Syed Ather Enam

Background

Dr. Enam was born in Sindri, Bihar, India. His father was a professor of electrical engineering at Bihar Institute of Technology, now Birsa Institute of Technology Sindri (BIT Sindri).

Education

Dr. Enam received his early education in Karachi (Pakistan), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and later at Cadet College Hasanabdal in Pakistan.

He completed his MBBS from Dow Medical College before pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Northwestern University Institute of Neuroscience in the United States. His thesis title was Cell Biology of Alzheimer’s Disease, under the supervision of William L. Klein. Later, he started residency training at the University at Buffalo and received training in neurosurgery at Henry Ford Health System.

Career

Dr. Enam honed his surgical expertise before returning to Pakistan to develop a state-of-the-art neurosurgery programme at the Aga Khan University. He has trained a new generation of neurosurgeons for Pakistan, and mentored many students and specialists spread across globally.

He introduced a state-of-the-art neurorobotics exoscope and neuronavigation system to treat the most complicated brain and central nervous system-related conditions.

The new machine provided advanced imaging facilities that enabled surgeons to see deeper into the brain. The detailed, 3D images of the fibers inside the brain distinguished between safe and precarious areas that helped a surgeon decide the safest approach to reach the area affected by the brain tumor before starting the surgery.

Dr. Enam introduced awake craniotomy in Pakistan. It is a type of procedure performed on the brain to remove brain tumor or perform other kind of brain surgeries while the patient is awake and alert.

He introduced and was also the first one to perform endoscopic spine surgery in Pakistan in 2008.

Dr. Enam is actively involved in many clinical and basic science research projects and has authored more than 300 manuscripts, chapters, abstracts, editorials, and articles. His primary focus is the promotion of neuroscience and neuro-oncology in Pakistan.

He is one of the editors of the book Surgical Education and Training in Pakistan: Creating a Model, which details how surgical training programmes can be improved in Pakistan and in other low-and-middle-income countries, based on learnings from the surgical training programmes at Aga Khan University over the past four decades.

Achievements

• Foundign President of the Pakistan Society of Basic and Applied Neuroscience (PASBAN), Pakistan’s first scientific society dedicated to neurosciences, which aims to empower potential learners and researchers to engage in the interdisciplinary fields of neuroscience through education, outreach, and awareness initiatives. PASBAN is chartered by the Government of Pakistan and is a non-profit society.
  
  Website: pakistan-neuroscience.org
  
  Founding Presdient of Pakistan Society of Neuro-Oncology (PASNO), Pakistan's first scientific society dedicated to neuro-oncology. It was created to bring together experts from within and outside Pakistan to improve the care of patients with brain tumors and spinal cord, and provide a platform for research, teaching and training activities related to neuro-oncology in Pakistan. PASNO is chartered by the Government of Pakistan and is a non-profit society.
  
  Website: pasno.org
  
  Founder of the Pakistan Academy of Neurological Surgery (PANS), a professional association and learned society in Pakistan for neuroscience enthusiasts. PANS aims to provide a multitude of opportunities for competency development in the form of academic and research collaborations, courses, webinars, and networking events.
  
  Website: pans.org.pk
  
  Awards:
  
  2017: Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s one of the highest civilian award, for Dr Enam’s work in the field of medicine
  
  2004: Excellence Award in Neurosurgery by the Pakistan Society of Neurosurgery
  
  2002: Physician of the Year Medallion Award by St Joseph’s Mercy of Macomb Hospital, USA
  
  1998: Outstanding Resident Award by Henry Ford Hospital, USA

Works

• Research paper

  • Role of extracellular matrix in tumor invasion: migration of glioma cells along fibronectin-positive mesenchymal cell processes

    (The major morbidity of glioma lies in its infiltrative gr...)

Membership

Member Society for Neurosci., American Association Neurological Surgeons, World Federation Neurology, Research Society, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Sigma Xi. (recipientGrad. Research Symposium award).

References

• Wide awake during brain surgery Dr. Enam introduced awake craniotomy in Pakistan. It is a type of procedure performed on the brain to remove brain tumor or perform other kind of brain surgeries while the patient is awake and alert.
  2016