University of Cincinnati AANS Neurosurgery Interest Group

⭐️Sunday Showcase⭐️

Cody Woodhouse graduated from UCCOM this spring and is now a PGY1 in Neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital. Read on to learn a little about Cody

Hometown: Laguna Niguel
Undergrad: Cal poly San Luis Obispo
Hobby: Soccer and hanging out with Otto my german shepherd


1. What was your first exposure to the field of neurosurgery (e.g., before medical school, during pre-clinical years, M3, etc.)
?
"My first exposure to neurosurgery was during my second year of medical school when I shadowed residents. I loved Brain, Mind and Behavior but never really considered neurology or neurosurgery."

2. When did you know that you want to pursue a career in neurosurgery?

"I always thought that if I were to go into a surgical speciality, it would be neurosurgery but I didn’t seriously consider pursuing it until fall of my third year. I realized that I loved being in the OR and medicine was not the right fit for me. Once I rotated through neurosurgery later in my third year I was able to see the personalities of the field and the day-to-day pathologies that neurosurgeons deal with. It became obvious that I didn’t want to do anything else.
"

3. What is your favorite aspect of the field of neurosurgery?
"Diversity of cases. There’s a little bit of everything in neurosurgery. There are the big open spine cases, intricate functional cases, endovascular cases, awake tumor resections, etc...There’s nothing like going in and doing an awake DBS case for Parkinson’s in the morning and then a spine case in the afternoon.
"

4. What specialty of neurosurgery are you interested in currently (I.e., fellowship plans)?
"I’m most interested in spine at the moment, but I find all specialties of neurosurgery truly fascinating. I thought spine was going to be my least favorite aspect of neurosurgery but that quickly changed. I have an open mind and expect that to change.
"

5. Who is your biggest mentor in neurosurgery?
"Dr. Prestigiacomo. He is the man.
"

6. What resources did you find especially helpful as a student at UCCOM while exploring neurosurgery?
"Speaking with the residents and faculty at UCCOM. They are all incredibly helpful and dedicated."

7. Where do you see yourself professionally in 15 years?
"Celebrating I survived residency.
"

8. Is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you successfully match and embark on your career as a future neurosurgeon?
"Dr. Prestigiacomo, Dr. Cheng, Dr. Forbes, and the entire faculty and residents at UCCOM. They all helped me immensely the past couple of years and I wouldn’t have successfully matched without their kindness and generosity. We are truly lucky to be from such a great institution with amazing faculty and residents.
"

9. What is the most interesting neurosurgery fact you know?
"Hemispherectomy (resection of half the brain) can be a treatment for severe childhood epilepsy"

10. What is your single greatest piece of advice for students contemplating neurosurgery as a future specialty?
"Be persistent and reach out to mentors early
"

11. Do you know any tasteful medical (bonus points for neurosurgical) jokes?
"I was in the bank when an elderly lady mistook me for a teller and asked me to check her balance so I pushed her
."

Applying for this year? Check out this amazing opportunity to learn more about the University of Cincinnati Department of Neurosurgery residency program and chat with some awesome residents!

: We will be kicking off the 2020-2021 school year with a discussion led by Dr. Francesco Mangano, Mary Jane and Bob Tritsch Chair and Division Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, on Monday (8/31) at 12 PM. Dr. Mangano will be discussing his path to neurosurgery, the career of a pediatric neurosurgeon, and his advice for aspiring . Check your UC emails to register and for the WebEx link!

Did you know that there are only 219 ABNS-certified female neurosurgeons in a field of over 3,700 practicing board-certified neurosurgeons in the United States?! Thankfully, amazing leaders in the field like Dr. Odette Harris and Dr. Isabelle Germano and their spectacular daughters are working to encourage more women to pursue careers in . Check out their book below!

I Want to be a Neurosurgeon - cns.org To support the neurosurgery community in these unprecedented times, the CNS is offering complimentary online education. Learn more.

Calling all University of Cincinnati medical students: tomorrow, 5/11/20, at 12 pm, we will be hosting our first-ever . In memory of the esteemed pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. James Goodrich, we will be discussing his 2008 review on craniopagus twins. Check your emails for the WebEx link!

- join us tomorrow at 12pm via WebEx for the 2020 Neurosurgery Secrets of the . Two of our M4's, Zach Porter () and Cody Woodhouse () will be discussing their path to matching into . Check your emails for the meeting link!