Past Dinner Lectures 2015-2020

Past Lectures:

  • Wednesday, March 4th, 2020, Daniels Broiler, Lake Union
    “Optune in Newly Diagnosed and Recurrent Glioblastoma” 
    Gautam Prasad, MD, PhD
    Overview of Glioblastoma, Mechanism of Action of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), Review of Patient Management and Resources. Dr. Prasad’s clinical interests include cutting-edge cancer treatments in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). He has published articles in: Neuro-Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, and Cancer Letters. Gautam Prasad, MD, PhD, is the Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Epic Care in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, and a Clinical Instructor in Radiation Oncology at UCSF. He received his medical degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL, his residency in Radiation Oncology at UCSF and completed his PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Thank you to our sponsor Novocure for co-hosting this event with the Washington State Association of Neurological Surgeons.

  • Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019, Daniels Broiler, Lake Union
    “Augmenting clinical decision making and patient safety in neurosurgery with artificial intelligence: Case studies in deep brain stimulation surgery.”
    Quinlan Buchlak, MPsych, MBIS, MD/PhD Candidate.
    Quin Buchlak is a Python data scientist, clinical researcher and organizational strategy expert with 10 years of management consulting experience across the healthcare, human services, financial services, aerospace, resources and non-profit sectors. His research focuses on applying machine learning technologies to neurosurgery, spine surgery and patient safety improvement. His work has been published in Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS), Neurosurgical Review, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurosurgical Focus, Spine and JNS. Artificial intelligence represents a set of powerful technologies that enable synthetic learning and accurate outcome prediction. The potential for these developing technologies to drive quality and safety improvements in neurosurgery is substantial. This presentation will consider: (1) the basics of AI including an outline of its capabilities and utility; (2) a discussion of how AI has been applied to the improvement of neurosurgery; and (3) avenues of innovation at the intersection of neurosurgery and machine learning.Please join Quin Buchlak as he shares his expertise on this subject. Round table format with interactive participation enhances the presentation topic. We welcome Neurosurgical Providers, and their associated ARNPs and PA-Cs that provide neurosurgical care to patients in Washington State.
    Thank you to our sponsors: Boston Scientific, Abbott Medical, Medtronic, for co-hosting this event with Washington State Association of Neurological Surgeons
  •  Wednesday, September 11th, 2019, Daniels Broiler, Lake Union
    “Recent Advances in Endovascular Neuro Treatment: The WEB Device and HEAT Trial
    Stephen Monteith, MD
    Cerebrovascular Neurosurgeon, Swedish Neuroscience Institute
    Swedish Cerebrovascular Center, Seattle, WA
    Dr. Monteith specializes in Cerebrovascular surgery, Interventional Radiology and Neurosurgery.
 He earned his MD from the University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, attended University of Virginia for residency and Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand for his general neurosurgery fellowship and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital fellowship in Endovascular Neurosurgery (interventional neuroradiology)
    Thank you to our sponsor, Microvention for co-hosting this event with WSANS.
  • Thursday, March 7th, 2019, Cortina
    “Strategies for preventing turning degenerative cases into deformity cases”
    Dean Chou, M.D.
    Professor of Neurosurgery
    The UCSF Spine Center
    University of California, San Francisco
    The spectrum between degenerative spinal conditions and spinal deformity is a continuum, and many times degenerative conditions have a significant deformity component. Also, many deformity conditions manifest with nearly identical clinical presentations as degenerative conditions. In trying to prevent degenerative conditions from turning into deformity conditions, certain strategies can be implemented. This talk focuses on strategies and options available to the spine surgeon to try to prevent creating new deformities.
    Dr. Dean Chou specializes in the treatment of complex spinal disorders. He treats such disorders as adult scoliosis, spinal deformities, and spinal tumors. He is an expert in minimally invasive applications to such complex spinal disorders, and he has had multiple peer-reviewed papers published describing these techniques. More about Dr. Chou
    This event was sponsored by Globus Medical, Depuy Synthes, and Washington State Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • Monday, December 10, 2018, Daniels’ Broiler on Lake Union:
    “How to safely execute a short term surgical spine mission trip: lessons learned from operating on 5 continents”
    Gregory M. Mundis Jr., MD
    Co-Director San Diego Spine Fellowship
    Pediatric and Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery
    Scripps Clinic Medical Group Department of Orthopedics
    www.SanDiegoSpineFoundation.org
    “Short term surgical mission trips have become a fad within US based practices, with surgeons donating limited time yearly to try and help make a positive impact internationally. Unfortunately these trips have turned into episodes of practicing cavalier medicine often performing surgeries out of the comfort zone of the surgeon in hospitals not equipped for the operations being performed. Dr. Mundis, and Global Spine Outreach, a 501 3c non-profit company, have developed a reproducible model that provides free care to children with severe spinal deformities world wide. Please join Dr. Mundis as he shares this model of providing safe and sustainable short term surgical missions.”
    This event was sponsored by Depuy Synthes, Nuvasive and Washington State Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • September 19, 2018, Aqua by El Goucho:
    “The Barrow Innovation Center: Building an Innovation Center of Excellence”
    Michael Bohl, MD
    Barrow Neurological Institute
    Phoenix, AZ
    Michael Bohl, MD     is a 6th year neurosurgery resident at the Barrow Neurological Institute and is currently completing a fellowship in Spinal Deformity at the Virginia Mason Medical Center. During his time in residency he began an educational program in medical device innovation. In its first 2 years, this program lead to the filing of 30 provisional patents, 10 non-provisional patents, and over 20 manuscripts published or undergoing review in various peer-reviewed journals. His presentation will focus on the importance of educating neurosurgeons on how to innovate, the current structure of the Barrow Innovation Center, examples of projects currently under development, and the importance of maintaining an innovative mindset to the advancement of our field and to medicine in general.
    This event was sponsored by: NuVasive, Globus, and Washington State Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • October 16th, 2017, Seattle:
    “Washington State DBS Surgeons’ Round Table Dinner Meeting”
    Featuring:
  • Farrokh Farrokhi, MD (Virgina Mason, Seattle)
  • Jonathan Carlson, MD (Prov. Sacred Heart, Spokane)
  • Ryder Gwinn, MD (Swedish Hospital, Seattle)
  • Andrew Ko, MD (University of Washington, Seattle)
  • Peter Nora, MD (Evergreen, Kirkland)
  • Anthony Harris, MD (Multicare, Tacoma)
  • Chong Lee, MD (Kaiser, Seattle)
  • September 21, 2017: Daniel’s Broiler, Seattle:
    “Safety, Value and Risk Stratification in Spine Care. Lessons from the past president of the SRS”
    David Polly, Jr., MD
    Dr. Polly is a Professor and Chief of Spine Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at The University of Minnesota. He holds the James W. Ogilvie Chair. He is nationally and internationally recognized for biomechanics and outcomes research. He cares for complex pediatric and adult spine conditions. He is well known for scoliosis research.
  • April 3rd, 2017: Daniel’s Broiler, Seattle:
    “Acute Stroke Interventions: Trials, Tribulations and Tenacity”
    Cameron G. McDougall, MD
    Swedish Medical Group
    Seattle, WA
    Dr. McDougall became certified as a neurosurgeon in 1993. He has focused his entire career on the treatment of stroke and cerebrovascular disease, and he was one of the first neurosurgeons in the country to receive fellowship training in endovascular techniques. Once Guglielmi detachable coils received FDA approval in 1995, he was the first neurosurgeon in North America to treat a patient with an intracranial aneurysm using this device. Since that time, he has been extensively involved in research to improve endovascular techniques including being the principal investigator on large, randomized, international studies. He is a past president of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgeons, has published over two hundred papers in peer reviewed journals and been an invited lecturer on every continent except Antarctica.
  • February 6th, 2017, Aqua by El Gaucho, Seattle:
    “Nijmegen and  Seattle: What binds us in value based healthcare strategies in spine care?”
    Marinus de Kleuver, MD
    Marinus de Kleuver, MD, PhD, is head of the department of orthopedic surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and professor of spinal surgery at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. A cum laude Leiden University Medical School graduate, he completed orthopedics residencies in Amsterdam, New York and Nijmegen, as well as the International Executive Program at INSEAD business school in France. Dr. de Kleuver’s clinical and research focus is the surgical and non-surgical treatment of spinal deformities in children and adults, and low back pain. Most of his research concentrates on the evaluation of outcomes and improving care.  A board member of the Scoliosis Research Society, he is past chairman of the World Wide Course committee of the Scoliosis Research Society, past chairman of AOSpine Europe, Member and Chair of an AOSpine Knowledge Forum for Spinal Deformity, and is on the Dutch Spine Society Committee for implementation of a national spinal registry.
  • December 5th, 2016, Washington Athletic Club (WAC), Seattle:
    “Multimodal Therapies for Spinal Oncology: Integration of Multidisciplinary Teams”
    John Shin, MD
    Co-Director of Stereotactic Spine Radiosurgery and Multidisciplinary Metastases Clinic at Mass General, Assistant Professor in Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School, Attending Neurosurgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital
    Dr. Shin specializes in the surgical and radio-therapeutic management of metastatic spine tumors. innovations in spine surgery and emerging techniques.
  • June 20th, 2016, Aqua by El Gaucho, Seattle:
    “Making Care Better: The Case of Spine Surgery”
    Michael Vitale MD, MPH
    Ana Lucia Professor of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
    Columbia University Medical Center
    Dr. Michael G. Vitale specializes in the non-operative and operative treatment of complex pediatric scoliosis and other spinal disorders, and performs approximately 200 scoliosis procedures every year, half of which are in children less than 8 years of age. Dr. Vitale has a special interest in innovative treatments for younger children with scoliosis, including the use of a magnetic spine lengthening device (“MAGEC”) which eliminates the need to perform repeat spinal surgeries every 6-9 months on growing children, non-fusion procedures such as vertebral stapling and vertebral tethers, “growing rods,” and the “Shilla” procedure.
  • March 28th, 2016, Blue Acres, Seattle:
    “Current Trends and Controversies in Neuromonitoring”
    Greg Kinney, PhD
    Associate Professor, Neurophysiology
    Dept. of Rehabilitation Medicine
    University of Washington
    and
    Leila Khorasani, MD
    Seattle Neurosurgeon
    Dr. Kinney discussed the current science and capabilities of neuromonitoring in practice today and Dr. Khorasani presented a summary of the literature for clinical outcomes and utilization of intraoperative neuromonitoring. Dr. Gregory Kinney is an associate professor at the University of Washington, and the director of the Intraoperative Monitoring Program and the University of Washington Medical Center, which provides IONM services to Harborview Medical Center, the University Medical Center, and Seattle Children’s. Dr. Leila Khorasani is a Neurosurgeon at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA.
  •  November 30th, 2015, Daniel’s Broiler, Lake Union, Seattle:
    “Safety and Quality in Spine Surgery in a Tertiary Care Academic Medical Center”
    Louis G. Jenis, MD
    Chief, Spine Service
    Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon,
    Visiting Professor, Harvard Medical School
    Dr. Jenis is an accomplished surgeon focusing on the treatment of patients with complex disorders of the spine. He applies patient-centered, value-based approaches to the care of his patients with special interest in minimally invasive procedures.
  • August 18th, 2015, Wild Ginger, Seattle:
    “Coverage and reimbursement policies in spinal surgery”
    Brook I. Martin, PhD MPH
    Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
    The Dartmouth Institute and Orthopaedic Surgery
    Dr. Martin is an assistant professor at The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, with appointments at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Save the Date: June 4–6, 2021, WSANS Annual Meeting
Suncadia Resort, Cle Elum, Washington