Neurosurgery

Education

Neurosurgery is the specialty of surgery dedicated to the diagnosis, surgical and nonsurgical management of congenital abnormalities, trauma and diseases affecting the nervous system, its blood supply and supporting structures.

The clinical program within the division of neurosurgery encompasses a comprehensive regional program and includes a neurosurgery residency program leading to certification by the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, on completion. The program serves as the major tertiary and quaternary referral center for most of southern Ontario, a drainage population of almost 2.5 million residents. Its major clinical services take place at the Hamilton General Hospital with the pediatric neurosurgery located at the McMaster Children’s Hospital, the second largest Children’s Hospital in Ontario. There is also an operating day at the St. Joseph’s Hospital, which is utilized for minimally invasive spinal procedures. A multidisciplinary neuro-oncology clinic takes place at the Juravinski Hospital, one of the best equipped cancer centres in North America.

Research

The division of neurosurgery is regularly engaged in specialty-leading research, with specific themes in neurocritical care and neurotrauma, neuro-oncology, neurovascular, spine surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, surgical education and skills and neuromodulation.

Clinical

The adult neurosurgery program within Hamilton Health Sciences operates out of Hamilton General Hospital, an 865 bed facility that functions as the Regional Level I Trauma Centre and comprehensive Stroke Centre. The adult neurosurgery service performs over 1,500 surgeries annually. Additional procedures occur at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, which focuses on minimally invasive spinal and craniocervical junction procedures for enhanced recovery. The pediatric neurosurgery program operates primarily out of McMaster University Medical Centre and performs approximately 250 surgeries annually. We couldn’t care for everyone alone, and our regional network of associated hospitals provides essential preoperative, perioperative and convalescent care.

The McMaster division of neurosurgery treats a wide range of neurosurgical diseases and conditions. If you wish to refer a patient, please refer to the appropriate neurosurgery centralized intake.