Dr. Christopher Winfree

About a month ago, we posted that Department Neurosurgeon Dr.Christopher Winfree and Nurse Practitioner Maria Farrow were taking part in CBS’s new show, A Gifted Man. We also mentioned they would be in a scene together in an upcoming episode and–that show airs tonight!

To recap: the show is about an unhappy, yet successful surgeon in New York City who’s life is turned around when he is unexpectedly visited by the ghost of his ex-wife.

Ms. Farrow and Dr. Winfree play surgeons #1 and #2 in a scene together and they each have small speaking parts, too!

Nurse Practitioner Maria Farrow

Ms. Farrow says, “Being a consultant for this intelligent TV series gives our department the opportunity to educate the public about what our field is, and what it can do. I am very proud that the production of ‘A Gifted Man’ works so diligently to help make the medical and neurosurgical aspects authentic.  The show educates while it entertains!”

Dr. Winfree added, “It was a fascinating experience working with a group of skilled actors, directors and producers who were practicing their craft as true professionals.  Acting is a lot harder than it seems!  I was impressed with the complexity of the production and all the hard work and talent it takes to put this show together.”

Don’t forget to watch Farrow and Winfree Tonight (Friday, Jan 6) on A Gifted Man at 8PM on CBS. 

You can watch older episodes of the show at CBS.com .

Related blog: Winfree And Farrow To Be On CBS Show ‘A Gifted Man’

Dr. Robert Solomon (left) with Dr. Michael Sisti

From right to left, Dr. Michael Kaiser, Dr. Christopher Winfree, & Dr. Robert Solomon

More than 90 members of our staff attended our Holiday party this year at  Dylan Prime restaurant in New York City.

Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to relax in good company and to celebrate all the years’ achievements.

Our webmaster Greta Perovic did a wonderful job organizing the event. Everyone had a ball.

Here’s to another year!

Dr. Anthony D'Ambrosio (seated in white)

Dr. Christopher Winfree

Department Neurosurgeon Christopher Winfree and Nurse Practitioner Maria Farrow are soon to be seen on CBS’ new show “A Gifted Man.”

The show is about an unhappy, yet successful surgeon in New York City who’s life is turned around when he is unexpectedly visited by the ghost of his ex-wife.

Nurse Practitioner Maria Farrow

Maria Farrow, who is a consultant for the show, says that she has a non-speaking role in this Friday’s episode.  ”I am in the scene with Patrick Wilson doing an angiogram,” she says.

In a later episode, she and Dr. Winfree have a scene together and this time she has a speaking part.  She says, “I will be playing Surgeon #1 and Dr. Winfree will play Surgeon #2.”

You can watch older episodes of the show on CBS.com and vote for it as Favorite New TV Drama for the People’s Choice Awards.

Keep your eyes peeled for our rising stars!

Our Department Head, Dr. Robert A. Solomon will be bringing his expertise to the table as moderator of a Luncheon Seminar on Multidisciplinary Management Strategies for Unruptured Aneurysms.

Other members of our Department will be acting as Conference Faculty, Moderators, and Course Directors as well. They are listed below:

Dr. Jeffrey N. Bruce from the Brain Tumor Center
Dr.E. Sander Connolly Jr from the Cerebrovascular Center
Dr. Neil A. Feldstein from the Pediatric Neurosurgery Center
Dr. Richard C.E. Anderson from the Pediatric Neurosurgery Center
Dr. Paul C. McCormick from the Spine Center
Dr. Peter D. Angevine from the Spine Center
Dr. Alfred T. Ogden from the Spine Center
Dr, Michael G. Kaiser from the Spine Center
Dr. Guy M. McKhann from the Epilepsy Center  & Movement Disorders Center
Dr.Christopher J. Winfree from the Pain Center & Peripheral Nerve Center

Learn more about the 2011 Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 

Read about last year’s conference Docs Present At 2010 Congress Of Neurological Surgeons Meeting.

Dr. Christopher Winfree

Dr. Christopher Winfree from the Pain Center and Peripheral Nerve Center became Chairman of the Joint Section on Pain at the recent meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).

He was also active in three separate sessions during the annual meeting:

1. Faculty at a Practical Clinic on Peripheral Nerve Injuries entitled, where he spoke about the Evaluation of Entrapments and Tumors.
2. Moderator at a Breakfast Seminar on Neuromodulation for Chronic Pain.
3. Moderator during the joint Session of the AANS/CNS Section on Pain.

Congratulations Dr. Winfree on your new post!

Our own Dr. Christopher Winfree from the Pain and Peripheral Nerve Centers is among a very small group of divers who pursue this exotic sport.

He says, “People who cave dive have a similar personality. They fall into the same group as pilots, mountain climbers, race car drivers, and neurosurgeons. The one thing that ties all these activities together is the desire to use technology and skill to manage risk.”

“In neurosurgery you have to be good with your hands but you also have to use instruments, and things like stereotactic navigation and MRI scans. It’s the technology and the skill that together can enable you to do something that not a lot of people can do. That is sort of the philosophy that we bring to cave diving.”

Cave diving was invented in the mid 20th century by dry cave explorers who encountered parts of the cave that disappeared under water. The only way to get from one air pocket to the next was to scuba dive. In the beginning it was particularly hazardous, because they didn’t know how to plan for the many hazards. Technology has come a long way, as has cave diving instruction.

Today, becoming a cave diver is a long process of certification that starts with basic open-water scuba diving.  It takes hundreds of hours and often years to complete. “There are probably ten total certifications,” says Winfree.

He started scuba diving in 1986 and got his final cave diving certification in 2000. He says, “I have always liked being in tight spots. When scuba diving I would like to crawl into holes. It was just more interesting.”

Today, Winfree is more accurately described as a cave explorer. “My brother and I go by plane and discover new caves by air. We see cave holes and some months later we take the boat over and dive those holes. Some turn out to be great caves and some don’t. We survey them. We lay permanent line in there. We publish the maps that enable other people to dive these caves too.”

He has spent the last decade working on a massive cave system called Lucy’s Cave. It was discovered in the early 80’s by Robert Palmer who dove a couple hundred feet in. Winfree says, “We’ve now pushed 3 or 4 miles of line in there. We have the second deepest penetration of any cave in the Bahamas. We keep discovering new tunnels.”

Winfree hopes to finish in the next year, “We are basically pushing that cave out as far as we can,” he says, “given the technology that is available.” Once we get a mile in, we are basically done. Then we’ll move onto another project. There are so many.”

Dr. Christopher Winfree is in the top row, 4th from the left.

The Lend conference is, “a forum for free exchange of ideas and presentation of innovations in neurological surgery and allied fields. This meeting of research and clinical applications in a relaxed setting has endured the test of time as a popular tribute to the memory of Dr. Richard Lende.” – www.lendeconference.com

Read an excerpt and watch the video on the CBS/Fox Affiliate news report Giffords Faces Tough Road to Recovery.