The Face of NEUROSURGERY Koga Neurosurgery PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE VERLINDEN PHOTOGRAPHY
to them exactly what is wrong and how it can be fixed. After all, Dr. Koga believes “the brain is the most interesting organ in the body,” and is humbled by its complexity despite huge advancements in medical technology. Beyond clinical work, Dr. Koga immerses himself in discovery and research projects, including developing MRI brain maps to guide surgery and new biomaterials for spinal implants. “Neurosurgery is a field in its infancy, with a vast frontier awaiting discovery. I am not doing the same things today as I was five years ago,” says Dr. Koga. Dr. Koga is also involved in basic science research at the NIH and the testing of new medical devices in a laboratory setting. The main formula for success is the clinic staff. Every employee has been handpicked by Dr. Koga and has worked and grown over the years to a level of professionalism seldom seen in outpatient medicine. Patients compliment his assistants’ knowledge as often as the surgeon’s. The complexity of a surgical clinic requires a team with tremendous patience and people-skills. “My team shares my moral code of doing the right thing for each patient. We take responsibility, we stay late, we answer every question, we don’t rush our work, and we don’t rush our surgeries”. The clinic is adding more perioperative care such as nutrition, social work, and psychological services. “Patients undergoing neurosurgery expect and deserve technical excellence, but beyond the operation we have so many gaps for their long-term healing and wellness.” Dr Koga plans to reach more patients by opening additional clinics and traveling abroad to perform surgeries on patients who cannot come to the US.
Dr. Sebastian Koga, founder of Koga Neurosurgery, has positioned himself at the forefront of neurosurgery in the Northshore and Greater New Orleans areas. Each day, he and his team strive to redefine the boundaries of medicine, combining the precision of science with the artistry of personalized patient care. Inspired by his father’s path as a psychiatrist, Dr. Koga pursued his studies and graduated from the University of Oxford, Tulane University School of Medicine, and the University of Virginia neurosurgery program. After two additional fellowships and global training, he arrived on the Northshore in 2014, and built the region’s first comprehensive neurosurgery program. Dr. Koga aspires to provide a more personal approach to patients who are not treated as numbers but as individuals with unique needs. He aims to cultivate an environment that encourages local patients to stay in the region, reducing the need for medical tourism. The Koga Neurosurgery clinic specializes in brain and complex spinal surgeries. Dr. Koga has garnered a reputation for innovative solution in spine surgery. Patients travel from as far as Oregon, California, and internationally for revision spine surgery. These are cases which did not get better with conventional procedures or had multiple failed operations. Dr. Koga has an empathetic understanding of how illness, especially brain tumors, affects not just individuals but also their family and their entire support system. “For me, neurosurgery is a life-long all-consuming vocation. I always think I must do more and better tomorrow,” says Dr Koga. He works hard to educate his patients, explaining
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