1. ALBERT LOREN RHOTON JR. (NOVEMBER 18, 1932 – FEBRUARY 21, 2016) WORLD-RENOWNED NEUROSURGEON AND PIONEERING RESEARCHER Presentation by Elena Nestian

2. “ Dr. Albert Rhoton was a great man, a role model physician, teacher, scientist and leader. His surgical skills as a preeminent neurosurgeon were amazing, and I was fortunate to see these up close in the operating room while anesthetizing his patients. Ever present was his compassion for the well- being of his patients, and the professional advancement of his students and faculty. His leadership as chair of neurosurgery changed the course of this medical school and pointed it squarely on a journey to excellence. I will miss his wisdom, shared through words and by example, always with calmness and kindness.” Michael L. Good, M.D. Dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine

4. EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION  Born in a log cabin in Parvin, Kentucky  Attended a two-room schoolhouse  Flunked his fifth grade classes  Finished an undergraduate degree in social work  The physiological psychology class left him completely captivated by the brain’s complexities  Received premedical education at The Ohio State University  Graduated with the highest academic standing in the 1959 class at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Albert Rhoton never forgot the important lessons he learned while studying to be a social worker many years ago. “Social work taught me to bring the element of COMPASSION into what I do.”

6. MEDICAL AND ACADEMIC CAREER  Worked as a staff surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota  In 1972, he joined the University of Florida as a professor and Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery  In 1975, he began teaching the evolving specialty of microneurosurgery  As Dr. Rhoton’s reputation grew, so did the department  A division with just two faculty members at his arrival evolved into a department that now has 18 neurosurgeons, 13 research faculty and 21 residents  In 2014 Dr. Rhoton was the director of the Neuro-Microanatomy Lab at the McKnight Brain Institute “I felt like I found my place here and decided to stick with it. The vision of growth in neurosurgery and building a brain institute were accepted by the institution and the leadership”.

7. ACADEMIC CAREER  In his 27-year tenure as department chairman, he: secured funding for 10 endowed chairs in research and education specialties secured multimillion-dollar funding for a professorship that bears his name had a key role in the development of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida

8. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES  University of Florida professor and chairman emeritus of the Lillian S. Wells department of neurosurgery  President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in 1978  The CNS Honored Guest in 1993  President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons  President of the Society of Neurological Surgeons  President of the North American Skull Base Society  Elected to Honorary Membership in neurosurgical societies on six continents He completed the Millennium and Anniversary Issues of Neurosurgery and a book entitled Cranial Anatomy and Surgical Approaches, which has been translated into several languages.

9. AWARDS  UF’s Distinguished Faculty Award in 1981  the Harvey Cushing Medal - the highest honor granted by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in 1998  the CNS Distinguished Service Award in 2004  the Founders Laurel Award in 2006  the Medal of Honor of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies  named Neurosurgeon of the Year by the journal World Neurosurgery in 2011  Alumni Achievement Award from Washington University School of Medicine  both a Distinguished Faculty Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Florida Author of 3 books and 498 scientific papers

11. DR. RHOTON AS A MENTOR  During his more than five decade career, he trained thousands of fellows and residents in the latest microneurosurgical techniques.  Benefited from training under dr. Rhoton’s guidance: Saleem I. Abdulrauf, MD, FAANS, FACS - Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery Director, Saint Louis University Center for Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery Eric Rhoton, MD - neurosurgeon in North Carolina J. Richard Lister, MD, MBA - associate chair and professor of the College of Medicine’s department of neurosurgery Toshio Matsushima MD, PhD – Chairman and Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Saga University, Japan William Friedman, MD - neurosurgeon in Gainesville, Florida Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda, MD - Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery and Associate Director, Center for Skull Base Surgery Baran Bozkurt, MD - Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey, Neuroanatomy Fellow, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota

14. DR. RHOTON AS A MENTOR “He has been an outstanding teacher of residents and neurological surgeons,” said William A. Friedman, MD, who succeeded dr. Rhoton as department chair. “Dr.Albert Rhoton demonstrated, over and over, to all of his students and admirers that the only limits to what we could achieve were those limits we placed on ourselves. He has been a source of inspiration and hope to our department, to the world of neurosurgery, and to his many grateful patients. Tall and soft-spoken, Rhoton carried his medical accomplishments with a quiet but determined demeanor. Despite having metastatic prostate cancer, Dr. Rhoton worked in his neurosurgery laboratory until a week before his death, mentoring neurosurgeons from around the world and working on papers”, his son, Eric Rhoton, MD, said.

16. DR. RHOTON AS A MENTOR “ Dr. Rhoton embodied everything the CNS believes in. He will be remembered as one of neurosurgery’s greatest educators — a true leader and mentor — and a kind man who always had time for his students and colleagues.” Russell Lonser, CNS President “The opportunity to train under Dr. Rhoton at the UF College of Medicine has been and continues to be among the most significant personal and professional highlights of my life.” J. Richard Lister, MD, MBA, Associate Chair and Professor of the College of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery.

18. MICRONEUROSURGERY  In 1975, Dr. Rhoton began to teach microneurosurgery.  His personal motto was to provide more accurate, gentle, safe and precise ways to approach and manage neurosurgery.  His microscopic detailing of the brain’s network of veins and arteries helped other neurosurgeons reach trouble spots without damaging delicate tissue.  As a pioneer in the field, Rhoton often needed to develop his own neurosurgical instruments. He ended up working with a German metallurgist to create more than 200 devices, including an eponymous tool for dissecting tumors.  The Rhoton name is so ubiquitous that virtually every hospital in the world that does neurosurgery has multiple sets of his tools. “I incorporated microsurgical techniques into my practice because it appeared to increase the safety with which we could delve deep into and under the brain,” “I’ve made the motto a theme of what we do every day to improve neurosurgery, so that our patients receive better care.”

21. DEVOTION TO THE PATIENT  Dr. Rhoton’s accomplishments were matched by his deep concern for patients.  He shared an extraordinary passion for helping others through medicine.  His background in social work was never a source of embarrasement. In fact, it helped him to better understand fear, anger and other emotions that his patients experienced.  ‘I was particularly struck by the lasting impressions Dr. Rhoton left on patients. Even after many years, some of them still talk about his caring, compassionate approach.’ Michael L. Good, MD, Dean of the UF College of Medicine.

22. THE RHOTON COLLECTION “He wanted his work in neuroscience to help someone in the world every second of every day. He wanted to spread safe, precise, accurate surgical techniques around the world.” Dr. Eric Rhoton Many of his most important lectures and techniques are posted free on the Internet. Also, throughout his career, Dr. Rhoton served as faculty for countless CNS courses and sessions, using his unique 3D neuroanatomical video and slides to educate generation after generation of neurosurgical residents.

24. MEDICINE - A FAMILY PRACTICE All of the Rhoton children followed their father into the medical field  Eric Rhoton, MD, neurosurgeon at Carolina Spine/Neurosurgery Center  Albert Rhoton, a UF College of Medicine graduate and a gastroenterologist in North Carolina.  Alice Rhoton-Vlasak, MD, a reproductive endocrinology specialist at UF Health.  Laurel Rhoton-Selner, a UF College of Nursing graduate who works at UF Health.  Eric Rhoton, who studied in his father’s department while at UF, said neither of his parents pushed them toward the medical field.

25. MEDICINE - A FAMILY PRACTICE “My dad always made us believe it was an honor and a privilege to be in a medical profession. Living around someone who takes inspiration from what he does daily, it’s hard not to want to follow his steps.” Alice Rhoton-Vlasak

27. SOURCES http://neurosurgery.ufl.edu/faculty-staff/our-faculty/albert-l-rhoton-jr-md/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=Albert+L.+Rhoton http://neurosurgery.ufl.edu/research/laboratories/neuro-microanatomy-lab/ http://www.worldneurosurgery.org/article/S1878-8750(11)00131-8/abstract http://www.aans.org/en/Education%20and%20Meetings/The%20Rhoton%20Collection.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Rhoton,_Jr https://ufhealth.org/news/2012/renowned-uf-neurosurgeon-be-honored-his-life%E2%80%99s-work https://books.google.ro/books?id=U3YoBgAAQBAJ&pg=PR7&lpg=PR7&dq=rhoton+a+mentor&source=bl&ots=mOeBK7XA CG&sig=pqTMQG5HcKb1AcAGK8hXOqajW0s&hl=ro&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq6vDwx7DLAhWya5oKHYLzAPgQ6AEIMjAC#v =onepage&q=rhoton%20a%20mentor&f=false https://ufhealth.org/news/2016/world-renowned-uf-neurosurgeon-albert-rhoton-jr-passes-away http://symmetrysurgical.com/Documents/DownloadArea/Surgical%20Instruments/Rhoton%20for%20web.pdf https://www.cns.org/news-advocacy/memorials/cns-remembers-albert-l-rhoton-jr-md https://books.google.ro/books?id=rqrfih6tMhoC&pg=PR13&lpg=PR13&dq=rhoton+as+a+mentor+for+neurosurgeons&sour ce=bl&ots=8qZQwK4cJB&sig=-B-aTWhEQlZoIDFaBH-szIk0sZ8&hl=ro&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjhjuSF07DLAhVrDJoKHaf- CUU4ChDoAQgfMAA#v=onepage&q=rhoton%20as%20a%20mentor%20for%20neurosurgeons&f=false http://news.medinfo.ufl.edu/articles/top-stories/renowned-uf-neurosurgeon-to-be-honored-for-his-lifes-work/ http://floridaphysician.med.ufl.edu/2008/11/fall-2007/a-family-practice-gainesville%E2%80%99s-homegrown-mds/ http://www.stmeded.medtronic.com/anatomy-courses/rhoton-biography/index.htm

28. ‘HE WAS AN AWESOME, LOVING, GENTLE MAN WHO CHANGED THE FIELD OF NEUROSURGERY.’ ERIC RHOTON

30. MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE!