STORIES
With our mission of promoting the advancement of neurosurgical care of the diseases of the brain and spine in underserved
communities worldwide through service, education and support, our journeys have taken us to places where we have witnessed
some of the most inspiring stories of people and the communities they live in.
"From Medical Student to Pediatric Neurosurgeon:
A short but meaningful journey shaped by the AASPN Award of NOF"
A personal journey of learning, mentorship, international collaboration, and service to children with neurosurgical conditions in Indonesia
The Beginning (2006-2012)
I entered medical school in 2006. At that time, I was still uncertain about whether to follow my father's path as a surgeon or pursue a different career in architecture, a program to which I had also been accepted. What ultimately guided me toward medicine was a memory from childhood: my father was often away from home because he was helping other people. To me, that was extraordinary.
My childhood was also filled with superhero stories---from Marvel and DC characters to Japanese tokusatsu heroes such as Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Ultraman. Although these stories came from different cultures, they shared a central purpose: helping others. That idea strengthened my decision to pursue medicine. From 2006 to 2012, I progressed from medical student to clinical clerk and, finally, to physician.
During those years, I discovered that some of the most important lessons in medicine do not come from textbooks alone. They come from listening to patients, observing their families, and understanding how illness affects a person's life.
Studying neuroimaging during my early medical years, when curiosity about the brain began to grow into a professional interest.
Discovering Neurosurgery (2012-2014)
My interest in neurosurgery emerged unexpectedly during my forensic medicine rotation. The examinations frequently required us to study the brain in detail, and I became increasingly fascinated by its anatomy, complexity, and vulnerability. I also realized that I was more naturally drawn to anatomy, clinical reasoning, and procedural work than to learning based primarily on memorization. Neurosurgery brought these interests together.
To pursue that goal, I worked and continued learning at Esnawan Antariksa Hospital in Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. I was guided by senior neurosurgeons Wawan Mulyawan, M.D and Yudi Yuwono, M.D. Unfortunately, I do not have photographs from the period I spent learning with them, but their mentorship remains an important part of my story.
Those years gave me my first real experience of independent clinical responsibility. What began as curiosity about the brain and nervous system gradually became a firm conviction: neurosurgery was the field in which I wanted to build my career.
Residency and Professional Formation (2014-2019)
In 2014, I began neurosurgery residency training at Padjadjaran University. The five years that followed were among the most demanding and formative years of my professional life.
My interest in neurosurgery emerged unexpectedly during my forensic medicine rotation. The examinations frequently required us to study the brain in detail, and I became increasingly fascinated by its anatomy, complexity, and vulnerability. I also realized that I was more naturally drawn to anatomy, clinical reasoning, and procedural work than to learning based primarily on memorization. Neurosurgery brought these interests together.
To pursue that goal, I worked and continued learning at Esnawan Antariksa Hospital in Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. I was guided by senior neurosurgeons Wawan Mulyawan, M.D and Yudi Yuwono, M.D. Unfortunately, I do not have photographs from the period I spent learning with them, but their mentorship remains an important part of my story.
Those years gave me my first real experience of independent clinical responsibility. What began as curiosity about the brain and nervous system gradually became a firm conviction: neurosurgery was the field in which I wanted to build my career.
Residency and Professional Formation (2014-2019)
In 2014, I began neurosurgery residency training at Padjadjaran University. The five years that followed were among the most demanding and formative years of my professional life.
Neurosurgical residency required long hours, constant vigilance, discipline, and the humility to keep learning from the complexity of the human nervous system.
I learned to interpret imaging late at night, make decisions under pressure, participate in difficult operations, and speak with families during some of the most frightening moments of their lives. Just as importantly, I learned the value of teamwork. Residency was sustained not only by individual effort, but also by shared responsibility among colleagues, nurses, teachers, and hospital staff.
The AASPN Award of NOF (Seoul, 2017)
During residency, I first learned about the AASPN Award of NOF from my neurosurgery teacher, Mirna Sobana, M.D. She encouraged me to apply. At first, I hesitated, particularly because of the financial challenges associated with international training. Her encouragement helped me recognize that the opportunity was worth pursuing.
I applied because I wanted to see how pediatric neurosurgery was practiced beyond the walls of my own hospital. I hoped that early international exposure would broaden my perspective and influence the kind of neurosurgeon I would eventually become.
In 2017, I received the award from NOF and traveled to Seoul, South Korea, for the AASPN course. It was my first experience of pediatric neurosurgery on an international stage. I joined faculty members and trainees from across Asia and Australasia in educational sessions and hands-on surgical workshops.
During the operating workshop at the AASPN course in Seoul, 2017 - my first hands-on exposure to pediatric neurosurgical techniques alongside international faculty, including James T. Goodrich.
The experience showed me that pediatric neurosurgery was not simply a smaller version of adult neurosurgery; it was a distinct discipline requiring specialized judgment, technical adaptation, long-term planning, and close collaboration with families.
The course gave me more than new knowledge. It gave me confidence that high-quality pediatric neurosurgical care was an achievable goal, even for a trainee coming from a setting with limited resources. It also introduced me to mentors and colleagues whose paths would cross mine again in later AASPN meetings.
With colleagues (standing left) at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center - a formative international learning experience.
Broadening My Perspective (Japan, 2018)
The following year, in 2018, I continued this international exposure through a neurosurgical observership in Japan. I spent time at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center and learned alongside Japanese neurosurgeons under Professor Nobuhito Morota.
Observing pediatric neurosurgery in a well-resourced children's hospital gave me a valuable benchmark. I saw how standardized protocols, multidisciplinary coordination, careful perioperative planning, and experience with a large volume of complex cases could improve the consistency of care.
I returned home with practical lessons, a broader professional outlook, and relationships that would later be renewed at AASPN congresses.
Bringing Pediatric Neurosurgery Home (Garut, 2019-2023)
After graduation, I began practicing as a neurosurgeon at dr. Slamet Garut Distric Hospital, Guntur Military Hospital in Garut, and Santosa Hospital Bandung Kopo. Working in Garut was very different from training in a major academic center.
The challenges were not limited to medical complexity. Some families had difficulty accessing health insurance, local beliefs sometimes delayed treatment, and Indonesian was not the first language for some patients and caregivers.
Congenital neurosurgical conditions - particularly hydrocephalus - became an important focus of my early independent practice. I frequently met children whose treatment had been delayed because their families lacked information, access, or confidence in the healthcare system. This made communication and community education essential parts of care.
Graduation from neurosurgery residency at Universitas Padjadjaran, August 2019, alongside colleagues who shared the journey.
(Above) In the outpatient clinic, where counseling, follow-up, and long-term care became. (Right) Education with picture: Providing families with education about hydrocephalus management and the planned stages of treatment.
I worked with local community organizations to identify children who needed evaluation, support families through referral pathways, and explain the diagnosis and treatment plan in accessible language. These experiences taught me that pediatric neurosurgery begins long before the operation. It begins with early recognition, trust, education, and a system that helps families reach appropriate care.
Returning to the AASPN Community (Yokohama, 2023)
The lessons from community practice eventually became something I could bring back to the AASPN community. In December 2023, I attended the 4th AASPN Congress in Yokohama, Japan. Six years after receiving the award as a resident, I returned as a practicing neurosurgeon.
At the congress, I presented my experience in managing congenital hydrocephalus at RSUD dr. Slamet Garut. I discussed the barriers faced in a resource-limited Indonesian district hospital, including delayed presentation, limited access to specialized care, and the need for stronger community engagement. Presenting these realities to an international audience was meaningful because it connected global pediatric neurosurgical knowledge with the everyday challenges faced by children in my own community.
Presenting findings on the management of congenital hydrocephalus at RSUD dr. Slamet Garut to an international AASPN audience.
From Interest to Subspecialty Commitment (2025 - 2026)
Over the years, the direction first revealed by the 2017 award became increasingly clear. Pediatric neurosurgery was no longer simply an area of interest within my general practice; it had become the field in which I wanted to develop genuine subspecialty expertise.
In October 2025, I began a formal Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship. Two months later, in December 2025, I returned to the AASPN community at the congress in Bali, Indonesia, where I attended the Pre-Congress Course on 'Controversies in Pediatric Neurosurgery.' The meeting allowed me to reconnect with mentors, discuss complex clinical decisions, and view long-standing questions through the perspective of a fellow in formal subspecialty training.
(Right photo) Participating in the educational program during the AASPN 2025 Pre-Congress Course in Bali.
In May 2026, midway through the fellowship, I attended the AASPN Course in Manila, Philippines. This time, I was recognized on stage as part of the program. The moment felt like the journey had come full circle: nine years earlier, I had arrived at an AASPN course as a resident and award recipient; now I returned as a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon and an established member of the regional pediatric neurosurgical community.
The author (middle) recognized on stage at the AASPN Course in Manila, May 2026 - nine years after receiving the AASPN Award of NOF as a resident.
At the exam of the formal Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship process, with colleagues at the Indonesian Health Council - an important step toward subspecialty qualification.
Becoming a Pediatric Neurosurgeon (July 2026)The fellowship required me to refine not only operative techniques, but also clinical judgment, perioperative planning, long-term follow-up, and communication with children and families. It transformed years of interest and experience into a structured subspecialty identity.
In July 2026, I completed the fellowship examination and officially became a pediatric neurosurgeon. The achievement marked the formal culmination of a path that had begun years earlier with curiosity, mentorship, and an opportunity that initially felt beyond my reach.
What the AASPN Award Meant to Me
Looking back, the AASPN Award of NOF did not simply hand me a career. It opened a door that I chose, again and again over nine years, to keep walking through. It gave me my first international exposure to pediatric neurosurgery, introduced me to a professional network across Asia and the Pacific, and showed me that subspecialty excellence was something I could bring home rather than admire from a distance.
The award influenced the way I approached training, encouraged me to seek further international experience, strengthened my confidence in discussing pediatric cases, and ultimately helped direct me toward formal fellowship training. Its impact was not limited to my own education. The knowledge and relationships it provided gradually became part of the care I could offer children and families in Garut.
Today, I remain committed to practicing in the same region where my independent career began. I continue to work with local organizations, care for children with congenital neurosurgical conditions, and use the international network and subspecialty training that I could not have imagined when I entered residency in 2014.
The most meaningful opportunity is not always the one that immediately changes your life. Sometimes, it is the one that quietly changes the direction in which you keep choosing to move.
Looking Forward: Strengthening pediatric neurosurgical care through service, education, and collaboration
My goal is to continue strengthening pediatric neurosurgical care in underserved parts of Indonesia through earlier diagnosis, better family and community education, appropriate referral pathways, high-quality surgical care, and continued collaboration with the AASPN network.
I also hope to mentor younger doctors and residents in the same way that my teachers once mentored me. Technical skill is essential in neurosurgery, but so are encouragement, generosity, and the willingness to open doors for others.
To any young doctor considering neurosurgery - and especially pediatric neurosurgery - my message is simple: say yes to the opportunities that feel larger than you. The AASPN Award of NOF felt that way to me in 2017. Nine years later, I can say that it became one of the defining opportunities of my professional journey.