I am a fifth-year neurosurgery resident at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, where I am doing a one-year neuroendovascular fellowship enfolded into my residency. I care for adults and children who have surgical problems of the brain, spine and peripheral nerves.
Recently, I have been focusing on surgery through the blood vessels to treat strokes, aneurysms and vascular malformations.
While nearly every case seems memorable, the surgeries that stand out the most show me anatomy I never thought I would see. For instance, when working endoscopically through the nose, we drilled laterally to the pterygopalatine fossa, which is difficult to reach. In that moment, I entirely understood the anatomy of that little bony space. It felt like a real accomplishment.
This field unites two almost opposing forces: the astonishingly beautiful anatomy of the nervous system and the intense human suffering that comes when the system malfunctions. My job, both in its good and its bad, amplifies my life; I wouldn’t trade this for anything.
I am a resident member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and also a research fellow for the National Institutes of Health StrokeNet.
In medical school, I did not know what I wanted to do, but I realized what I wanted to learn. Neuroanatomy never felt like a chore; it was more of an adventure. The microcosm of neurosurgery has become the central focus in my life.
The field comes with good and bad, joy and pain, and all the rest that you can imagine. However, I can’t imagine my life without it. I more or less wandered into neurosurgery on a whim, and I have received more from the field than I could have ever asked for. My advice for anyone interested in this specialty? Don’t be intimidated.
Jamie J. Van Gompel, MD ’05