Shared experiences in neurosurgery with Prof. Dr. Uwe Kehler
Course co-president Prof. Dr. Uwe Kehler addresses the importance of education, collaboration, and collegiality in a new interview just a few days before the 24th edition of the Romanian-German Course. Prof. Dr. Uwe Kehler emphasizes the importance of a shared experience in order to keep in mind different neurosurgical approaches. The full interview is displayed below the highlights of this article.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Spine is extremely important since so many people suffer from spine related problems as disc herniations, spinal stenosis.
- With the information shared at this course, you will be able to improve your daily work step by step.
- Through this course we intend to satisfy the hunger for further education.
- We want to keep on with learning, studying, and teaching. We are not allowed to rest, because diseases also do not rest.
MedEvents: As co-president of the Romanian-German Course, you have chosen to address in this year’s edition a complex topic: spine pathology. How important is this approach for medical students, residents, and neurosurgeons?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: We have a 6 years cycle and we try to cover all neurosurgical topics. Spine of course is extremely important since so many people suffer from spine related problems as disc herniations, spinal stenosis etc. The treatment varies from wait and see to emergency surgery. It is from paramount importance that doctors, and future doctors will learn about it, about new techniques, tricks but also pitfalls so that they will improve their treatment results and reduce complications.
“But not only surgical techniques are important to know and to learn, it is also extremely important to know when surgery is indicated and when not.
This is an important teaching aim as well.
MedEvents: What was the first edition you attended and how did this event evolve from your point of view? How did the German specialists receive the initiative of being part of this project?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: As I remember well, one of my first editions of the Romanian German Course was about brain tumors. That time it was still a much smaller course but with more possible interactions between the audience and the faculty. The course has grown thanks to the activities of Prof. St. Florian to a large event which makes the interaction a little bit more challenging. However, we still try to give enough space for discussions. And during the breaks and during the wonderful evening events the discussions and networking continue. The German specialists love these courses since they can share their own knowledge but learn as well from the experience of the Romanian specialists. And the discussions with all add additional thoughts and ideas, which influence further studies and investigations. And if I may say the German specialists are overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Romanian hosts, here first of all to mention Prof. St. Florian and his entire team.
MedEvents: How important is it for students, residents, and young specialists to participate in such a course in which they learn techniques and procedures used by both Romanian and German specialists?
Prof. Dr. Uwe Kehler: We should take all possibilities to learn more. Of course, renowned specialists have a large experience to share with and all specialists who take part here love to teach. Maybe in the first years of this course Germans transferred more information about the newest sophisticated techniques. Nowadays, since these differences are equalized, the exchange of experience, how you can handle challenges in different ways, is important in such a course. With this information, you will be able to improve your daily work step by step. And this is all important for students, residents, young specialists, as well as “old” specialists.
“You never stop learning…
MedEvents: Are there any differences in the German approach to this pathology?
Prof. Dr. Uwe Kehler: Not really, but there are many different “schools” how to approach a pathology. There are different approaches between Germans and Germans as well as between Romanians and Romanians. So, it does not depend on the country, it depends more on your education/ your neurosurgical school.
“The advantage of the participants is, that they can extract the best solutions for themselves and neglect the suboptimal solutions.
MedEvents: The current medical crisis led to organize an exclusively online edition. Does this facilitate the sharing of information to participants?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: Well, it is easier to participate, you don´t have to travel and you may have less costs. However, the interaction between the audience and the faculty is more difficult to establish. The discussions at the coffee breaks, at the dinners, where you might get more detailed information, and the networking we are missing in the online editions.
MedEvents: Did you keep in touch, during this pandemic, with your Romanian colleagues in order to exchange useful information related to the treatment of covid and non-covid patients?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: We did exchange some information during the pandemic, but especially about the future organization of the Romanian-German course. Happily, neurosurgical diseases were not influenced so much by covid 19, the larger problem in the pandemic was that the lack of normal capacities in out hospitals.
MedEvents: What are your objectives regarding this year’s edition, an edition that is atypical because it will take place, as I said before, exclusively online?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: We do have to do the best out of this situation. We do want to keep the course alive.
“We want to satisfy the hunger for further education. We want to keep on with learning, studying and teaching. We are not allowed to rest, because diseases also do not rest.
MedEvents: What impact does the theme of this year’s edition, the spine and its degenerative diseases have on the daily work of neurosurgeons?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: Since degeneration of spine is so frequently encountered in daily life, it occupies – depending on the subspecialisation – a substantial or even dominating part of the neurosurgical work.
MedEvents: You also managed to attract for the 24th edition renowned specialists from Germany. How did they receive the invitation to address this issue?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: It is an opportunity to share the experience but also to learn from others. Many of the specialists had participated already at this course and also want to help to keep the course over the pandemics alive, but also want to develop the course to future needs. And of course they want to keep the collegiality and friendships.
MedEvents: As this interview is coming to an end, could you please send a thought to the participants in this course?
Prof.Dr. Uwe Kehler: First I want to thank Prof. St. Florian together with his team very much that he realized this course in these difficult circumstances. I want to thank all the Romanian and German faculty for continuing this fruitful collaboration and I want to thank all the participants for taking part in the coming course.
“I wish that we will have a fruitful conference where everybody will go home afterwards with the feeling, he did an excellent investment of his time.
And that every participant goes home with valuable information to further improve his spinal disease management to the welfare of our patients.
Romanian-German Course: SPINE
April 9-11, 2021
ONLINE EVENT
