Chapter 02: Developing a Comprehensive Neuro-Service

In this chapter, Dr. Sawaya discusses the growth of the Department of Neurosurgery under his leadership. He sketches his vision for the department, directed with the mission of providing excellent patient care and excellent surgical care, building subspecialties, and developing the faculty’s research mission to reinforce credibility. He discusses the creation of the department’s database, the need it serves, and the role it plays in supporting clinical research. Dr. Sawaya talks about systematizing the volumetric measure of tumors and the work he based on this data for a landmark paper on tumor resection. Dr. Sawaya then observes that neurosurgery is heavily dependent on technology and he discusses several key devices and advances. He says that MD Anderson leadership was supportive of the Department’s need to invest in technology to advance surgical practice and research.https://openworks.mdanderson.org/surgeryhist_interviewchapters/1038/thumbnail.jp