Location information
Hospital address
Children's of Alabama/University of Alabama at Birmingham 1600 7th Avenue South Lowder 400 Birmingham Alabama 35213 United States of America
Hospital type
Public
Hospital description
First-Level Hospital
This is a teaching hospital
Description
Our program is located within a tertiary referral hospital for the region, and our pediatric neurosurgery division provides advanced care in all facets of pediatric neurosurgery. Faculty currently active in global surgery initiatives include Jeffrey Blount, MD, James M. Johnston, MD, Brandon G. Rocque, MD, MPH, and Curtis Rozzelle, MD. In addition, our program trains north American medical students, neurosurgery residents, and pediatric neurosurgical fellows, with a long and distinguished history of training many current leaders in American pediatric neurosurgery. We also participate in the Children's of Alabama Global Surgery Program, hosting visiting fellows in Birmingham and working with surgeons in Vietnam and Ghana to build or strengthen clinical programs in the surgical management of hydrocephalus, spina bifida, brain tumors, epilepsy, vascular disorders and craniofacial deformity.
Member information
Name
James Johnston
Member type
Clinical department with teaching programme
Specialty
Neurosurgeon
Subspecialties
- Trained paediatric neurosurgeon
Languages spoken
- English
- French
Professional affiliations / memberships
- AANS
- ISPN
- ASPN
- CNS
Social profiles
Current and past partnerships
Has current partners or past partnership experience in these countries
- Ghana
- Viet Nam
Leads regular trips to at least one hospital/country
Offers mentorship as part of regular trips to these countries
- Viet Nam
- Ghana
Partnership with Children's Hospital #2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Since 2015, we have collaborated with Dr Dang Do Thanh Can, MD, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children's #2. Surgical training there has included endoscopy/ETV-CPC for hydrocephalus, spinal dysraphism, craniofacial reconstruction, brain tumor surgery, vascular neurosurgery (AVMs and encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis for Moyamoya disease) and selective dorsal rhizotomy for spasticity. We have also hosted Vietnamese neurosurgical trainees in Birmingham as part of our Global Surgery Fellows program, with plans to train pediatric epileptologists and intraoperative monitoring technicians in 2018. iPad-based virtual interactive presence and mentoring (with the HelpLightning application) has also been used for real-time mentoring of ETV-CPC.
Partnership with National Children's Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Since 2017, we have worked with the National Children's Hospital to establish a surgical epilepsy and intraoperative monitoring program. In addition to didactic and surgical training in Hanoi, we have hosted pediatric neurologists and intraoperative monitoring technologists for training in Birmingham. There is ongoing collaboration with the review of potential surgical epilepsy cases using Internet-based technology, including iPad-based virtual interaction software.
Partnership with National Cancer Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Since 2017, we have begun a collaboration with the National Cancer Hospital, to establish a modern pediatric brain tumor treatment program. In addition to didactic and operative mentoring in Hanoi, we have also begun training in neuro-oncology and neuropathology, hosting neurosurgery, neuro-oncologist and neuropathologist trainees from Hanoi in Birmingham in 2017 and 2018.
Partnership with Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
In 2016, along with Dr John Grant, Pediatric Plastic Surgeon, UAB/Children's of Alabama, we have begun a collaboration with the Departments of Neurosurgery and Maxillofacial Surgery to establish a craniofacial surgery program at KATH. We have hosted fellows in both oral/maxillofacial surgery and neurosurgery in Birmingham.
Conditions treated
- Hydrocephalus
- Neurotrauma
- Neurovascular
- Spine
- Spasticity
- Spinal dysraphism
- Tumor
- Craniofacial
- Epilepsy
- Peripheral Nerve
- Radiosurgery
Equipment used
- Drill
- Microinstruments
- Microscope
- Neuroendoscope Flexible
- Neuroendoscope Rigid
- Frameless navigation
- Spinal instrumentation
- MRI
- Angiography
- CT
- ECOG
