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.