Great Hospitals: The History of Neurosurgery at the University of Vermont Medical Center–A Macroscopic Examination of Microscope-Savvy Pioneers

Abstract

The University of Vermont's (UVM) Division of Neurosurgery is enshrined in a rich history of innovation and academic prowess, which have significantly contributed to making neurosurgery the field it is today. From humble beginnings, the department was started by one Raymond Madiford Peardon "Pete" Donaghy on a parenthetically watertight research budget amounting to $25 and shared space in a Quonset hut. Passion and commitment to progress, as well as an innate openness to collaboration, propelled Pete Donaghy, his colleagues, pupils, and successors to establish an exemplary center for treatment of neurosurgical disease, with multiple revolutionary accomplishments along the way. These accomplishments include the birth and promotion of microneurosurgery, the performance of the first extracranial to intracranial bypass, and the education of other neurosurgical giants. The New England Skull Base Course, held annually in UVM's "R.M. Peardon Donaghy Microvascular and Skull Base Laboratory," is a 3-day cadaver-based teaching course for neurosurgery and ear nose and throat residents throughout New England. The course bears testament to Donaghy's everlasting influence on the UVM Division of Neurosurgery and continues to positively affect the education of countless trainees. The purpose of this historical perspective is to outline the events and accomplishments that define the UVM Division of Neurosurgery's many contributions to the field at large and the ongoing efforts to honor Donaghy's example through maintaining a culture of humility, hard work, and commitment to neurosurgical innovation and education.