Meet The Expert: Dr. Kumar Vasudevan

<p>Dr. Kumar Vasudevan is a neurosurgeon practicing in Atlanta, Georgia. He has a special interest in treating patients with brain tumors. He was inspired by his grandmother's neurosurgeon, who performed a lifesaving operation for glioblastoma for free, and aspires to bring the same devotion and care to his patients.</p> <ul><li>01:20: My grandmother, unfortunately, received this diagnosis of glioblastoma.</li><li>02:20: Nothing quite interested me, like the brain.</li><li>03:41: But it is a tumor that we have been fighting as neurosurgeons for as long as our field has been in existence.</li><li>05:25: The first appointment with me for patients who have this suspected diagnosis of glioblastoma is very much an information-gathering session.</li><li>06:40: And we're going to learn things together about this tumor.</li><li>07:20: We have had a quantum leap in our understanding of the factors underlying glioblastoma.</li><li>09:40: And you mentioned subtypes. So how many subtypes do you know of as of today?</li><li>11:28: I like to say about the brain that it's like real estate. You know, what matters is location, location, location.</li><li>13:36: It is simply random and that is true for the vast majority of patients.</li><li>14:40: What has been your worst moment as a physician doing this work?</li><li>16:13: You've been told your entire training to go, go, go help, help, help, and try to cure this thing.</li><li>16:55: So, did medical school prepare you to have those kinds of talks with patients and their families?</li><li>18:26: Can you tell me about a patient who really touched you?</li><li>20:17: She did not want to pursue any sort of intervention.</li><li>22:00: I think we get caught up many times with what we can do, as opposed to what our patients' desires for their care are.</li><li>23:08: What is the one thing tomorrow you wish you had known at the beginning of your journey as a physician in this field and this specialty?</li><li>25:55: If you could only do one thing to improve health care in the US,