches and outcomes,” said Dr. Franklin. “Finding time to do research in your first year is difficult, but the faculty is very supportive and when you have good support, you can truly accomplish anything.”

 

Article by: Makenzie Hardy, Marketing Coordinator, UNC Health Department of Neurosurgery