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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Dr. Myron Rolle, Pediatric Neurosurgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital
00:14:11
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- [00:00]
A
This is Madeline Ashley with the Becker's Healthcare podcast. And I'm excited to be joined today by Myron Roll, MD, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Nemore Children's Hospital. Dr. Roll, thanks for joining me today.
- [00:12]
B
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
- [00:13]
A
So excited to dive into our discussion, but before we do, do you mind sharing with our listeners just a little bit about yourself, just your background and more about your organization?
- [00:23]
B
Yeah. So as you said, I'm one of the pediatric neurosurgeons at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Florida. It's been a long training to get to this point, but medical school at Florida State University College of Medicine, did my residency in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard in Boston, and then I did that was seven years, then in one year of pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. So a long road, but definitely excited about being here. Before I got into medicine, I was a Rhodes scholar where I studied at Oxford University Medical anthropology. And before that I was a football player all American at Florida State University and an NFL draft pick to the Tennessee Titans. Played in the NFL for three years. So, you know, circuitous road to get where we are now, but it's certainly been a blessing. Chairman of Mon foundation, the Marner Row foundation from the Bahamas originally and proud father of four kids and proud husband of an outstanding pediatric dentist wife. So really awesome, awesome experiences and, you know, happy to be here.
- [01:26]
A
Just an amazing background. I so appreciate you sharing and, you know, to kick us off, you know, you did mention your background and the NFL career that you had. So you made that remarkable decision to leave behind that career in 2012, I believe so to pursue medicine. Could you share with me what drove that choice and what it took for you to stay committed to this path?
- [01:49]
B
You know, my parents are from the Bahamas and they always stress the importance of education. Even when I was young, they placed a priority on academic excellence, intellectual capital. And so from an early age, I knew that even though I was good at football and I loved playing it, it had an expiration date. And there had to be something else to transition to after I was done, my athletic ability. Because I still wanted to have value to the world, to the community. I still wanted to have gainful employment. And football doesn't last very long for anyone, honestly. I mean, there's some rare situations where people play in their 40s, but for the most of us it's a three year career in the NFL and not a lot of people get to the NFL. So playing careers end in college and some end in high school. So I knew transition after football would. Would be a real thing. And I continued to focus on education throughout my life to prepare for neurosurgery. When that moment hit, I read a book by Ben Carson called Gifted Hands. He inspired me to think about pediatric neurosurgery, and I had a chance to meet him and then meet a couple of his mentees. That just sort of fired my mind up about this particular subspecialty of. Of medicine. And so I knew once I was that I walk into this career. And thankfully, it was a seamless transition because I used a lot what football taught me into being a physician.
- [03:14]
A
Wow. Now, and you kind of answered my question just there, but could you dive a little deeper into, you know, the interest in pediatric neurosurgery and how you see yourself kind of shaping outcomes for children that face such complex conditions?
- [03:28]
B
Yeah, definitely. You know, kids are very resilient. They're tough. They're not supposed to pass away. Right. And so if we can intervene in very vulnerable moments for them and their families, it's a blessing. And I enjoy operating on these young and marginalized communities. But also just children who come in the most adverse times in their life that need comfort and want to be cured and want to rejoin their family and their communities. It's a real treat to do it with an outstanding team at Nemours. I am interested in cerebrovascular disease. I'm interested in brain tumors, interested in fetal surgery. So even before the child's born, going inside the vomit and operating on a child's back that's open because of a neural tube defect called spina bifida that is exhilarating. It's thrilling to give these families and these children a chance at life and an opportunity to be successful and to have some normalcy. That's a lot what kids want, Right. They just want to be like one of their friends in school, like one of their friends out at the park, like one of their friends traveling, you know, enjoying life in general. And if we can help provide that at Nemours and as a pediatric neurosurgical team, then we're doing good work.
- [04:46]
A
Yeah. And I'm sure being a parent yourself, you mentioned at the beginning of the podcast, makes it that much more meaningful, getting to help treat children.
- [04:54]
B
Definitely. I had some mentors and some medical school sort of faculty members that when I told them I was interested in pediatric neurosurgery, sometimes they said it's so difficult to operate on kids because you get so emotionally attached to them, them and seeing their struggle and their challenges. And then another one said, you know, wait till you get kids and you won't want to operate on kids anymore. But, you know, I looked at those sort of sentiments and said, well, one, I don't want to let you define what my passion is. Right? My passion is operating on children and doing the best I can in the neurosurgical space, but also seeing these children and having their families come to us and needing us to intercede in probably the most harrowing time of their life. That is a very, very rewarding opportunity, right? It's like this is what you're built for. This is what you're here. You know, some people talk about your purpose in life, to stand in the gap when, when that moment arises. I feel like every day when I'm in the operating room or have a chance to go to the operating room and help save a life. And, and that to me means a lot. And having children of my own has sort of reinforced even further that idea that these kids are special and they can grow to be wonderful. And if you can help in any way possible, then do that.
- [06:18]
A
And you mentioned just a couple of moments ago some of the incredible technologies and types of surgeries that, that are capable now. Could you share maybe some trends that you're following or future technologies that are in the work, some that you're closely paying attention to in neurosurgery right now?
- [06:36]
B
Well, there, there are quite a few, but I would, I would highlight a couple in functional neurosurgery. That's a neurosurgery that sometimes deals with disorders or even sort of things like obsessive compulsive disorder. And we know that sometimes that can be very, very debilitating, that can disrupt their activities of daily living, that could take them away from school, that could make them not want to leave the house if they keep checking something over and over and over and over again. Just one of those really, really gut wrenching, disabling diseases like ocd. And so using deep brain stimulation, where we can further modulate some of the deep nuclei that are in the brain to sort of reorient that behavior. That is remarkable. I think what neuralink and some other groups are doing kind of similar where you're able to, you know, place some electrodes in the motor strip which can control movement of arms that aren't there anymore, amputee arms or arms that aren't functioning, you know, Giving back motor function and even some sensory function by controlling and stimulating that. That motor corte. That is also a remarkable trend. And then for me, as a neurosurgeon who is interested in, like I said, fetal surgery, you know, there are some opportunities to not only do spine surgeries while the child is in utero, but also to do some brain surgeries potentially as well. And doing these, could you, you know, reduce the risk of future brain surgeries, reduce the risk of hydrocephalus, reduce the risk of lower iq, reduce the risk of, you know, permanent morbidity? And so there's some things coming down the pike that I'm fired up about and children that are looking for answers and families are looking for answers. Maybe this research and maybe this advanced technology can help find some of those answers.
- [08:30]
A
It's really incredible to hear you talk about that and just some great technologies and also just excited to see where we are even in five to ten years from now and the help that can be given. I want to shift gears a little bit back to your time in football. Could you share how this integration from your sports experience kind of also touches on raising awareness about head injury prevention and maybe concussion safety for younger children?
- [08:56]
B
Yeah. I'll tell you this. When I played college, high school, and professional football, I wore the biggest helmet with the biggest pads in it. And my teammates were laughing me because it was so bulky and clunky, and they weren't, you know, why are you wearing that? I said, well, I want to protect this brain because I want to use it one day. And now you're seeing guys wearing guardian caps, these sort of coverings over the helmet that allow them to, you know, absorb some of that. Contact football is a violent sport, and it's a. It's a contact. It's a collision sport. It's not even contact collision. You are trying to remove all personal security from yourself and throw yourself into another athlete who's going just as fast and has the same ill intentions that you have back at you. And so it's. It can be very, very, you know, harrowing and precarious, for sure. And so understanding that technology needs to improve with helmet safety, helmet compliance needs to improve. Guys who used to think that if I wear a thin helmet, I'll be faster and I'm faster, that I'll have an edge. And if I have an edge, I can make that play, and if I can make that play, I can make millions of dollars. That thinking needs to be washed away from the sport and now into how can I Protect this brain that is going to be with me for the rest of my life so that I can live a functioning, happy, peaceful, pain free, substance free life once I'm done playing. The sport shouldn't take away from me. The sport should add value to your life. And so the drills, the regulations, the technology, the awareness campaigns, the education of athletic trainers and doctors and medical providers around the field that are objective, right, not trainers that are employed or under the umbrella of the team, but they have the objective vantage point of just taking care of these patients, looking at these players as, as patients and not as employees of the same team or co workers. That objectivity is incredibly important to maintain brain health and protect our young people when they play sports. And so I'm a huge advocate in helmet safety. I've given out free helmets in our local Orlando community to a marginalized population that's in downtown Orlando. And this was more so bike helmets for scooters and E bikes and recreationals. But even the same principles still, like this traumatic brain injury is real, no matter if it's an accident, you're falling off a scooter, or if it's a sports related injury. And so I'm glad that I'm able to have a voice and an impact in this particular part of our world.
- [11:25]
A
Yeah, no, to your point, I mean, cycling, scootering is just as important and just across the board. So it's great to hear your passion there. Your journey has obviously been inspiring to many people. So could you maybe share your message to younger people? Whether it's an aspiring athlete, a physician, or both. Maybe some takeaways from your story.
- [11:46]
B
You know, one of the biggest takeaways, I would say, is to believe that you belong. I think people count themselves out and disqualify themselves before they even attempt a task, a goal, a feat. Just they say, you know what? I don't have the right stuff. My parents didn't have a lot of money. I didn't grow up on the right street in the right neighborhood. I don't have the right hair color. I don't have the right skin tone. I didn't. I don't have a last name that's Astor or Vanderbilt or Rockefeller or something like that. My family, we don't worship the same as everybody else. You find reasons to not want to pursue the absolute potential that God has given us and that you really have inside of you. And so my message to athletes and young people is to ensure in yourself that you do belong, that you should sit at that table, that that seat is ready for you. And don't feel intimid by the names by, you know, the grander that sort of comes with, you know, this generation, especially a social media driven generation. Don't be distracted by that. Your lane is your lane. Focus on your process. Focus on who you are and your purpose, your potential. And don't be nervous about stepping out. You know, I mean, you do belong. If you tell yourself and you repeat it to yourself, whether it be positive affirmation, looking in the mirror and sign it to yourself, or reading a book, or having friends speak life into you, that's like the first step towards success. You'll you look at all the successful people in life, women, men, foreign, domestic, old, young, they all had to say, you know what? I feel confident in myself. Not cocky or conceited, but I feel confident myself enough that I'm going to have that courage and step out on this passion project or this journey that matters to me and matters to others around me. So in all I would say, if I can wrap that up in one, I would say that belonging and that self of self worth that is so huge to young people and I hope.
- [13:50]
A
They find that such a strong and true message again. Dr. Roll, we truly appreciate you hopping on this podcast with us. It's been such a pleasure to hear your journey and we wish you all the best and look forward to connecting again down the line.
- [14:05]
B
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.
- [14:08]
A
Thank you.