Optimal neuro|spine
I am Dr. Max Boakye, Neurosurgeon, and Neuroscientist, currently Professor of Neurosurgery, Chief of Spinal Neurosurgery, Director of Quality Improvement, and Clinical Director of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Center. I interview leading neuroscientists, health administrators, neurosurgeons, educators, neuro and spine health care experts, and patients in this show. How do we optimize our brain and spine health, prevent aging brain and memory deterioration? What to do when something goes wrong, how best to heal and recover injured brain and back? How do we optimize our inpatient neuro|spine care in hospitals and provide more value-based care- prevent errors, improve quality, and improve patient satisfaction? How do we teach better and better train doctors? Which hospitals offer the best neuro and spine care: why and how? We present the most innovative emerging research that will impact neuro|spine care. Join us as we delve one on one and have insightful conversations with exciting researchers and experts, voices who have something to teach, enlighten and inspire us about Optimal neuro|spine.
Episodes
27 episodes
Episode 27: Becoming a Clinician Scientist in Neurosurgery. A Conversation with Dr. Robert Starke
There is often a gap between what happens in the laboratory and what happens with patients in clinical practice. Yet both experiences are required to advance patient outcomes. This is why we need more doctors like Robert Starke. Dr. Starke is a...
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Episode 27
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47:49
Episode 26: Developing Evidence for Optimal Spine Surgery. A Conversation with Dr. Zoher Ghogawala
In the quest to optimize spine surgery outcomes, we need better information and better research. This means better clinical trials and more funding. Join me, as I sit down with Dr. Zoher Ghogawala to discuss his thoughts on clinical trial desig...
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Episode 26
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38:30
Episode 25: The Evolution and Optimization of Spine Surgery. A Conversation with Dr. Edward Benzel
There are few names as recognizable as Dr. Edward Benzel in the field of spine surgery. He quite literally wrote the book on it. On this episode, I have the distinct privilege of sitting down with Dr. Benzel to discuss a myriad of topics includ...
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Episode 25
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59:48
Episode 24: Traumatic Brain Injury. A Conversation with Dr. Dalton Dietrich
How do we push the ball forward for the research and treatment of traumatic brain injury and other neurological diseases? To answer that question, my guest Dr. Dalton Dietrich will dive into everything he and his team are doing at the Miami Pro...
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Episode 24
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44:34
Episode 23: Optimizing Care for Spinal Cord Injury. A Conversation with Dr. Steven Kirshblum
How does greater access to specialized care optimize the treatment of spinal cord injuries? On this episode, Dr. Steven Kirshblum dives into the differences between general and specialized rehabilitation for SCI patients, why speci...
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Episode 23
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46:33
Episode 22: Restoring Ambulation after Paraplegia. A Conversation with Drs. Gregoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch
Has the future of spinal cord injury treatment arrived? On this episode, I sit down with Drs. Gregoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch to discuss their recently published and highly publicized paper on restoring motor function after paralysis. They...
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Episode 22
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14:30
Episode 21: The American Spine Registry. A Conversation with Dr. Steven Glassman
How do we optimize spinal surgery outcomes? Dr. Steven Glassman believes better data is the answer! On this episode, we discuss the American Spine Registry, what it is, what it's currently being used for, and its potential to provide better evi...
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Episode 21
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38:40
Episode 20: Unaging - Memory, Aging, and Alzheimer’s. A Conversation with Dr. Robert Friedland
Have you ever misplaced your keys or forgotten a random fact and worried that you had a neurodegenerative disease? What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and simply getting old? On this episode, I sit down with memory and aging e...
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Episode 20
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39:53
Episode 19: Optimizing the Neurosurgery Residency and Training Experience From a Chief Resident’s Perspective. A Conversation With Dr. Aurora Cruz
Training to become a neurosurgeon is both incredibly rewarding and incredibly difficult. But is it more difficult than it needs to be and how can we make the experience better? On this episode, I’m pleased to speak with University of Louisville...
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Episode 19
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50:41
Episode 18: Insights From a Lifetime of Training Residents and Neurosurgical Research. A Conversation with Dr. Haring Nauta
Few people have as long or as distinguished a career as Dr. Haring Nauta. On this episode, we discuss his observations about neurosurgical residency, neurosurgical training, and how to improve the quality of that experience. We also dive into h...
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Episode 18
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1:02:01
Episode 17: When Cancer Spreads to the Spine. A Conversation with Dr. Mark Bilsky
One of oncology’s greatest challenges in treating cancer is when it spreads to a different part of the body. When cancer spreads to the spine, it presents unique challenges for doctors creating a successful treatment plan. On this ...
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Episode 17
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35:54
Episode 16: Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Research. A Conversation with Dr. Andrea Behrman
Happy New Year! We’re kicking off 2022 by shedding light on an area of research that isn’t talked about enough: pediatric spinal cord injury. Most spinal cord injury conversations revolve around adults, but children also suffer from injury and ...
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Episode 16
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50:44
Episode 15: Digital Neurosurgery. A Conversation with Dr. Thomas Picht
If you’ve never heard the term digital neurosurgery before, you’re not alone. While it sounds like something out of a space opera, digital neurosurgery is likely the future of medical neuroscience. On this episode, I have the pleasure of interv...
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Episode 15
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37:49
Episode 14: Quality Improvement. A Conversation with Dr. Jordan Peck
We constantly talk about quality improvement on this podcast, but what does it actually take? Is one method better than another? Where should hospitals start in terms of improving quality? On this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jordan Peck of Sou...
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Episode 14
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42:58
Episode 13: Four Decades as a Spinal Cord Injury Research Scientist. A Conversation With Dr. Scott Whittemore
It’s not every day that you get to talk to someone with 40 years of research experience in your field. Let alone, someone as distinguished as my guest for this episode. Join me as I sit down with Dr. Scott Whittemore to discuss a myriad of topi...
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Episode 13
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42:11
Episode 12: Optimizing Musculoskeletal Care Delivery. A Conversation with Dr. Ryan Grant
Optimizing the quality of patient care is what this podcast is all about and my guest for this episode is challenging the status quo by creating incredible patient experiences. Dr. Ryan Grant left a promising neurosurgery career to start Vori H...
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Episode 12
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47:48
Episode 11: Functional Neurosurgery. A Conversation with Dr. Joseph Neimat
Functional neurosurgery is a small but growing medical field that has had a major impact on the treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. On this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Joseph Neimat, a ...
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Episode 11
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36:50
Episode 10: Developing Self-Directed Learners in Quality Improvement. A Conversation with Dr. Staci Saner
In the ever-growing, ever-advancing field of medical science, the need for self-directed learners is at an all-time high. This is especially true for both graduate medical students and medical professionals who wish to improve their patient’s q...
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Episode 10
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36:54
Episode 9: Treating Paralysis. A Conversation with Dr. Susan Harkema
One of the leading scientists researching treatments for paralysis and spinal cord injury is Dr. Susan Harkema. Her work has led to multiple breakthroughs that led to improved function and quality of life for patients that were previously deeme...
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Episode 9
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41:17
Episode 8: The Problem of Polypharmacy in Spinal Cord Injury. A Conversation with Dr. Sara Guilcher
A major issue plaguing spinal cord injury patients and the medical field as a whole is polypharmacy and the over-prescribing of pharmaceuticals. It’s a complicated problem without a “one-size-fits-all” solution. On this episode, I’m joined by D...
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Episode 8
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36:10
Episode 7: New Insights for the Neuroimaging of Chronic Pain. A conversation with Dr. Vania Apkarian
Chronic pain impacts fifteen to twenty percent of the world and costs the population of the United States somewhere around $500 billion a year. And even though opiates are commonly prescribed to treat chronic pain, the epidemic we’re seeing fro...
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Episode 7
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33:20
Episode 6: Brain Computer Interface (Part 2). A conversation with Dr. Eric Leuthardt
When we think of neural prosthetics, we typically think of devices that enable patients to overcome a deficit in normal function after injury. However, Dr. Eric Leuthardt’s research is challenging us to rethink how humans interact with machines...
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Episode 6
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32:04
Episode 5: Brain Computer Interface. A conversation with Dr. Jaimie Henderson
Prosthetics are used to help patients recover the normal function of their limbs after injury. What if we applied the same principle to our brains? That's exactly the kind of research Dr. Jaimie Henderson is doing at Stanford University. Alongs...
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Episode 5
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32:59
Episode 4: Immunotherapy for brain tumors. A conversation with Dr. Michael Lim
Dr. Lim is the Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in brain tumors. Prior to becoming Chair of Neurosurgery at Stanford at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Lim was Professor of Neurosurgery at...
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Episode 4
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26:46
Episode 3: Spinal deformity surgery. A conversation with Dr. Christopher Ames
Dr. Ames is Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, Director of Spinal Deformity & Spine Tumor Surgery, Co-director, Spinal Surgery and UCSF Spine Center. He is also Director, California Deformity Institute, Direc...
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Episode 3
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37:32