Ivar Mendez

Ivar Mendez
Born La Paz, Bolivia
Fields neurosurgery, sculpture, photography, philanthropy
Institutions University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Health Region, Dalhousie University, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Brain Repair Centre,Dalhousie University Neurosurgery
Alma mater University of Western Ontario, University of Toronto

Ivar Mendez, M.D., PhD, is the Fred H. Wigmore Professor[1] and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan and the Unified Head of Surgery for the Province of Saskatchewan. He is internationally known for his work in cell transplantation for Parkinson's disease and the use of remote presence robotics in neurosurgery and primary health care.

He also holds an appointment at the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University and he is one of the founders of the Brain Repair Centre.[2] He is also the president and founder of the Ivar Mendez International Foundation[3] that is dedicated to providing health and educational assistance to children in the Bolivian Andes. Mendez is a photographer and sculptor[4] and has published 4 books of photography.

Biography

Mendez was born in La Paz, Bolivia and immigrated with his family to Canada as a teenager. He obtained a BSc degree from the University of Toronto and then an M.D. from the University of Western Ontario (UWO). He did a neurosurgical residency training in London, and was certified in Neurosurgery from the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada in 1994 and from the American Board of Neurological Surgery[5] in 1996. He became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1998 and became a member of the College Board of Governors[6] in 2015. His interest in regenerative medicine led him to obtain a PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology from the UWO his PhD thesis was on “Neurotransmitter Interactions in Nigral Grafts”.[7] He did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Lund in Sweden under the supervision of Anders Björklund,[8] considered the “father” of cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease. In 2014, Saint Mary's University (Halifax) in Nova Scotia awarded Mendez a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) degree for his contribution to Neuroscience and he was inducted a Fellow to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Scientific contributions

He pioneered the technique of multiple grafts to restore dopamine input to the parkinsonian mammalian brain.[9][10] This technique was translated into clinical trials in patients with Parkinson's disease and showed long-term survival of those grafts.[11][12][13][14] He also pioneered the use of Glial Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in combination with fetal cells in humans.[15][16][17] Mendez invented a transplantation delivery system to inject cells into the human brain.[18] With his team, he performed the first long-distance brain surgery robotic telementoring in the world by using a robotic arm to mentor neurosurgeons located 400 km away. [19] He is also pioneering the use of remote presence devices to deliver health care in remote locations.[20][21][22] In 2015, Mendez and his team printed the first 3D brain for planning deep brain stimulation surgery.[23][24][25][26][27]

Inventions

Humanitarian contributions

Mendez has established a Canadian charitable organization, the Ivar Mendez International Foundation,[32] to provide nutrition, dental care and art program to children in remote locations of the Bolivian Andes.[33]

Awards

Artistic endeavours

He has published 4 books of photography [39] and has had several exhibitions of his photography and sculpture [40]

Published books

Selected scientific publications

References

  1. ↑ "Fred. H. Wigmore Professor".
  2. ↑ "Brain Repair Centre".
  3. ↑ "Ivar Mendez International Foundation".
  4. ↑ "Sculpting neurosurgeon breaks the mould".
  5. ↑ "American Board of Neurological Surgery".
  6. ↑ "American College of Surgeons - Board of Governors".
  7. ↑ Mendez I, Elisevich K, Flumerfelt B (June 1991). "Dopaminergic innervation of substance P-containing striatal neurons by fetal nigral grafts: an ultrastructural double-labeling immunocytochemical study". The Journal of Comparative Neurology 308 (1): 66–78. doi:10.1002/cne.903080107. PMID 1714923..
  8. ↑ "Dr. Anders Björklund".
  9. ↑ Mendez I, Sadi D, Hong M (1996). "Reconstruction of the nigrostriatal pathway by simultaneous intrastriatal and intranigral dopaminergic transplants". Journal of Neuroscience 16 (22): 7216–7227. PMID 8929430.
  10. ↑ Mendez I, Hong M (December 5, 1997). "Reconstruction of the striato-nigro-striatal circuitry by simultaneous double dopaminergic grafts: a tracer study using fluorogold and horse radish peroxidase". Brain Research 778 (1): 194–205. doi:10.1016/s0006-8993(97)01055-x. PMID 9462892.
  11. ↑ Mendez I, Dagher A, Hong M, Gaudet P, Weerasinghe S, McAlister V, King D, Desrosiers J, Darvesh S, Acorn T, Robertson H (2002). "Simultaneous intrastriatal and intranigral fetal dopaminergic grafts in patients with Parkinson's disease". Journal of Neurosurgery 96 (3): 589–596. doi:10.3171/jns.2002.96.3.0589. PMID 11883846.
  12. ↑ Mendez I, Sanchez-Pernaute R, Cooper O, Viñuela A, Ferrari D, Björklund L, Dagher A, Isacson O (2005). "Cell type analysis of fetal dopamine cell suspension transplants in striatum and substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson's disease". Brain 128 (Pt 7): 1498–1510. doi:10.1093/brain/awh510. PMID 15872020.
  13. ↑ Mendez I, Viñuela A, Astradsson A, Mukhida K, Hallett P, Robertson H, Tierney T, Holness R, Dagher A, Trojanowski JQ, Isacson O (May 2008). "Dopamine neurons implanted into people with Parkinson's disease survive without pathology for 14 years". Nature Medicine 14 (5): 507–509. doi:10.1038/nm1752. PMID 18391961.
  14. ↑ Hallett P, Cooper O, Sadi D, Robertson H, Mendez I, and Isacson O (June 26, 2014). "Long-term Health of Dopaminergic Neuron Transplants in Parkinson’s Disease Patients". Cell Reports 7 (6): 1755–1761. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2014.05.027. PMID 24910427.
  15. ↑ Apostolides C, Sanford E, Hong M and Mendez I (March 1998). "Glial cell line-‐derived neurotrophic factor improves intrastriatal graft survival of stored dopaminergic cells". Neuroscience 83 (2): 363–372. doi:10.1016/s0306-4522(97)00369-2. PMID 9460746.
  16. ↑ Mehta V, Hong M, Spears J, Mendez I (June 1998). "Enhancement of graft survival and sensorimotor behavioral recovery in rats undergoing transplantation with dopaminergic cells exposed to glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor". Journal of Neurosurgery 88 (6): 1088–1095. doi:10.3171/jns.1998.88.6.1088. PMID 9609305.
  17. ↑ Mendez I, Dagher A, Hong M, Hebb A, Gaudet P, Law A, Weerasinghe S, King D, Desrosiers J, Darvesh S, Acorn T, Robertson H (May 2000). "Exposure of human fetal nigral tissue to glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor enhances survival in two patients with Parkinson's disease". Journal of Neurosurgery 92 (5): 863–869. doi:10.3171/jns.2000.92.5.0863. PMID 10794303.
  18. ↑ Mendez I, Hong M, Smith S, Dagher A, Desrosiers J (March 2000). "A neural transplantation cannula and microinjector system: experimental and clinical experience". Journal of Neurosurgery 92 (3): 493–499. doi:10.3171/jns.2000.92.3.0493. PMID 10701543.
  19. ↑ Mendez I, Hill R, Clarke D, Kolyvas G, Walling S (2005). "Robotic long-distance telementoring in neurosurgery". Neurosurgery 56 (3): 434–440. doi:10.1227/01.neu.0000153928.51881.27. PMID 15730568.
  20. ↑ Mendez I, Song M, Chiasson P, Bustamante L (January 2013). "Point-of-Care Programming for Neuromodulation: A Feasibility Study Using Remote Presence". Neurosurgery 72 (1): 99–108. doi:10.1227/NEU.0b013e318276b5b2. PMID 23096417.
  21. ↑ Mendez I, Van den Hof MC (November 19, 2013). "Mobile remote-presence devices for point-of-care health care delivery". Canadian Medical Association Journal 185 (17): 1512–1516. doi:10.1503/cmaj.120223. PMID 23775612.
  22. ↑ Mendez I, Jong M, Keays-White D, Turner G (August 5, 2013). "The use of remote presence for health care delivery in a northern Inuit community: a feasibility study". International Journal of Circumpolar Health 72. doi:10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21112. PMID 23984292.
  23. ↑ "3D Print.com The First Realistic Brain Model 3D Printed to Aid with Surgical Procedure".
  24. ↑ "3Ders.org Canadian surgeon uses 3D printed realistic brain model to assist complex brain surgery".
  25. ↑ "3D MedTech Printing Conference: Saskatoon neurosurgeon 3D prints replica of patient’s brain".
  26. ↑ "StarPhoenix: Mendez makes world breakthrough in brain science".
  27. ↑ "CBC News: Object of beauty, Saskatoon doctor prints 3D replica of patient's brain; Dr. Ivar Mendez says 3D technology could lead to printing other organs".
  28. ↑ "Neural transplantation delivery system Canadian patent #2,282,007".
  29. ↑ "Neural transplantation delivery system US patent #7,137,969".
  30. ↑ "Injection delivery system US patent #8,753,314".
  31. ↑ "Injection delivery system US patent #9,067,028".
  32. ↑ "Ivar Mendez International Foundation".
  33. ↑ "Canadian Red Cross 2010 Humanitarian of the Year Award".
  34. ↑ "Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal".
  35. ↑ "Dr. Ivar Mendez honoured for humanitarian work".
  36. ↑ "Hispanic Business: 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians – 2009" (PDF).
  37. ↑ "Dr. John Savage Award Presented to Dr. Ivar Mendez".
  38. ↑ "1999 RCPSC Medalist in Surgery".
  39. ↑ "Publications".
  40. ↑ "Solo Exhibitions".
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