Halifax Neurosurgery Celebrates 75^th Anniversary!

75 years ago, in 1948, with WW2 having come to a conclusion just three years earlier, Dr. William Stevenson finished his training in Neurosurgery in Toronto and decided to make a pioneering move east to Halifax to begin the practice of Neurosurgery.  With determination, and the help of those who saw the value in having local expertise in Neurosurgery, he was persistent in establishing the specialty of Neurosurgery in Atlantic Canada.  Others would join him, and Neurosurgery in Halifax became recognized as a place where excellent clinical care was delivered. Leadership in Halifax Neurosurgery would be passed on to Drs. Huestis, Howes, Holness, Mendez and Clarke. Recruitment of talented faculty that have worked so hard to provide excellence in clinical care, research and excellence has catapulted Halifax Neurosurgery to national prominence. The establishment of our Neurosurgery Training Program attracts residents from across the country and Halifax has come to be recognized as a great place to train. The Neurosurgery Team, of course, goes far beyond our surgeons and includes other physician/surgeon colleagues, those who work in the clinic, in the OR, with our research teams, on the wards and in our offices.  It is the strength of this team, focused on providing the best for our patients who put their trust and their lives in our hands, that is the foundation of Halifax Neurosurgery!

What Dr. Stevenson could not have imagined when he came to Nova Scotia 75 years ago were the long-term manifestations of his team’s pioneering work, and how Halifax Neurosurgery would grow, develop and mature into a leading national academic neurosurgery program.  We have a lot to celebrate… and a lot to look forward to!

Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Lownie on his retirement from clinical practice at Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health on March 22, 2024.  Dr. Lownie’s distinguished neurosurgical career began at Dalhousie’ medical school and we have been enriched by his return to Halifax and his contributions to Halifax Neurosurgery over the past several years. Colleagues, friends, and his family came together to honor him, express appreciation for his mentorship and leadership, and to mark this significant transition.  Thank you and happy retirement, Steve!

Award winners - Department of Surgery Research Day 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Mark MacLean for winning the Dr. Robert Stone Travelling Fellowship during the 34th Annual Research Day in the Department of Surgery at Dalhousie University on April 10, 2024. The Robert Stone Traveling Fellowship is named in honor of Dr. Stone, who was the Head of our Department 1993-2006. The Dr. Stone Traveling Fellowship is awarded to the 1st place resident, carrying a cash prize of $3,500.00 to be used for travel to conferences to present research, and aid in travel expenses to secure fellowship training after residency. The title of Dr. MacLean’s research presentation was “NMDA-Receptor Antagonism for The Prevention of Neurological Dysfunction in Traumatic Brain Injury: Results of a Randomized Pre-Clinical Trial”, work that was recently published in Science Advances.

Congratulations also to Dr. Jenna Smith-Forrester for her research presentation “Emergency Department Rebound Project: Posterior Spinal Decompression” that received Honorable Mention by the judges.

Congratulations to the award winners of Clinical Neuroscience Resident Research Day, held in person at the Atlantica on March 20, 2024!

The winners for this year’s event are:

Top Overall Presentation: Dr. Thomas van Essen for “Comparative effectiveness of decompressive craniectomy versus craniotomy for traumatic acute subdural hematoma (CENTER-TBI): an observational cohort study”

Top Neurosurgery Resident Presentation: Dr. Ellen Parker for “On-Call Neurosurgical Consultations in Nova Scotia: A Descriptive Analysis”

Grant news! 

Nov 2023 - We are pleased to report local success in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant, for Diagnosis and Treatment of Blood-Brain Barrier Leakage in Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ”.  This research award is $ 887,400 over five years.   Congratulations to the Principal Investigator, Alon Friedman; and Co-Investigators, Dr. Mark MacLean, Nelofar Kureshi, and Dr. David Clarke.

Grant news! 

May 2023 - We are pleased to report local success in the NSERC Alliance grant, for “Health Care in a Climate Crisis: Estimating greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts of surgical procedures and hospital operations"”.  This research award is $ 470,000 over three years.   Congratulations to the Principal Investigator, Dr. Daniel Rainham; and Co-Investigators Dr. Sean Christie & Dr. Peter Tyedmers.

Program Director of the Year-Leadership Award

(Aug 2023) Dr. Pickett has received Dalhousie's 2023 Program Director of the Year-Leadership Award.  Well done Dr. Pickett - we are so proud!!!

Establishing an Encouraging Educational Setting for Future Medical Professionals

(July 2023) Congrats to Dr. Adrienne Weeks & Dr. Stephen Lownie for receiving a perfect score of 5/5 for their teaching from Dalhousie’s Undergraduate Medical Education office in Halifax and Dalhousie Medicine for the 2022/2023 academic year, placing them in the top 10% of Skilled Clinician 2 tutors!

Well done!

Congratulations to Dr. Gwynedd Pickett

Congratulations to Dr. Gwynedd Pickett on her well-deserved promotion, making her the first female professor within our division!

Congratulations to Dr. Renn Holness!

Congratulations to Dr. Renn Holness for being this year’s recipient of the “Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Health Services and the Advancement of Surgery in Jamaica”. As a former leader in Halifax Neurosurgery, it is a significant accomplishment for Dr. Holness to be recognized by his peers in his native Jamaica.  We are all very proud of this significant recognition!

Dal neurosurgery residency, the first to attain gender parity 

L-R: Dr. Suna Jung, Dr. Katherine Tourigny, Dr. Gwynedd Pickett, Dr. Jenna Smith-Forrester, Dr. Balgees Ajlan. Absent from photo: Dr. Erika Leck & Dr. Rachel Vaughan.

One of Dal's most competitive residency programs has become the first of its kind in Canada to reach — and, in fact, exceed — gender parity among trainees. 

Of the 11 current trainees in the Division of Neurosurgery’s six-year postgraduate training program, six identify as female. That bucks the historical norm in Canada where males often outnumber females in neurosurgery programs.

“Mentorship has a trailblazing effect,” says Dr. Gwynedd Pickett, Program Director of the neurosurgery residency program. “If you get one or two women in it helps open the door for others, and it allows for role modeling. If you can see it, you can be it.”

Female role models

Dr. Suna Jung is a first-year resident in the program and says the strong female presence was one of the reasons she wanted to train at Dalhousie.  

“I am honoured to be part of the program that reached this milestone, and I hope this encourages even more women to consider neurosurgery as their career,” she says. “It is an exciting step towards gender parity in neurosurgery faculty and achieving diversity in other domains.”

The whole Neurosurgery team is proud of achieving this remarkable milestone!

View full article here by Dal News

"Sharing good news"

DSU Food Bank Winter 2022

This year the Neurosurgery team has donated a total of $2,470 to the Dalhousie Student Union Food Bank.

Higher rents & increased inflation mean less money for groceries for many Dal students & more visits to the DSU Food Bank. Join alumni & local businesses in their efforts to ensure no Dal student goes hungry.

Dr. Mark MacLean’s research published in The Lancet Oncol

Dr. Mark MacLean’s manuscript Systemic considerations for the surgical treatment of spinal metastatic disease: a scoping literature review was recently published in The Lancet Oncol.  Congratulations, Dr. MacLean! View article here.

Dr. Sean Christie's research published in The Lancet Planet Health

Dr. Sean Christie's manuscript HealthcareLCA: an open-access living database of health-care environmental impact assessments was recently published in The Lancet Planet Health.  Congratulations, Dr. Christie! View article here.

"First in Canada" spinal robotic surgery performed by Halifax Neurosurgery!

Congratulations to Dr. Sean Christie and team who recently completed the "first in Canada" spinal robotic surgery using the Medtronic Mazor robot!  Dr. Christie said “The surgical team was very excited in the days leading up to the operation and were satisfied with how it went.  The procedure would still have been possible without the robotic arm, but it allows surgery to be faster and more precise.  It can also mean less pain for patients, less impact on healthy tissues and a quicker recovery time”. 

Special thanks to the QEII Foundation and donors for their generous funding! 

View full article here by CBC (Aug 03, 2022).

View full article here by QEII times (Oct 14, 2022).

Warm-hearted farewell to Dr. Nitish Agarwal

(Sept 27, 2022) A warm-hearted farewell to Dr. Nitish Agarwal, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Fellow, as he heads home to India!  It was a pleasure to have you here with us: thank you and best wishes for a very bright future from your Halifax Neurosurgery family.

Creating a Positive Learning Environment for Physicians of Tomorrow

(July 2022) Dr. Gwynedd Pickett received a perfect score of 5/5 for her teaching from Dalhousie’s Undergraduate Medical Education office in Halifax and Dalhousie Medicine in Saint John for the 2021/22 academic year, placing her in the top 10% of Skilled Clinician 2 tutors! 

Dr. Pickett was also named a Culture Change Champion as part of the 2021 Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) Culture Changers Campaign.   Dr. Pickett was recognized for making a meaningful difference in the life of a medical student.

Well done!

Neurosurgery Residents’ Research recognized internationally with Prestigious Awards (August 2022)

Dr. Mark MacLean (PGY5) and Dr. Jae Han (PGY5) both had their research recognized internationally and received awards after rigorous competitions for abstracts submitted to the upcoming Congress of Neurological Surgeons’ annual conference being held in San Francisco, California, in October. 

Dr. MacLean was awarded the Natus Resident / Fellow Award for Neurocritical Care for his abstract “NMDA-Receptor Antagonism for the Prevention of Neurological Dysfunction in Traumatic Brain Injury: Results of a Randomized Pre-Clinical Trial”.

Dr. Han was awarded the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors National Brain Tumor Society Award for his abstract, “A Small RNA Signature from Extracellular Vesicles in Patient Plasma Correlates with Recurrence or Progression of High-Grade Gliomas”.

Grant News

Nelofar Kureshi, Research Associate, Neurotrauma/Simulation/Neurosurgery Spine, and IPhD student at Dalhousie University, has received three grant awards to support her research project “Geopatial and Machine Learning Methods for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Prevention and Outcome Prediction”.  This research brings together expertise from neurotrauma, computer science, epidemiology and biostatistics. Within this big data project, Nelofar is exploring novel methods of geovisualization, spatiotemporal analysis, and prediction modeling by linking clinical and administrative data sources.  The project is currently funded by Mitacs Accelerate ($90,000 over a 3-year term), Department of Surgery ($11,726 over a one-year term), and the Nova Scotia Health Research Fund ($42,744.80, over a two-year term).  Nelofar is supervised by Dr. David Clarke.

Another Halifax Neurosurgery 1^st in Canada enhancing patient care!

Brainlab Elements digital planning and navigation software has been recently adopted by Halifax Neurosurgery.  This software enhances how neurosurgeons plan complex neurosurgical procedures through integration of patient imaging stored in one location.  “This new digital planning software has streamlined surgical planning tasks through improved automation, reducing surgery preparation time from hours to minutes”, says Dr. Lutz Weise, Director of Neurosurgery’s Neuromodulation Program.

“Today, we celebrate a first in neurosurgery in our province and in our country.  This is just one of the many medical firsts for our province, which includes the first robotic spinal surgery in Canada earlier this month”, says Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness.

Congratulations to Dr. Weise and our Neuromodulation team.

View full article here (Aug 18, 2022).

Cape Breton Neurologist thanks Halifax Neurosurgery as he Semi-Retires

Congratulations to Dr. Mandat Maharaj who semi-retired from Cape Breton Regional Hospital in July after 27 years of advocating for neurological care in his community.  "I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Maharaj for more than 25 years,” says Dr. Clarke. “Dr. Maharaj has great pride in the people of Cape Breton and in the Neurological service he established there.” 

In reflecting on his pending retirement, Dr. Maharaj recognized the support he has received from Neurosurgery: “The support in triaging patients to the department of Neurosurgery at Nova Scotia Health located in Halifax has been outstanding, especially the support from the Division Head of Neurosurgery, Dr. David Clarke.”

Best wishes, Dr. Maharaj! 

View full article here (July 22, 2022).

Dr. Mark MacLean’s research published in The Lancet Oncology

Dr. Mark MacLean’s manuscript “Systemic considerations for the surgical treatment of spinal metastatic disease: a scoping literature review” was recently published in The Lancet Oncology.  Congratulations, Dr. MacLean!  He and other main authors were interviewed by AO Foundation International and AO Spine. View article and press release here.

Thank you, Dr. Andrew Parrent

It was a full-circle moment hosting former Dalhousie Neurosurgery Resident, Dr. Andrew Parrent (circa 1984) in Halifax as Visiting Professor on June 15, 2022!  Dr. Parrent retires this year from London Health Sciences Centre and Dalhousie Neurosurgery was his last stop.  The title of his talk at Clinical Neuroscience Rounds was “Reflections on a Career in Functional, Epilepsy and Pain Neurosurgery”.  We thank Dr. Parrent for spending invaluable time with us, and for sharing his insights and experience with faculty, residents and fellows from the Divisions of Neurosurgery and Neurology.

Best wishes, Andy, for a long, happy and healthy retirement as you transition from clinical practice!

Congratulations to Dr. Nitish Agarwal!

Dr. Nitish Agarwal, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Fellow, was awarded “Best Oral Presentation (Trainee)” for his research “Awake Versus Asleep Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease: Comparison of Normalized Target Accuracy and Clinical Outcomes” at the Canadian Neuromodulation Society meeting held in St. Johns, NL on June 9-11, 2022.

Anas Tahir Graduation

A warm congratulations to Anas Tahir, Neurosurgery’s Biomedical Engineering Technologist.  Anas graduated with his Master of Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering at Dalhousie University’s Spring 2022 Convocation Ceremony on June 1!  Well done, Anas!  

Congratulations, Dr. Jae Han!

Dr. Jae Han was recently awarded a Faculty of Medicine research scholarship - the Ross Stewart Smith Memorial Fellowship. He also received funding from the Cancer Research Training Program of the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, with funds provided by the Terry Fox Research Institute’s Marathon of Hope Atlantic Cancer Consortium.  Dr. Han is a member the Dalhousie Clinical Investigator Program (CIP) program, completing his Master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Adrienne Weeks (Neurosurgery, Halifax) and Dr. Jeremy Roy (Atlantic Cancer Research Institute, Moncton). The title of his research is "Modelling extracellular vesicles in patient plasma and organotypic-derived cultures for predicting recurrence or progression of astrocytomas”.  Congratulations, Dr. Han!

Highlighting Dr. Erika Leck for her Achievements

Dr. Erika Leck, PGY5, was awarded "Best Resident Presentation" at Department of Surgery Research Day on April 20 for her research “An exploration of the evolving perception of quality of life from the perspective of individuals living with a cervical spinal cord injury in Nova Scotia”.  Dr. Leck also received the Harold and Ruth Babcock Stipend for surgical residents from the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DMRF).  This award follows her successful acceptance into the Clinical Investigator Program (CIP) in July 2020.  During her CIP research endeavours, Dr. Leck was awarded the Killam Scholarship, the Ross Stewart Smith Scholarship and the Samuel R. McLaughlin Scholarship.  Congratulations, Dr. Leck!

Congratulations to the award winners of Clinical Neuroscience Resident Research Day, held virtually on March 23, 2022!

The winners for this year’s event are:

Top Neurosurgery Resident Presentation:  Dr. Mark MacLean for “Work-up and Management of Asymptomatic Extracranial Traumatic Vertebral Artery Injury”

Top Non-Resident Presentation: Ryan Greene for “The Effect of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols for Elective Cervical and Lumbar Spine Procedures on Hospital Length of Stay: A Systematic Review"

Dr. William D. Stevenson Research Award: Dr. Mark MacLean for “Work-up and Management of Asymptomatic Extracranial Traumatic Vertebral Artery Injury”

Dr. W.J. Howes Neurosurgery Teaching Award: Dr. Daniel McNeely

Top Overall Presentation: Selena Maxwell for “Neuropathology and the Cholinergic System in Octogenarians and Older”

Top Neurology Resident Presentation: Dr. Kelly Aminian for “Development of a Psychometric Tool for the Assessment of Multimodal Imagery Vividness in Aphantasia”

A special thank you to our Guest Keynote Speaker and Judge, Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, Professor of Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba; and Judge, Dr. Alison Wallace, Assistant Professor, Departments of Surgery and Pathology, Dalhousie University.

Grant News

We are pleased to report local success in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Fall 2021 (2021-09-15) grant competition, for “Microvascular Pathology as a Therapeutic Target for Epilepsy”.  This research award is $840,150 over five years.   Congratulations to the Principal Investigator, Alon Friedman; and Co-Investigators, Steven Beyea, Chris Bowen, David B. Clarke,  Lyna Kamintsky, Nelofar Kureshi, Mark MacLean, Matthias Schmidt, David Volders and Ben Whatley.

Dalhousie Neurosurgery chosen site for Fatigue Risk Management Pilot Project 

The Division of Neurosurgery was awarded a $20k grant from the Fatigue Risk Management Task Force of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to implement a Fatigue Risk Management pilot program within our Neurosurgery Residency Program.  Congratulations to Dr. Gwynedd Pickett, Program Director, and Neurosurgery Resident Team for their successful grant application to the Postgraduate Education office.  Thanks also to Laura Croft, Health Services Manager, Unit 7.3 Neurosurgery, and Dr. Carolyn Thomson, Assistant Dean, Resident Affairs, Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine, and team for their support of this application.

Sport Concussion Awareness Event / Nova Scotia Concussion Awareness Day 2021

Dr. Mark MacLean, PGY4, participated in a live panel event hosted by the Province of Nova Scotia, Brain Injury Nova Scotia, and Sport Nova Scotia.  The topic was concussion awareness. The event was carried out with Bruce Rainnie (CBC host), Dr. Tina Atkinson (sports medicine physician and team coach for Canada Women’s Hockey), and Natalie Thornley (Occupational Therapist with Nova Scotia Rehab Brain Injury Services). View the video here.

Dalhousie press release features groundbreaking environmental work including Dr. Sean Christie

Media release: National project involving Dalhousie University’s Healthy Populations Institute aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to health care, create low-carbon ‘green’ health system

Tuesday, June 8, 2021 (Halifax, NS) Researchers at Dalhousie University are collaborating with colleagues across the country to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation linked to the health-care system while raising awareness about sustainability through a nationally co-ordinated network that received $6 million in federal funding.

Neurosurgeon and professor, Dr. Sean Christie, and Gillian Ritcey of Dalhousie’s Healthy Populations Institute (HPI) are partnering with Dr. Fiona Miller of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in Toronto on the project, titled CASCADES (Creating a Sustainable Canadian Health System in a Climate Crisis). Colleagues at the Planetary Health Care Lab at the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care are also participating in this national approach to curb climate change.

Read full press release here

An effective mentoring relationship in research can inspire and give confidence to the mentee, while providing the mentor with a valued colleague

Dr. Gwynedd Pickett received the inaugural Award for Excellence in Research Mentorship – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – from Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine!  This is a newly established award for research mentorship.  All currently-appointed faculty members within the Faculty of Medicine are eligible to be nominated by their current and/or past colleague(s) and/or trainee(s) within the Faculty of Medicine if an equity-deserving group is represented by either a mentee or the mentor.  The award specifically acknowledges excellence in mentoring professional development, mentor/mentee relationships and research.

Dr. Pickett was also one of five nominated for the Program Director of the Year Award.

Congratulations, Dr. Pickett! 

A Super Awesome Science Show (SASS) - With Dr. Mark MacLean

Dr. Mark MacLean, Resident (PGY3), recently joined a Curious Cast/Global News Podcast episode of the "Super Awesome Science Show" (SASS). Dr. MacLean discussed COVID-19 and the nervous system.  See attached link for the full episode.

COVID-19 and the Brain

First in Canada to use new robot for brain surgery

Nova Scotia Health Authority’s Division of Neurosurgery (Department of Surgery) and Medtronic Canada ULC are delighted to announce the first- in-Canada use of Medtronic Stealth AutoGuide ™ robot technology, at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

“The Stealth AutoGuide ™ is a major step forward for Neurosurgery,” said Dr. David Clarke, Head of the Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health Authority. “I am pleased to report that the technology was used for the first time in Canada on a patient last week. That patient has already recovered from the surgery and is moving on to receive further care closer to home.”

Press Release

Chronicle Herald Interview

COVID 19 Update:

To our neurosurgical patients across Atlantic Canada, please know that we are doing our best to provide urgent care to those in need.  We do hope to get back to elective clinics and ORs soon.  Our administrative staff are at the ready to support you during this difficult time.  Please continue to reach out with any questions regarding your care.

To our neurosurgical colleagues across Atlantic Canada, I applaud you for your efforts as we address daily challenges.  Our team continues to come together and thrive in providing care on our in-patient wards and in the operating rooms, in providing leadership in crisis management and in providing ongoing education for our trainees.     

While this pandemic unfolds, we hope that you are faring well while staying productive and keeping you and your families safe.

David Clarke and the Division of Neurosurgery

Sharing Good News!

The Department of Surgery edition of “The Update”, Winter 2020, highlights members of our neurosurgical team:

Congratulations to the Neurosurgery Spine Team

Our Spinal Cord Injury Acute Services Team - the first to be accredited in Canada - again received full national accreditation.  Highlights of the Accreditation Report include:

Clinical leadership – there is a strong interdisciplinary team with recent expansion of beds to accommodate demand;

Competency – patients and families have access to the interdisciplinary team and staff are supported through education and training for ongoing professional development;

Episode of Care – staff spoke of supportive environment and opportunities for professional development.  There is a defined pathway and criteria for admission to the unit for traumatic spinal cord injury patients.  Goals of care are established amongst staff and family;

Decision support – Patient records are complete and accessible with continuity of care.  The Unit is supported by Nurse Practitioners; and,

Impact on outcomes – there is a strong focus on quality improvement and safety.

Congratulations to all on the spine team, led by Dr. Sean Christie!

CaRMS (Canadian Resident Matching Service)

The Division of Neurosurgery is delighted to announce that we will be accepting one resident per year through CaRMS (Canadian Resident Matching Service).  This important decision supports Neurosurgery’s goal of providing neurosurgical care that meets the needs of the region and further strengthens our Atlantic Neurosurgery Training Program!