Department of Neurosurgery : Ain Shams University

HISTORY
The Department Of Neurosurgery at Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine is one of the leading departments in that field in the Middle East.

History

The department of Neurosurgery at Ain Shams university started as a division in the department of surgery when Dr. Ibrahim Hegazy who previously worked for the Ministry of health joined the -then called- Ibrahim Pasha University (now Ain Shams University) after obtaining his FRCS in the mid 1950's.

Soon he was joined by Dr. El Banhawy (After which a lecture room was named) who graduated from Cairo University in 1952, then worked as a registrar in general surgery, obtained a ]]Master of Science]] degree in surgery, a diploma in neurology and psychiatry then travelled to England and Germany for his neurosurgical training.

In 1964 , he became the Ad-hoc chairman of the military neurosurgical department after Major Ezzat Tawfik was involved in a disabling automobile accident.

El Banhawy was a known neurosurgeon and was the first to report Spinal Schistosomiasis. He later returned to become an associate professor of Neurosurgery and the head of the division at Ain Shams University. In 1970's he was appointed Dean of the Medical School and Deputy chairman to the university and remained until he died of cancer in 1987. He established the foundation of Ain Shams university Neurosurgery service which was only one in 4 neurosurgical services in the nation.

He recruited Dr. Hasanein El Sherif, Dr. Mamdouh Salama , Dr. Samir El Molla, Dr Alaa Abel Hay and Dr. Adel El Hakim. These early leaders then recruited the next generation , from them is the current chairman of the department Dr. Hossam El Hussieny. Dr. Hassanein EL Sherif was the surgeon general for Ain Shams university and the chairman of the department of surgery in 1991-1992. The division of neurosurgery then became a department of Neurosurgery and was lead by Dr. Mamdouh Salama , a list of current and past chairmen is to follow

Heads of the Department

1- Hossam El Husseiny, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med: 2009-

2- Adel El Hakim, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med : 2006-2009

3- Alaa Abdel Hay, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med : 2000- 2006

4- Samir El Molla, MBBCh, MSc, FRCS: 1994- 2000

5- Mamdouh Salama, MBBCh, MSc, FRCS : 1991 -1994

6- Hassanein EL Sherif, MBBCh, FRCS : Division Head 1987- 1991, Chairman , Department of Surgery 1991-1992
7- Ahmed ElBanhawy, MBBCh, FRCS: Division Head , Chairman of Surgery, Dean School of Medicine, Deputy Chair; Ain Shams University, 1970-1987

Activities

The department of neurosurgery at Ain Shams University is one of the largest departments in Egypt, with more then 100 inpatient beds in the main hospital "Eldemerdash Hospital" and AbOUT 60-80 inpatients at any given time at the Ain Shams Specialized hospital. The combined ICU capacity is around 20 patients. It serves both adult and pediatric patients and providing a comprehensive [...] edge neurosurgical service that encompasses all aspects of Neurosurgical practice. The department operates a combined 5 operating rooms a day and all attending neurosurgeons carry a combined affiliations to other private and state-funded institutions or even international institutions which overall provides a tremendous training opportunities for residents and trainees.The training experience to residents and assistant lecturers is among the nations best and certainly up to international standards. The department is one of the first and few departments to award the Doctorate degree in Neurosurgery and many of the nations' best neurosurgeons were trained in this department and were awarded the degree from it, not only the nations' best neurosurgeons but surgeons from surrounding arab countries visit and study at the department. The deparmtent rule in national development of the neurosurgical service is historical and paramount, the departments surgeons served as ad-hoc military surgeons during military operations and during Egypt-Israel wars between 1967 to 1973. The department has 60 Neurosurgeons, about 15-20 of them are on educational leave mostly in the USA, Europe or Japan. Almost all faculty members obtained advanced training in neurosurgery abroad either in the USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland or Turkey. A number of department surgeons is also settled in the Gulf region providing neurosurgical service to numerous neighboring countries in the middle east.

Services & Subspecialities

1- Skull Base Neurosurgery
2- Vascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
3- Endoscopic Minimally invasive cranial and spinal Neurosurgery
4- Pediatric Neurosurgery
5- Peripheral Nerve disorders
6- Surgical Neuro-oncology
7- Complex spine surgery
8- Traumatic brain injury
9- Surgical treatment of Spasticity
10- Surgical Pain management
11- Radiosurgery (Several members are affiliated with Gamma Knife center in Cairo)
12- Stereotactic and Functional Neurosugery

Ain Shams Neurosurgery Graduates in USA

1- Magdy EL Kelleiny, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med: lake Cumberlake Neurosurgical clinic, Kentucky, USA

2- Khaled Abdel Aziz, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med, ABNS: Assistant Professor, Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine. Director, Center for Complex Intracranial Surgery, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

3- Hazem El Tahawy, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med, FRCS: Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Wayne state university, Detroit, MI, USA

4- Samy Youssef, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med, ABNS: Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, University of South Florida. Tampa, FL, USA

5- Hazem Ahmed, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med, ABNS: Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA

The department staff chaired the Egyptian Society of Neurological Surgeons for years and organized many international venues including AANS and WFNS sponsored meetings.

Ain Shams Neurosurgery Graduates in UK

1- Hisham Said, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med, FRCS(SN): Consultant Neurosurgeon, Sheffield Children Hospital, Sheffield, UK
2- Mahmoud Hamdy Kamed, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med, FRCS(SN): Consultant Neurosurgeon, Ireland

International cooperation & Training

Currently there are four Ain Shams Neurosurgery graduates in training for ABNS certification in the USA at OHSU, UVA, UAR and Kansas.
Several members of the department had a philanthropic role and the Osman Neuroanatomical laboratoryin the University of South Florida is a result of a generous donation of Magdy Osman, MBBCh, MSc, Dr Med, who is an American-Egyptian Neurosurgeon who is a full professor at the department of Neurosurgery at Ain Shams University.

  • Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine

References

1- El Gindi S: Neurosurgery in Egypt : past, present, and future- from pyramids to radiosurgery. Neurosurgery 51: 789-95, 2002
2- Sorour O. Neurosurgery in Egypt. Neurosurgery 19: 142-3, 1986

1- http://www.esns.org.eg/history.htm
2- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12188959
3- http://med.shams.edu.eg/
4- http://www.lcnc-ky.com/
5- http://www.wpahs.org/patients/physician/index.cfm?mode=Bio&physician=62
6- http://www.med.wayne.edu/neurosurgery/hazem.htm
7- http://health.usf.edu/medicine/neurosurgery/faculty/SYoussef.htm
8- http://www.loyolamedicine.org/Medical_Services/Neurosciences/Doctors/doctor_profile.cfm?seq_cntr=3850