Professor Dr. Charles Teo (24 December 1957 - ) NEUROSURGEON
Introduction
Dr. Charles ‘Charlie’ Teo is an Australian neurosurgeon. He is the only
Australian neurosurgeon to be Board Certified in both Australia and the US.
Charlie is often making headlines for performing radical surgeries on
tumours that had been deemed inoperable by other neurosurgeons, and is
described as “controversial and charismatic”.
He was a state finalist for Australian of the Year, founded the Cure Brain
Cancer Foundation, and is regularly making headlines for his “controversial”
methods. (Source: The Saturday Paper)
Dr Charlie Teo is a controversial and charismatic brain surgeon. Director of
Sydney’s Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery , he has a huge
international reputation for doing radical surgery on tumours that other
neurosurgeons consider inoperable. Patients come to him from all over
Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Britain, South-east Asia and
Europe.
The techniques and skills that Charlie offers have saved or extended the
lives of many children from Australia and abroad with so-called inoperable
brain tumours. So, understandably, his patients see him as a miracle worker.
But he is cold-shouldered by many fellow neurosurgeons, who describe him as
a cowboy and a magnet for controversy.(Source: ABC)
Charlie devotes three months a year to educating neurosurgeons from
developing countries such as Peru, Indonesia and Vietnam, and treating
children with neurological conditions in those countries.
In 2007 he was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship for his contribution to
International Health and Welfare and in 2008 the Humanitarian Service Award
by Rotary International. He will be the Invited Guest Speaker at the
International Conference on Happiness and this year will share the podium
with the Dalai Lama at the Mind and Its Potential Conference.
Charlie lives in Sydney with his wife Genevieve and their four daughters,
Alex, Nikki, Katie and Sophie. He loves his motorbike and Abba, and is
guided by the principle that a doctor should always treat his patients as he
would a member of his own family.
Dr Teo with his wife Genevieve
and their 4 daughters (Source:
Blogspot)
Early
Life
Charlie was born on the 24th of December 1957 to Chinese-Singaporean parents,
Elizabeth and Phillip. His parents immigrated to Australia in 1950.
Later Charlie attended the University of New South Wales,
graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
“After I decided I wanted to do medicine I had to do something with my
hands. I had to be practical and surgery just seemed the natural speciality
to get into.” Dr Charlie Teo (Source: ABC Austory -
no longer available)
After graduating from the University of NSW medical
school he embarked initially on a career in paediatric surgery and then
neurosurgery, finally sub-specialising in paediatric neurosurgery.
Graduating from UNSW - with his Mum
Elizabeth
He practised for 10 years in the USA, and since returning to Australia has
continued to develop pioneering procedures. He is invited back to the USA
several times a year to teach courses in his particular keyhole approach to
neurosurgery.
Upon
completing his training in neurosurgery in Sydney, Charlie says no one was
willing to give him a job- due to the controversy surrounding his name. So
he wrote to all the neurosurgeons in America he had heard about and landed
himself a job in the States. He remained there for a decade.
It was during this time that Charlie contributed to the development of
neuroendoscopy- a new procedure that allows for minimally-invasive keyhole
surgery. Charlie says that they were able to start doing operations that
weren’t done before, and that they were finding “great success with these
operations”. (Source: ABC Austory -
no longer available)
Charlie’s methods are so controversial, that some in the field refuse
to refer their patients to him. Despite this reputation, Charlie has
extended the lives of countless children and adults with brain tumours, and
is one of Australia’s most highly regarded brain surgeons.
Charlie’s peers are not critical nor doubtful of his skill, acknowledging
his “good hands and technique”. The criticism comes with what they describe
to be “unjustified risks and cost”, because an operation by Charlie does not
come cheap. In turn, Charlie has also criticised his peers for their
rejection of him, which he has attributed to jealousy and a cowardly
reluctance to perform the operations Charlie does. For many people, Charlie
is the last option. Where other surgeons have deemed the risk too high, or
the surgery ineffective, Charlie will operate. But for the families of those
who have been operated on by Charlie, they are forever grateful for the
extension of life he has granted their loved ones.
“A significant percentage of my patients have been told that their tumours
are inoperable, and I have not agreed with that assessment. This is where
I’ve really got myself into a lot of trouble.” Dr. Charlie Teo (Source:
ABC Austory -
no longer available)
He has been recognised with awards from
Rotary International, and was a finalist in the NSW Australian of the Year
awards in 2003 and again in 2009. In the 2011 Australia Day awards he was
made a Member of the Order of Australia.
In 2001, Charlie founded the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation (formally Cure For
Life Foundation). It is now the peak brain cancer organisation in Australia,
supporting research initiatives and international collaborations.
Charlie has written more than 70 publications and 30 book chapters. He has
been featured on Australian Story 5 times, 60 Minutes, Good Medicine, and
Today Tonight.
In 2012 he gave the Australia Day address, and in 2013 he became the first
Australian to address US Congress, speaking about Brain Mapping.
Did You Know?
Dr. Charlie Teo will not
operate on a patient unless he is wearing his lucky socks!
An awake craniotomy is a type of procedure performed on the brain
while you are awake and alert! This allows the surgeon to ensure
they are treating the correct area of your brain to surgery.
What
music would you play?
(Activitiy created by Anabel Mifsud, ACU student)
Primary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Personal and social capability
1. Many surgeons listen to
music while in theatre. The following article interviews some surgeons about
their choice of music -
The Guardian 6 August 2015
2. If you were a
surgeon, what songs/artists would you have on your playlist and why?
Share with a
partner.
3. Is this the same playlist to get
your bedroom cleaned?
Create this playlist on
YouTube/Spotify.
Australia
Day 2012 Address by Dr Charles Teo: Analysis
3. Discuss as a group your answers to the above points.
4. Dr Teo describes
often that Australia is great. In his speech, Teo describes his life and the
challenges of growing up Asian in Australia. He is concerned that there is
still some racism in Australia, but even so he thinks Australian people are
wonderful and Australia is ‘the greatest place on Earth to live’.
a. Why do you think he was chosen to present
this speech on Australia Day?
b. List the five arguments he makes
about Australia and his experiences. Identify five language choices he makes
to present his ideas and attitudes.
c.
Write an 800-word analysis of his
speech, discussing its purpose, audience and language choices.
Alternatively, write a 150–200 word letter to the editor of a major
broadsheet newspaper. In your letter share your response to his speech.
Before writing your letter, study similar letters to the editor in a variety
of newspapers to see their tone and style.
5.
As a class,
discuss the following Philosophical Question
Is Australia great?
You need to
justify your answer by using the word ... "because"
and giving a detailed statement.
6.
Brainstorm as a class
the question: "How
could Australia improve?"
7.
What could you contribute towards improving Australia?
How could you stop
racism in yourself?