TEDM – Dr. Chris Honey – A Brain Surgeon’s Tales of Excellence & Human Connection (Episode 188)

Dr. Chris Honey is Professor and Head of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of British Columbia.  He obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto and his doctoral degree from Oxford University as a Canadian Rhodes Scholar. He completed his Royal College training in neurosurgery in Vancouver in 1995 and became a diplomat of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons in 2000. He has completed an additional year of training at Harvard Medical School and is a Scholar in Surgical Leadership.

His research is focused on the treatment of movement disorders and pain. He headed the world’s first trial of DBS for spasmodic dysphonia and published the results in 2021. He was the first physician to recognize and successfully treat hemi-laryngopharyngeal spasm (HELPS syndrome) in 2014. He discovered and successfully treated the first person in the world with VANCOUVER syndrome in 2019. He has made fundamental changes to the understanding of human pain pathways.

In this episode, get a first-hand listen to some of the ways in which Chris’ entire medical perspective expanded through his experiences with patients, both personally and culturally. Patrick and Chris very briefly touch into the politics of medicine in British Columbia but don’t hang out there very long before they get into the delicate nature of brain surgery, the medical discoveries Chris and his team have pioneered, what and who compelled Chris to write his book, his superpower, and his kryptonite! Chris feels brain surgery was his calling and it’s certainly evident in the passion and knowledge he brings to the conversation and his ongoing work. In deep appreciation of excellence, Chris expresses the joy for the team he now works with, shares his journey in athletics and the shift he has made from competitor to collaborator. 

Dr. Honey’s book, The Tenth Nerve, published by Penguin Random House Canada, is now available at Indigo, local bookstores and drchrishoney.com. It is an homage to seven patients who taught him more about medicine than any lecture or textbook.