Advanced Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Dr Ball has attended a symposium on Advanced Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery held by DePuy Spine International at their headquarters in Raynham, Massachusetts, USA (DePuy Spine is a manufacturer and distributor of spinal instrumentation based near Boston).

The symposium was held to allow 'key opinion leaders' from all over Europe to review and discuss the latest techniques in minimally invasive spine surgery Dr Ball was one of 3 Australian neurosurgeons who also attended, giving him the opportunity to share ideas, discuss advances and review new and emerging technologies in this area.

ASSET Committee

Dr Ball has been nominated to be the Neurosurgical Representative on the Australian and New Zealand Surgical Skills Education and Training (ASSET) Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons which develops and provides the ASSET course.

The ASSET course provides an educational package of generic surgical skills required by surgical trainees in Australia and New Zealand. A modularised version will soon be delivered to final year university students.

Dr Ball's commitment to surgical education now spans the EMST and ASSET courses, as well as serving on the Education Committee of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia.

High Distinction Result

As part of his Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Dr Ball completed a subject 'Regulatory Requirements of Biomedical Technology' in Session 2, 2009. Dr Ball has been awarded a High Distinction result for this subject.

Rapidly emerging biomedical technologies pervade all of medicine and especially neurosurgery/spinal surgery. Dr Ball's studies help him better evaulate and implement the most appropriate solutions for individual patient's problems.

Neurosurgical Education Committee

Dr Ball has been appointed to the Education Committee of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia (NSA).

The NSA is delegated the responsibility to administer and manage the Surgical Education and Training (SET) Program in Neurosurgery by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

The NSA Education Committee specifically concentrates on the SET Program syllabus, modules, competency assessments and other educational initiatives.

Dr Ball was honoured to be asked to join this group and has already attended his first meeting - 'I am looking forward to engaging in my role to maintain and improve the already high standard of neurosurgical education in Australasia'.

North Shore Neurosurgery

Dr Ball has joined the North Shore Neurosurgery group.

North Shore Neurosurgery (NSN) is a group of five neurosurgeons servicing both public and privaye patients on the North Shore of Sydney and the Central Coast. The reputation of the group means that referrals come from not only within these areas but from all over NSW, Australia and indeed, internationally.

Each member of the group has specific subspeciality interests that allow inter-referral amongst the group for various neurosurgical conditions. This allows for state-of-the-art treatment by surgeons with enormous experience and expertise in their particular area.

Dr Ball brings to the group specific expertise in spinal surgery - including reconstructive surgery, minimally invasive surgery and trauma.

For further information about the group see the North Shore Neurosurgery website.

More Invited Lectures and Teaching in June

Dr Ball continued his commitment to educational efforts throughout June. He was asked to lecture medical students from the University of Sydney about spinal cord compression.

He was also invited to give a presentation to Medtronic Australia National Sales Meeting about intra-cranial pressure from a neurosurgeon's perspective.

Dr Ball has also continued his passion for education in trauma and travelled to Lismore in Northern NSW to teach on another EMST (Early Management of Severe Trauma) Course for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Teaching not only allows Dr Ball to share his knowledge and skills but drives him to keep up-to-date with the latest knowledge and developments in his field.

Spinal Injuries Core Course

On June 1, Dr Ball presented on 'Acute Medical and Surgical Management of Spinal Injuries' at the Royal North Shore Hospital Spinal Injuries Core Course. The audience consisted of nurses and allied health staff from different facilities throughout the state. The Royal North Shore Hospital is the location of one of the two spinal injuries units in NSW and runs this course annually to provide education about spinal injuries. Dr Ball is one of the two neurosurgeons in the unit and was honoured to be asked to speak.

Minimal Access Spine Technology Workshop

On May 16, Dr Ball attended a workshop in Brisbane on Minimal Access Spine Technology held by Medtronic Australia. Minimally invasive spine surgery describes a philosophy of spine surgery where minimising damage to the normal spinal structures is a key goal of surgery. Dr Ball was trained in minimally invasive spine surgery techniques when working in Canada and has performed these surgeries in Australia. This workshop gave him an opportunity to further explore these techniques and share experiences with other spine surgeons.

Current Best Practice Session

Dr Ball has attended the Royal North Shore Department of Anaesthesia's 'Current Best Practice Session. He was invited to act as an expert panel member for a presentation on the 'management of raised intracranial pressure' and to speak on 'fluid management on neurotrauma'. The session allowed members of the anaesthetic department to review the care provided to Royal North Shore neurosurgical patients, ensuring they receive 'current best practice'.

NSW Institute of Trauma - Trauma Update Evening

Dr Ball has given a presentation on Spinal Injury Management at a Trauma Update Evening hosted by the NSW Institute of Trauma. The forum explored the current management of both spinal cord and spinal column injuries with an audience of 150 doctors, nursing staff, paramedics and allied health staff from around Sydney and NSW. As one of the 2 spinal neurosurgeons in the spinal injuries unit at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Dr Ball has a keen interest in best practice for the care of spinal injuries.

Early Management of Severe Trauma

Dr Ball has returned to instructing on the Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST) course for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons after a 12 month break. P868 at Royal North Shore Hospital is the 868th course held in Australia. Based on the American College of Surgeons Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course, EMST trains doctors in the principles of trauma care. After completing his initial EMST training in 1999, Dr Ball was approached to become an instructor and teaches on up to 3 courses each year. EMST allows Dr Ball to share his knowledge about and experience in head and spine trauma while keeping up to date with the latest in trauma care.

Cervical Disc Replacement Presentation

Dr Ball has given a presentation on Cervical Disc Arthroplasty to the Cerebrospinal Forum (CSF) - a group of allied health staff from Royal North Shore Hospital and North Shore Private Hospital with an interest in neurosurgical care. The presentation outlined the principles behind the design of cervical disc replacements and highlighted how a new generation of prostheses will overcome some limitations of the first generation devices. Dr Ball has had specialised training in disc replacement surgery and published papers and a book chapter on this emerging technology.