Mondays

Morbidity/Mortality Conference, Journal club (“Monday Talk”) - 5:00 p.m.

The department meets weekly to discuss Morbidities and Mortalities on the service. Discussion is facilitated to make this a learning experience for residents and faculty alike. Frequently, as time allows, residents can present on a topic of interest that has arisen on service. This is done through a brief presentation of the literature related to the topic and a summary of major points for discussion. The goal of this conference is to foster ongoing learning and improvement of patient care on the Neurosurgical service.

Tuesdays

Neuropathology/Tumor Board - 7:00 a.m.

This weekly conference is attended by neurosurgery faculty and residents, neuroradiology, medical and radiation oncology, as well as neuropathology. Conference alternates between a neuropathology-based teaching conference and tumor board.

The neuropathology conference focuses on the presentation of the histology and immunohistochemical stains used in deriving neurosurgical diagnoses. This is done in an oral board style format with high yield topics discussed in a way to prepare for the neurosurgical boards.

The tumor board conference is a format for presentation of complex tumor pathology with discussion of the radiology and pathology as well as a discussion of the medical and surgical treatment plans for the patient.

Residents are routinely given the opportunity to discuss their interpretation of the imaging and clinical course and devise a management plan can then be discussed in a multidisciplinary fashion and as such gives the resident ample educational opportunity to discuss complex case management.

Wednesdays

Rotating Vascular, Spine, Pediatric, and General Case Conference – 5:00 p.m.

This is a rotating case series once a month held every Wednesday at 5 PM.  Depending on the topic a neurosurgical board style presentation of cases including clinical presentation, neurologic exam and imaging studies are presented and each resident is given the opportunity to interpret and diagnose the clinical picture.  Residents then offer operative management as appropriate and discuss surgical approaches as well as potential risks and management of complications that may occur.  This is done with the neurosurgical faculty present and guiding the discussion and represents a fantastic learning opportunity for residents at all levels of training. 

Stroke Conference – 4:00 p.m.

This is an optional conference for residents interested in vascular disease, in the neuro-endovascular management of ischemic disease. Each week cases are discussed from the previous week, including interpretation of imaging as well as intervention taken and patient outcome.

Thursdays

Vascular Conference – 4:00 p.m.

This weekly vascular conference focusses on the endovascular diagnosis and treatment of intracranial and spinal vascular anomalies. This includes, but is not limited to, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and arteriovenous fistulas. Cases from the previous week are discussed and treatment plans are formulated with a multidisciplinary group from neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and neurology.

Fridays

Invited Guest Lecture/Research Conference – 5:00 p.m.

This conference represents our invited guest lecture series.  This is either an internal faculty member at the University of Iowa or a visiting professor from an outside institution presenting on their research.  This is a wonderful opportunity for residents to invite experts in their fields of interest to present their work and provides an opportunity to foster research collaborations. 

In weeks that e no uninvited guest lecture is scheduled, residents are given the opportunity to present an update on their research progress in front of the faculty, who provide constructive feedback and guidance as the resident advances towards their research goals.

Saturdays

Saturday Conference – 8:30 a.m.

Saturday conference is an opportunity for Dr. Howard to meet with all the residents.  The major goal of conference is for residents to present their research progress and to have the one-on-one opportunity with Dr. Howard for career counseling with the goal of becoming a successful academic surgeon scientist.  When Dr. Howard is out of town, there is opportunity to review anatomy or various other topics with Dr. Greenlee or Dr. Brian Dlouhy.