Neurosurgery is a field where unwavering dedication to patient outcomes is the basis for success. We recently lost another giant in the field with Prof. Evandro de Oliveira. Every neurosurgery trainee at some point feels humbled by the complexity of performing surgery on the structures of the nervous system and achieving good outcomes. It is in these moments that we both remember the household names in neurosurgery and wonder how they went about achieving the confidence and skills that we now hear about.
Just like we associate Harvey Cushing and Walter Dandy with specific achievements, we connect Dr. Evandro de Oliveira with mastery of skull-base and intrinsic cerebral anatomy. Neurosurgical mastery is not a gift and merely builds on the incessant pursuit of knowledge and perfection. Pursuing multiple years of advanced training in neuroanatomy both in Florida ([Fig. 1]) and Switzerland, he crafted a foundation for his career to come. In addition, he spent time as a clinical fellow with the luminaries of the time. Since then, he built his reputation as one of the preeminent surgeons in Brazil, attracting students and training other surgeons. From our perspective in the United States, we would only every so often get a glimpse of these achievements when Dr. de Oliveira would join us at our meetings and critically analyze his outcomes during numerous presentations and talks. Over the years, he published several highly cited papers on the microsurgical anatomy of the cavernous sinus, the temporal lobe, and the insula, giving the reader invaluable insights that readily translate to one's own practice and reveal the deep level of experience behind the work. The microsurgical laboratory that he founded in Sao Paulo was world-renowned in its own right and attracted thousands of colleagues from all around the world.
Fig. 1 Evandro in one of the various hands-on training he did in the United States.
It cannot be overemphasized how much trainees and surgeons in the US would benefit from his presentations. The spectrum and advanced stages of disease he successfully tackled were awe-inspiring and setting a bar for trainees and practicing surgeons alike.
However, Dr. de Oliveira's premature passing points to another pressing issue – how do we pass on knowledge most effectively. Especially in the times of COVID-19, we have been both reminded that traditional ways of learning and knowledge-sharing will not be feasible but have also discovered other ways. Partnerships between the Sociedade Brasileira de Neurocirurgia (SBN) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) take shape for example in the highly successful joint webinar series allow master surgeons to reach unprecedented numbers of attendees and, in turn, enable surgeons from all over the world to attend and learn from different experiences and viewpoints. Finding new ways of collating and disseminating these unique experiences is the noblest of goals that our professional societies have. This shared goal is the main reason for CNS to partner with SBN in a variety of way ranging from our annual meeting to other education endeavors. Hopefully, it would be aligned with the plans that Dr. de Oliveira visibly set for himself decades ago when he embarked on his journey as a neurosurgical educator.
Clemens M. Schirmer.
Brian L. Hoh.
