Congratulations to the four new Bassett Fellows: Dr. Chafik Handis, Dr. Soumia Benallag, Dr. Kevin Ivan Peñaverde Chan and Dr. Oluwole Oyeleye. As the 2022/2023 Bassett Fellowship awardees, they will receive funds to cover traveling and living expenses for a three-month period to be spent observing the activities of a neurosurgical service that has an established relationship with FIENS.
We look forward to sharing updates on the progress of these ambitious neurosurgeons who will save the lives of many in the Philippines, Algeria, and Nigeria and inspire other practitioners to pursue neurosurgical education pathways.
Name: Dr. Chafik Handis
Hospital: Mohamed Lamine Debaghine University Hospital, Algiers, Algeria
Current Status: Assistant professor in neurosurgery
Fellowship Mentor & Location: Dr. Daniel Kelly, The Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica
Dr. Handis is extremely motivated to build additional practical skills and scientific knowledge in neurosurgery. He will complete his fellowship at The Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica under the guidance of Dr. Daniel Kelly, where he hopes to gain new knowledge in minimally invasive techniques in managing brain lesions, microsurgical anatomy, and endoscopic skull base surgery and techniques.
Name: Dr. Soumia Benallag
Hospital: Bachir Benacer Hospital in Biskra, Algeria
Current Status: Attending Neurosurgeon
Fellowship Mentor & Location: Dr. Michael Lawton, Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona
Dr. Soumia Benallag completed her neurosurgical residency at Mustapha Bacha Hospital in Algiers and is currently an attending neurosurgeon at Bachir Benacer Hospital in Biskra, Algeria. Her fellowship will be at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona under the guidance of Dr. Michael Lawton. During her fellowship, Dr. Benallag will be able to observe complex neurosurgical procedures, participate in daily film review teaching rounds, attend weekly Neurosurgery Clinical Conferences and Neurosurgery/Neurology Grand Rounds, as well as a variety of other Neuroscience Lectures and Conferences that are hosted throughout the year.
Name: Dr. Kevin Ivan Peñaverde Chan
Hospital: Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines
Current Status: Chief Resident of Neurosurgery
Fellowship Mentor & Location: Dr. Fernandez – Miranda, Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto, California
Dr. Kevin Ivan Peñaverde Chan is the Chief Resident of Neurosurgery at the Philippine General Hospital in the Philippines. Dr. Chan aspires to develop endoscopic neurosurgery in his home country. During his fellowship, he aims to advance his knowledge of addressing complicated tumors either endoscopically or minimally invasively. By being an observer and a research assistant he believes he will build his surgical skills to address diverse tumors of the anterior skull base. He will complete his fellowship at Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto, California under the guidance of Dr. Fernandez – Miranda.
Name: Dr. Oluwole Oyeleye
Hospital: Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
Current Status: Resident in Training and Consultant Neurosurgeon
Fellowship Mentor & Location: Dr. Mustafa Baskaya., University of Wisconsin
Dr. Oluwole Oyeleye is a resident in training and now a Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria. He will complete his fellowship at the University of Wisconsin under the guidance of Dr. Mustafa Baskaya. Dr. Oyeleye’s goals for the fellowship are to improve his skills in microsurgical dissections and to acquire skills in skull base and vascular neurosurgery.
