“Most people go into medicine and then decide in the third or fourth year what they’re going to specialize in. I went to medical school to become a neurosurgeon based on my experience with a mentor at a young age.” – Saleem I. Abdulrauf, MD
I went to high school in Kansas City. It was a big soccer school. I ended up getting a soccer scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis. I wanted to become a professional soccer player, but I was injured during my junior year. I started working with a researcher at Washington University, Dennis O’Leary, who was very young then, but who is now a renowned name at the Salk Institute. At the time, he was transplanting brain tissue in animals and I was intrigued. So, I decided then to go to medical school to become a neurosurgeon. Most people go into medicine and then decide in the third or fourth year what they’re going to specialize in. I went to medical school to become a neurosurgeon based on my experience with a mentor at a young age.
Cerebral revascularization is an area that I’ve always been interested in. In the 1960s, a new area in neurosurgery developed — bypass surgery to the brain, or low-flow bypass. In the last 10 years or so, that evolved into high-flow bypass where we use large vessels from the arm or leg to bring blood flow to the brain. Those of us in the United States and Europe and Japan who do this work realized that there was no one textbook that covered that area, so I decided to take on the task. My colleagues around the world were very supportive. With contributions from the major authorities in the field, we put together Cerebral Revascularization, as a reference for bypass surgery. We are very proud of this great product.
Principles of Neurological Surgery has been around for many years. Because the field of neurosurgery continues to dynamically change and evolve, the latest edition of the book is also dynamic. It has up-to-date information about multiple specialties in neurosurgery with great illustrations. It also has a new feature — inter-operative videos of all aspects of neurosurgery, which allow the reader to see the procedures discussed in the book. We asked some of the major authorities around the world to contribute sections of the book in their subspecialties of neurosurgery. It’s a book that’s unique in the sense that people in residency on forward will find something in it that they can use.
Saleem I. Abdulrauf, MD is Chief Neurosurgeon at St. Louis University Hospital and an associate professor of neurological surgery and director of the Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery Program at St. Louis University School of Medicine. He is a renowned leader in skull base education and training in the United States and abroad. He is an editor of the third edition of Principles of Neurosurgery and Cerebral Revascularization.
Dr. Abdulrauf has served on the Board of Directors for the North American Skull Base Society and as Secretary General for the World Federation of Skull Base Societies. He has also served on the executive committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. In addition to Saint Louis University, his academic appointments have included Yale University School of Medicine and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Related Author: Richard G. Ellenbogen, MD, FACS
