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Your neurological health affects your life and well-being in very important ways. The Neurosciences Institute at GW Hospital understands. That鈥檚 why we offer comprehensive neurology and neurosurgery services to help patients enjoy better lives.
Dr. Michael Rosner is on staff at GW Hospital. He also serves as chair and a professor of the department of neurosurgery at The GW Medical Faculty Associates and GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Here, he discusses some of what makes the GW Hospital Neurosciences Institute special.
What sets the GW Neurosciences Institute apart in terms of patient care?
Rosner: The team. It really is as simple as that. The team that we have at GW Hospital, the neurosurgery family, is here to take care of you as a part of our family. We have many aspects of neurosurgery covered with subspecialists on staff at the hospital.
Neurosurgery is not an area where things can be handled in two- or three-minute clinic visits. In 2024, there鈥檚 this perception in medicine that you only have two minutes with the doctor. That is something that we really push back on because patients have very complex problems in neurosurgery. When we meet with patients at the hospital, if it takes 30 minutes, if it takes 60 minutes, that鈥檚 what it takes. I think it鈥檚 a very special touch that GW Hospital supports us in.
How does the hospital approach the training of tomorrow鈥檚 neurosurgeons?
Rosner: At GW Hospital, we have one of the oldest established neurosurgical training programs within the country. We take each and every national standard and elevate it to an even higher threshold that residents at GW Hospital are able to obtain. Once residents complete their seven years of training, they are able to really handle any type of neurosurgical disorder, whether it is brain or spine.
We are turning out incredible neurosurgeons. They are kind, compassionate and can communicate on a level that patients really understand.
How does GW Hospital keep up with advances in neurosurgery?
Rosner: GW Hospital is an academic medical center. We are awarded research grants from the National Institute of Health to study unique therapies. The benefit of being at an academic medical center and specifically GW Hospital, is the willingness to invest in new technology.
Neurosurgery is something that鈥檚 filled with the latest adaptation of what鈥檚 out there in technology.
What is an example of new technology you are using now?
Rosner: One of the bigger investments the hospital made to support neurosurgery is the construction of intraoperative MRI (iMRI) suite. It allows us to complete MRIs to help ensure the brain tumor is completely resected (removed), in real-time during surgery. We get immediate validation of what we鈥檙e doing in the operating room.
The iMRI affords us the ability to advance neurosurgical research by expanding minimally invasive procedures within the brain that allows for improved recovery as well as outcomes.
It also enables some real-time functional mapping of the brain. This is vitally important for deeper brain tumors where resection of part of the tumor may have a devastating neurological outcome. It鈥檚 really kind of a game changer and becoming a new standard for neurosurgery.
Why do you encourage people to choose the GW Hospital Neurosciences Institute?
Rosner: We not only have the neurosurgical expertise; we have the technology and the support of everybody at the hospital, from the highest level of hospital leadership to the nursing and technologist level.
Many patients need a collaborative effort in their management. Another benefit of GW Hospital is that you can have three different opinions from the same department on how to manage your condition, which provides a lot of helpful information.
Patients come in the front door and they have someone that鈥檚 going to welcome them and make sure they are taken care of. We鈥檙e focused on treating patients how we鈥檇 want our family to be treated.
Remember, in an emergency, call 911 or get to the nearest emergency room.
Let the GW Hospital family care for you and yours.
To find a doctor, call 888-4GW-DOCS (449-3627) or visit
Learn more about the Neurosciences Institute at .
*Individual results may vary. There are risks associated with any surgical procedure. Talk with your doctor about these risks to find out if neurological surgery is right for you. Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of The George Washington University Hospital. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website.
