Think Neuro

Dr. Daniel Kelly, a board certified neurosurgeon, is Director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute and Professor of Neurosurgery at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Considered to be one of the best neurosurgeons in the US and multiple recipients of the Patients' Choice Award, Dr. Kelly is internationally recognized in the field of minimally invasive keyhole surgery for brain, pituitary, and skull base tumors. He has one of the world's largest series in endonasal surgery with over 2000 procedures performed including over 800 endonasal endoscopic surgeries, and over 2000 craniotomies for brain and skull base tumors. His current surgical practice encompasses the full spectrum of brain and skull base tumors, both benign and malignant, treated with minimally invasive and conventional approaches.

For more information:

pacificneuro.org | pacificbraintumor.org | (310) 829-8265

Neurosurgeon Dr. Daniel Kelly had lots of interests in college, ranging from neuroscience to marine biology. He jokes that he went to medical school to delay making a decision. But, once there, his future became clear. Learn how he found his way down a rigorous path and became one of the top brain surgeons in the world -- founding Pacific Neuroscience Institute and staying humble all the way.

When people think about multiple sclerosis, they don’t often think about the eye, but vision problems are often the first signs of MS. The disease is caused by an aberrant immune response that attacks the central nervous system, which includes the brain, the spinal cord, and the optic nerve. And the optic nerve is where MS often reveals itself. Dr. Barbara Giesser specializes in the treatment of MS patients. She turns to her colleague, neuro-ophthalmologist Dr. Howard Krauss, for confirmation of early suspected MS diagnosis.

Using a powerful imaging technology called optical coherence tomography, Krauss can see changes in the optic nerve long before an MRI scan would pick up evidence of MS in nerves elsewhere in the body. Monitoring the optic nerve after a diagnosis gives valuable clues as to whether MS treatments are working. Listen to this discussion to learn more about how this unlikely partnership is changing lives, and how, when it comes to MS, the eye truly is a window onto the body.

For more information please visit our website: https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/

Evan Walgama, MD is a board-certified Otolaryngologist – Head & Neck / ENT Surgeon at the Pacific Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Santa Monica. His particular area of expertise is in the treatment of patients with benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck.

Dr. Walgama is a dual-fellowship trained surgeon. He completed his Sinus and Skull Base fellowship at Stanford, followed by a Head and Neck Surgical Oncology fellowship at MD Anderson. He brings together both skillsets to treat challenging cancers of the ear, nose and throat, with a priority focus on preservation of quality of life for patients and their families.

As a leader of a multidisciplinary team, Dr. Walgama addresses a wide array of benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck, including thyroid, oral cavity, throat, HPV-related, and sinus/skull base. He is a champion of multidisciplinary care and patient-centered decision making, seeing patients at award-winning Providence hospitals – Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, and Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Torrance, California.

At Saint John’s Cancer Institute, Dr. Walgama’s research and academic interests include cost-effectiveness, clinical outcomes research, and clinical trials in head and neck oncology.

Dr. Walgama is a member of the American Head & Neck Society, the North American Skull Base Society, and the American Academy Otolaryngology.

To learn more about Dr. Walgama please visit

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/evan-walgama/

Meet Dr. Christopher M. Putman, a board-certified interventional neuroradiologist with over 20 years of experience. He treats a variety of complex intracranial, head and neck, and spine vascular conditions including acute stroke, cervical and intracranial stenosis, vascular malformations, cerebral aneurysm and venous occlusive diseases.

To learn more about Dr. Putman and his expertise, visit: https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/christopher-putman/

Barbara S. Giesser, MD, FAAN, FANA, is an internationally recognized clinician and award-winning educator who has specialized in the care of persons with Multiple Sclerosis since 1982. Her approach to the diagnosis and management of persons with MS combines advanced diagnostics and a personalized medication plan for each patient with an emphasis on integrating lifestyle and wellness strategies into the neurologic treatment plan.

Learn about disease modifying therapies for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis in this PNI Minute.

For more information: 310-582-7613 | pacificbrainhealth.org

There are few cancers more challenging than glioblastomas. While there is currently no cure for these brain tumors, patients and their caregivers can take steps to maximize their quality of life once they learn their diagnosis. Dr. Akanksha Sharma and TV meteorologist and author Maria Quiban Whitesell both know a lot about doing just that. Dr. Sharma is a neuro-oncologist at PNI, where she treats patients with brain cancer. She says that what makes glioblastomas so difficult is that they spread throughout glial cells in the brain like flakes of pepper in a pile of salt.

Glial cells support and protect neurons in the brain, and surgery can only remove so many of the malignant ones. As a palliative medicine specialist, her aim is to open and hold space for patients to have meaningful conversations and honest dialog with their nearest and dearest, for them to savor and create new cherished memories, and to make the most of their time. Maria lost her husband to glioblastoma and wrote a book about her loss called You Can’t Do It Alone: A Widow’s Journey Through Loss, Grief and Life After. This conversation shows how caregivers can muster the strength to do some of the hardest work there is and keep going—for their patients and their families—in the face of one of life’s most difficult challenges.

For more information please visit https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/sharma/

Dr. Amit Kochhar, MD, is double board-certified in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is the director of the Facial Nerve Disorders Program at Pacific Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica. Dr. Kochhar specializes in facial nerve disorders, complex reconstruction of the head and neck, disorders of the nose and sinuses, endoscopic nasal-sinus surgery and facial plastic surgery.

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/amit-kochhar/

https://www.pacificneuro.org/facialnerve

310-477-5558