Career Development: Medical Specialties: Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery is the surgical specialty that treats patients with disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system. About 70% of patients treated by neurosurgeons have diseases of the spine or spinal cord. The remainder have problems with the brain and peripheral nervous system. There are about 3,200 practicing neurosurgeons in the United States of which 700 are in teaching centers. Technical aspects of the specialty cover a broad spectrum from microsurgical techniques, particularly for aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and brain tumors, to extensive reconstruction of the spine. Neurosurgery became a surgical specialty just after the turn of the last century. Current frontiers in neurosurgery include treatment for brain tumors, movement disorders, nerve and spinal cord regeneration, and neuroprotection therapy for head injury and stroke.

Residency training information:

• Duration of training (number of years): Six years + 1 year General Surgery
• Number of programs nationally: 93 programs
• Number of entering residency positions per year: 143
• Types of fellowships or subspecialties: Spine, Tumor, Functional Stereotaxy and Epilepsy
• Type of Match: Early
• Overall competitiveness: Very Competitive (difficult match for "average" student)

Primary faculty contact person for M1 and M2 students:

• Lynda Yang, M.D., Ph.D.
  Phone: 936-5017

Medical Student Club or Interest Group:

• Surgical Forum, Department of Surgery
  Contact: Lynda Yang, M.D., Ph.D.
  Phone: 936-5017

Shadowing or mentoring experiences available to M1 or M2 students:

• Contact: Lynda Yang, M.D., Ph.D.
  Phone: 936-5017

Resources:

• American Association of Neurological Surgeons (http://www.aans.org)
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons (http://www.neurosurgeon.org)
• Women in Neurosurgery (http://www.neurosurgerywins.org)

Suggested journals, books, or other information for interested students:

• The Book of Neurosurgery, by Greenburg