Making the Rounds with Dr. Francis Farhadi

For this edition of Making the Rounds, we interviewed Dr. Francis Farhadi, director of the Neurosurgery Spine Program at UK HealthCare's Kentucky Neuroscience Institute.

We recently spoke with Dr. Farhadi about what sets UK HealthCare's neurosurgery program apart and what he finds most rewarding about his work.

What drew you to your career?

I had a real deep interest in nerve and spinal cord recovery after injury, and it meshed well with a career in medicine and, ultimately, a specialty in neurosurgery and spine surgery. I have been in practice now for 12 years. I've been across the country. And the group of providers we have here at UK HealthCare are really second to none.

What makes Kentucky Neuroscience Institute unique and special?

We're essentially set up to evaluate patients with all sorts of issues, be it degenerative, inflammatory, traumatic, deformity. I think what probably sets us apart is the multidisciplinary nature of our practice. Patients that come and see us really have access to, not just a surgeon, but a complement of spine specialists; Be it the advanced practice providers, the physical medicine rehab physicians, the neurologists, or the interventional pain specialists.

Currently, I also have an important amount of work I do in research that complements my clinical practice. We have a number of basic science colleagues who are, really, world experts in nerve and spine regeneration. So, being a provider at UK HealthCare allows me to be just an arm's throw from world experts in basic and translational research.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

Being a doctor is quite gratifying because you're able to see the fruits of your labor, especially as a surgeon, pretty close to when you're actually doing it. The surgeries that we do oftentimes result in quite dramatic improvements in a patient's functional status. And getting a patient back up on their feet within a few weeks is very gratifying. And that's something that, as spine surgeons, we're able to be part of.

I strive to treat patients as I would want to be treated myself or would want my loved one to be treated. It really is the most gratifying way to conduct your care because, ultimately, you know that you're guided by decisions that are really in the best interests of the patient.

Watch our entire interview with Dr. Farhadi below: