The intent of this presentation is to familiarize the pediatrician with differentiating findings that warrant a neurosurgery referral with those that indicate reassurance. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. To familiarize the pediatrician with physical exam findings that warrant a neurosurgery evaluation. 

2. To provide a framework for indications related to diagnostic imaging.

3. To provide an understanding of eventual outcome for common physical findings. 

4. To make the pediatrician aware of how surgical innovation has impacted the treatment of common neurosurgical conditions. 

About the Speaker:

Dr. Souweidane received his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan before attending Wayne State University Medical School. His post-graduate residency included a general surgery internship at the University of Michigan Hospitals and a neurosurgery residency at New York University. He completed his training as chief clinical fellow in Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. 

Dr. Soueidane oversees a translational laboratory focusing on improving methods for treating children with incurable brain tumors. His work is nationally regarded for the development of drug delivery techniques for childhood brain tumors that are not amenable to surgical removal. He is the principal investigator (PI) for clinical trials using direct delivery as a novel therapeutic approach. He supplements his laboratory research with clinical projects, both independently and as a member of multi-institutional studies, including the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC). 

Dr. Souweidane is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He holds joint appointments at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Hospital for Special Surgery. He serves on the editorial board for Neurosurgery and Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. He serves as Chairman of the Neurosurgery Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group.