Why did you decide to become a spine surgeon?

Coming from a family of doctors, medicine was an early passion, and being manually skilled, orthopedics was a natural choice for my residency. Spine, with its technical complexity, continuous technological advances, and challenging cases and patients, soon drew my attention. It gives me the opportunity to directly use my skills and knowledge for the benefit of patients.

 

Where did you get trained?

I did my residency at São João Hospital, under the supervision of the late Prof Trigo Cabral, who also supervised my PhD thesis, and taught me all about hard work and ethics. I had the opportunity to learn with great spine surgeons, such as Prof José Oliveira, and Dr Rui Pinto, who is still one of the best surgeons in the country, a friend and a mentor. I then took a fellowship in Paris at Pitié-Salpétrière and Trousseau Hospitals, where I worked alongside incredible surgeons, Prof Jean-Yves Lazennec, Hugues Pascal-Moussellard and George Filipe. Lastly, I went for a short visiting fellowship to the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, where I met Prof Alexander Vaccaro, a friend who greatly influenced my career.

 

Who inspires you?

Patients must be a doctor’s main inspiration. They rely on us on hard times and trust us their most precious good, health.

I am also inspired by my residents who continuously push me to go further. Seeing them grow and being an active part of that process is a blessing.

 

Can you tell a bit in general about spine surgery in your country?

Spine surgery has grown steadily in the last few years. We are a small but very active community, and I believe the level is very high. Besides AOSpine, and general orthopedics and neurosurgery societies, we have the Portuguese Spine Society, affiliated to Eurospine, which gathers specialists from different areas of spine care. Research, both laboratorial and clinical is also growing.

 

What are the biggest challenges in your job/ what do you consider the biggest challenges for spine surgeons in your country?

Although the number of spine specialists is growing, there are still important asymmetries in the access to spine care. A recent survey performed this year in our country has shown that standard of care varies widely across this small country, and that inland patients still find it hard to get an appointment and subsequent surgery, compared to their coastal countrymen. A great political effort must be pursued to overcome these problems, and we spine surgeons, have a special responsibility.

 

What does being a member of AOSpine mean to you, and how has AOSpine influenced your career?

Being a member means being part of a large community strongly committed to research, knowledge spreading and education. AOSpine has given me all the opportunities to learn and to share knowledge with others. I have met amazing people who have influenced my work or have become close friends. I hope I can do the same for others.

 

 

 

 

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Biography

 

Nuno Neves, MD, PhD

Orthopedic Department

Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, Porto, Portugal

CUF Porto Hospital

FMUP—Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto

I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto