Training Tomorrow’s Neurosurgeons
Pediatric neurosurgeon Mario Zuccarello, MD, wants to help residents and fellows in his field hone their craft through practice.
That’s why he launched the Microsurgical Skills Education Lab at Cincinnati Children’s earlier this year. The new lab lets neurosurgical residents and fellows perform microvascular surgical techniques in a teaching environment. They meet once a week, using simulations to practice stitching small blood vessels, nerves and other tissues under high-powered microscopes—tracking their progress and improvements over time.
“Neurosurgery is a highly skilled surgical specialty where dexterity is critical,” Zuccarello says. “Neurosurgeons have to have the hand-eye coordination and the ability to move their hands in a proper and delicate way to perform surgical procedures that are successful and that improve the chances the patient will have a good outcome.”
Making a Difference Brick by Brick
Zuccarello is a longtime leader in neurosurgery, previously serving as director of the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute and the UC Cancer Center. When he retired from UC at the end of 2023, however, he decided he wasn’t quite finished contributing to the field.
“I have spent all my surgical life trying to perfect my skills,” Zuccarello says. “I’m now driven to help teach residents. This is a way for me to continue to pass on what took me decades to learn. I believe you build something that will last by building it brick by brick. This [education lab] is a small brick, but it helps educate the next generation of surgeons and impacts them in a positive way.”
Zuccarello likens practicing microsurgical techniques to training for a sport, like gymnastics. “If you practice something, you’re going to get better at it,” he says, “And if you put forth your best effort, it will always be rewarded.”
Not only does the training help improve young surgeons’ dexterity and precision, but it also helps improve their speed, which can make a difference when a patient—adult or pediatric—is under anesthesia.
A Community Advisory Board for the Cerebrovascular Center
In addition to the Microsurgical Skills Education Lab, Zuccarello is also spearheading the creation of a community advisory board for the Cincinnati Children’s Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke Center, nationally recognized as a Center of Excellence. The diverse board includes community and patient family members, and will advise the center on fundraising, public relations and recruitment. The board’s first meeting is scheduled for June.
“A community advisory board is critical for the success of any center,” Zuccarello says. “Its members provide a unique perspective on programmatic issues, and they help raise visibility and recognition of the program.”
(Published May 2024)
