In December 2025, the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery (FIENS) supported a neurosurgery resident boot camp in Manila, advancing hands-on surgical education and capacity-building in Southeast Asia.
Neurosurgery resident boot camps were originally developed by the Society of Neurological Surgeons in 2014 to provide junior residents with structured exposure to the core procedures required throughout residency training. In North America, these boot camps are mandated for all early-stage neurosurgery residents. Over time, the model has been successfully adapted and delivered internationally, supporting standardized, high-quality neurosurgical education across diverse settings.
This year’s boot camp had 45 in attendance and 16 international and local neurosurgical faculty.
The Manila boot camp was hosted by Michael Gimenez, Director of the Neurosurgery Service at Cardinal Santos Medical Center. An experienced and accomplished neurosurgeon, Dr. Gimenez has led numerous training courses at the Cardinal Santos training center, which is equipped with modern spine and cranial surgical facilities. For this program, Dr. Gimenez welcomed 10 local neurosurgeons to train alongside six international neurosurgeons. The international neurosurgeons included FIENS Board Member, Jack Rock and FIENS volunteers, Russell Andrews, Damien Kuffler, Timothy Ryken and Roy Torcuator, all who have participated in multiple boot camps over the past decade.
The Manila boot camp was made possible through the continued support of FIENS’ longstanding partners at Medtronic, whose commitment to resident education has helped sustain neurosurgical training initiatives across Southeast Asia.
The program featured two mornings of didactic lectures delivered by faculty, followed by two afternoons of intensive hands-on workstations. Training modules focused on spine fusion across all spinal levels, cranial positioning, navigation for cranial biopsy, frontal-orbital-zygomatic craniotomy, and microvascular anastomosis. The immersive format allowed participants to integrate foundational knowledge with practical technical skills in a supervised environment.
Faculty noted the residents’ enthusiasm, engagement, and dedication to advancing their surgical skills, underscoring the value of continued investment in structured, hands-on training opportunities.
FIENS looks forward to building on the success of the Manila program and exploring future neurosurgery resident boot camps in the region, including a potential program in Kuala Lumpur.
