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Carle Illinois Microsurgery and Endoscopic Hands-On Course

The Carle Illinois Microsurgery and Endoscopic Hands-On Course is an annual two-day course focused on giving hands-on training in microsurgical and endoscopic approaches.

Providing a unique training environment, with an emphasis on advancing brain surgery instruction for future neurosurgeons, participants focus on developing new skills and expertise needed for these intricate procedures.

 

Dates for 2025 course:

Friday, August 8 –

Saturday, August 9, 2025


Welcome from the Course Director

Wael Mostafa On behalf of Carle Foundation Hospital and our partners at the University of Illinois, I welcome each one of you to the Carle Illinois Microsurgery and Endoscopic Hands-On Course. Advancing academic and educational training has been at the core of the Carle Neuroscience Institute. We are fortunate to have world-class faculty who will provide you with a fantastic and unique training opportunity. Thank you for attending!

— Wael Mostafa, MD, PhD


This two-day course is free to invited residents and fellows of ACGME-accredited neurosurgery programs and invited faculty. Each day will include lectures and cadaveric dissection that focus on microsurgical approaches (day one) and endoscopic approaches (day two). For more information, please contact sydney.minssen@carle.com.

This event is hosted by Carle Health in conjunction with Carle Illinois College of Medicine and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.


Neuroscience Institute

Carle is home to some of the most advanced services and technology available to treat conditions of the brain, spine and nervous system.

VISIT INSTITUTE

2025 Course Agenda

Friday, August 8

7:00 - 7:30 a.m.
Welcome & Breakfast

7:30 - 8:00 a.m.
The Pterional Approach and Its Modifications (Michael Chicoine)

8:05 - 8:35 a.m.
Orbitozygomatic Craniotomy (Nickalus Khan)

8:40 - 9:10 a.m.
Anterior Clinoidectomy (Kushal Shah)

9:15 a.m. - noon
Cadaver Dissection (All Faculty)

Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch with Vendors

1:00 - 1:15 p.m.

In Memorium: Dr. Khaled Aziz (Magdy El-Kalliny)

1:15- 1:45 p.m.
Pretemporal Trans-Meckel’s Cave Transtenorial Approach to Cavernous Sinus Meningiomas with Meckel’s Cave Invasion:

A Microsurgical Perspective (Magdy El-Kalliny)

1:50- 2:20 p.m.

Retrosigmoid Approach and its modifications (Roukoz Chamoun)

2:25 - 2:55 p.m.
Far lateral Approach and its applications. (A. Samy Youssef)

3:00- 3:30 p.m.
The Lost Art of Clipping Basilar artery aneurysms (Troy Payner)

3:35- 4:05 p.m.
Cerebrovascular Bypass. Surgical Tenants. (Mohamed Labib)

4:05 - 4:20 p.m.
Break

4:20 - 6:30 p.m.
Cadaver Dissection (All Faculty)

7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Social Event (State Farm Center - Traditions Club)



Saturday, August 9

7:00 - 7:30 a.m.
Breakfast

7:30 - 8:00 a.m.
Relative Sinus, Sellar, Suprasellar & Skull Base Anatomy (Alhusain Nagm)

8:05 - 8:35 a.m.

Endoscopic Endonasal Approach to Pituitary (Hayan Dayoub)

8:40 - 9:10 a.m.
Endoscopic Endonasal Approach to the Anterior Cranial Fossa Meningiomas (Steven Carr)

9:15 - 9:45 a.m.
Endoscopic Endonasal Approach to Craniopharyngioma (A Samy Youssef)

9:50 - 10:00 a.m.
Break

10:00 a.m. - noon
Cadaver Dissection (All Faculty)

Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch with Vendors

1:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Endoscopic Transorbital Approach (Wael Mostafa)

1:35 - 2:05 p.m.
Endoscopic Transclival Approach (Stephen Magill)

2:10 - 2:40 p.m.
Endoscopic Cranial Base Reconstruction Techniques (James Evans)

2:40 - 3:00 p.m.
Break

3:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Cadaver Dissection (All Faculty)

5:30 p.m.
Adjournment



2025 Faculty


    Guest Faculty
    Steven Carr, MD
    Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
    University of Missouri

    Roukoz Chamoun, MD 
    Professor of Neurosurgery, Vice Chairman of Education
    Skull Base Director, Residency Program Director
    Department of Neurosurgery
    University of Kansas Medical Center

    Michael Chicoine, MD
    Chair of Department of Neurosurgery
    University of Missouri in Columbia

    Hayan Dayoub, MD
    Neurosurgeon, Springfield Clinic


    Magdy El-Kalliny, MD
    Lake Cumberland Neurosurgical Associates

    James Evans, MD
    Chief of Brain Tumor Division
    Former President of the North American Skull Base Society

    Co-Director of Minimally Invasive Cranial Base Surgery and
    Endoscopic Neurosurgery Center Thomas Jefferson University

    Nickalus Khan, MD
    Assistant Program Director | Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
    Cerebrovascular & Skull Base Neurosurgeon
    The University of Tennessee

    Mohamed Labib, MD
    Neurosurgeon, University of Maryland Medical System
    Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

    Stephen Magill, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Neurosurgeon Northwestern Medicine

    Alhusain Nagm, MD, MSc, PhD
    Co-Director and Manager of the Maryland 360 Skull Base Neurosurgical Lab University of Maryland

    Michael Ortiz, MD
    Skull Base/Cerebrovascular and Complex Spine Surgeon
    2024 Resident Alumni University of Missouri

    Troy Payner, MD
    Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery
    Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine

    Kushal Shah, MD
    Neurosurgeon, Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine

    A. Samy Youssef, MD, PhD
    Professor of Neurosurgery and Otolaryngology, Fellowship Program Director, Vice Chairman for Education, Director of Skull Base Surgery
    University of Colorado School of Medicine


    Internal Faculty
    Wael H. Mostafa, MD, PhD, FAANS Course Director
    Chief of Neurosurgery | Associate Medical Director

    Program Lead for Brain Tumor and Skull Base Surgery, Carle Health
    Clinical Assistant Professor, Carle Illinois College of Medicine



What Past Attendees Say

Exceptional learning experience

"The course is excellent. It was well-structured, with a perfect balance between lectures and hands-on labs. The organization was superb, even before we arrived. The faculty was highly supportive, and the overall learning experience was exceptional. I will recommend this course to my colleagues and would definitely be interested in joining again."

Amna Hussein
University of Arizona, Phoenix

Contagious energy

"The course was comprehensive and one of the best courses I have attended. It was such a wonderful experience because the faculty had a passion for skull-based surgery. They brought their passion into the lecture and lab, and it created a contagious energy. Everyone was so willing to help. I would recommend this course to every resident and attending neurosurgeon. "

Justin Michael
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Clear enthusiasm and engagement

"The lectures and the clear enthusiasm and engagement of the faculty were highlights. I also appreciated that nearly all of the lectures were given in person. A lot of learning was packed into just two days without it feeling like too much, very well organized."

Nicole Wenger
University of Maryland Medical Center

Absolutely phenomenal

"This course was absolutely phenomenal. I learned a tremendous amount from both the lectures and the dissection. It was an honor to meet so many faculty who are passionate about teaching. I came back to my institution highly recommending the course to my colleagues."

Tara Dalton
Duke University


2025 Exhibitors

Platinum

ABS Medical, Inc.
Olympus Corporation of the Americas
Stryker
Integra LifeSciences
Medtronic, Inc.
Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc.
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.

Gold
GT Medical Technologies
Brainlab, Inc.
Mitaka USA
Kelyniam Global, Inc.
Leica Microsystems, Inc.
True Digital Surgery
 


Silver
SpecialtyCare
Mizuho America, Inc.
Next Case Surgical, Inc.
Sutter Medical Technologies


The course is also made possible by generous donations to the Carle Neuroscience Institute Fund through Carle Health Center for Philanthropy.