Dr. Jason Cormier, photo courtesy of Lafayette Surgical Speciality Hospital The Department of Neurosurgery is launching a new series featuring resident and fellow alumni. Given the high caliber of trainee programs, UAB Neurosurgery alumni boast rewarding and decorated careers in the field of neurosurgery.
This week, the department is highlighting Jason Cormier, M.D., who was a UAB neurosurgery resident for six years and trained in complex spinal surgery with Professor Mark Hadley, M.D., director emeritus of the neurosurgery residency program, among other faculty.
After attending and playing basketball at Louisiana State University (LSU), Cormier went on to receive his medical degree from LSU in New Orleans, LA. He then completed an internship in general surgery and neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, before joining the UAB Neurosurgery Residency program.
At UAB, he received the Resident Leadership Award from the then Division of Neurological Surgery for "his dedication to promoting the art and science of Neurosurgery, demonstrating outstanding clinical skills, offering leadership by word and example and providing mentorship to junior residents."
Cormier now serves as neurosurgeon at Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette Louisiana. He supports several sports organizations in their pursuit to make their sport safer, such as the NFL, NASCAR, Formula 1, and the Jockey’s Guild.
Can you tell us a little more about the clinical or research strides you are making?
Currently, I do a lot of work with the LSU University Medical Center. I am not as involved in heavy bench research, but I stay more on the side of clinical research. Recently, a lot of my research has been on concussions and brain injury, in addition to the COVID pandemic. As current president of The Society of Brain Mapping and Therapeutics, my last research article showcased the importance, during COVID-19, of worldwide collaborations to reduce the population's economic and health burden, specifically regarding neurological/brain, spine, and mental disorders.
As the president of the society, I have the opportunity to advocate for and utilize emerging technologies such as neurophotonics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning, stem cell/cellular therapeutics, augmented reality, virtual reality (VR), avatar, supercomputing, and predictive modeling in neurosurgical operating rooms.
I am heavily involved in the diagnosis as well as the treatment and prevention side of brain injury and concussions. I’ve helped broaden the awareness of the Q-Collar through Q30 innovations, which is the only FDA-cleared sports equipment that helps protect athletes' brains during head impacts, and I actively serve on their medical advisory committee. The Q-Collar applies light pressure to the jugular veins, which slightly increases blood volume inside the head and helps reduce the brain’s movement, so-called “slosh.” I am also part of the medical advisory board for “brain armor,” which is a supplement containing highly refined omega-3 fatty acids which given high dosages, peer reviewed studies have shown that it significantly helps in the recovery of brain injury.
Additionally, I support a small board currently developing a smart microscope that integrates AI as a working memory with big data, infrared technology, VR, in combination with isotopes being labeled to try to find safer corridors to operate on the brain. Finally, I serve as a consultant, on three panels, to the FDA for neurosurgical innovations.
What has your journey post-surgical training looked like? What institutions or groups have you worked with?
I like to say that leaving UAB provided me with a wallet full of funds, and then it was up to me to decide where to spend that money. Residents really do leave with a lot of “money/credit” in their “wallet” to spend because they provide you with great exposure. You really have the opportunity to go out and do whatever you want. Personally, I didn’t envision my path to take off the way that it did. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the NFL, NASCAR, NHRA, the International Council of Motorsports, Formula 1, Formula E, and more. It is easy to take a lot of things for granted in residency, and one of those was learning to always be aware and look around, which has allowed me to be part some of these great opportunities.
Dr. Markert used to ask us “What did you learn today?” every single day. I don’t recall having been asked that at Duke or from my basketball coaches– it was very uniquely Dr. Markert. In addition to Dr. Markert, I was also able to learn so much from Drs. Hadley, Fisher, Pritchard, Riley, Oakes, Okor, Matz, Harrigan, Wellons, Blount, and Guthrie, that I didn’t realize would take me to places that I am at today. I learned a lot about proper time investment and involvement in national organizations and am increasing my involvement with the American Board of Neurosurgery as well as the AANS.
On the hobbies side, I’ve enjoy travelling to the Nashville region doing music. I was actually a producer and DJ in high school, which comprised a three-man group. I once operated on a Hall of Fame musician who said he made music that he thought would make people feel good. So, that’s what I do now. I make Country EDM and release high-energy music through my record label. My music became really popular, which provided the opportunity to make remixes of songs written and or sung by artists like Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Blake Shelton. I got a Billboard Award for my involvement with Aaron Lewis on his song called “Am I the only one?” My first album has over 2.5 million plays in Spotify, under the name “CORM!!”.
Also, I own an Orange Theory and have started a podcast called Motion Heads. Finally, I’m working on finishing a self-help book of sorts that profiles some of the challenges and victories in my own life. The main message, as you’ve probably gathered from my life story, is to do the things you want to do and that you’re passionate about, and sooner or later, those passions will come together in a cohesive way.
How did your time at UAB Surgery prepare you for your career as an academic neurosurgeon?
My time at UAB certainly prepared me for a career as an academic neurosurgeon. Faculty went through great lengths to not only prepare us, but also to look out for us. Dr. Okor was intimidating at first because his knowledge base was incredible, but he was always watching over the residents and assisting in our training. He reminded us to find time to survive and encourage us to eat in the busy schedule, showing us how to find time for ourselves.
The faculty at UAB Neurosurgery are top notch to train with. You have Drs. Harrigan and Fisher with aneurysms– they each perform over 200 cases a year. Training with them, you really get to see the gamete of cases that neurosurgery has to offer. On the tumor side, you have Drs. Guthrie, Riley, and Markert. There is such a full breath of what neurosurgery has to offer all in one place at UAB. Plus, you have the opportunity to research with Dr. Beverly Walters. Trainees can only hope to join such a program. And, that is not even hitting on pediatrics with Drs. Blount, Oakes, and Rozzelle. Plus, I cannot say enough about the great nurses, NPs, and PAs that we worked with.
I think that UAB does a fabulous job of inspiring its neurosurgery residents through knowledge sharing, like having guest speakers every year. There are so many pioneers of neurosurgery that are capable of inspiring trainees to push the boundaries and grow the field of neurosurgery. When I was a resident, Dr. Paul Mccormick came from Cornell and talked about rotating the spinal cord. I remember it was super advanced at the time, but now in my career, I have rotated eight spinal cords. Residents have the chance to be inspired in the operating room, through cadaver labs, and via participating in didacts. When I graduated, I was far ahead of others starting out in their career like me.
What are you most looking forward to in the next steps of your career?
I’m most looking forward to continuing to design patented instrumentation for spine companies. I want to be part of making sports safer, whether it’s motorsports like NASCAR or the equestrian arena, there are ways that we can diminish the amount of spine and brain injuries, such as concussions. I am especially looking forward to providing that service to the U.S. military as well and helping prevent injuries for our troops.
Also, I want to become more family-oriented. I’m going to work on finding this thing called balance through delegating more and integrating the things I am already involved with. I’d love to get more involved with charities that sponsor children to go to school. I also think it’s important to educate our youth, and I would love the opportunity to inspire children who have to embrace more sacrifice in their life than I have.
Finally, I’d love to do more research and create more approaches to what I am doing now in Neurosurgery. In the spine surgery world, I’d like to continue to push the limits, safely, to where we can confidently say other academic centers aren’t even doing what we’re doing here.
What advice would you give a current surgery trainee?
One thing you have to remember as a resident is that exposure to 12-15 attendings throughout your training is a blessing. You have the privilege of observing how each person might approach a case. The challenge in that is that you have to learn all of those approaches, which can be almost impossible unless you’re working with wonderful NPs and PAs who can show you the ropes. Leaning on them for help in polishing your approaches will be invaluable. Allow the experts, whether faculty or staff, to guide your hand and train you as a surgeon.
As a resident, my class experienced some tragedies while we were training. We actually lost a resident that was incredible at what he did. His name was James “Buddy” Nobles, M.D. In that extremely difficult time, we had each other’s shoulders to cry on. The department actually established the James "Buddy" Nobles Jr. Resident Education Award in his honor. It was a great reminder that Buddy’s memory would not be lost and that we had one another to lean on.
As residents, we would work what seemed like endless hours, which is actually a privilege. It’s important to recognize that time is a privilege because you are building your database of experience. You are getting challenged and are there to learn how to multitask. I always thought that once I got out, my caseload volume and complexity as well as my work hours would decrease from what I saw in residency– I always thought it would get lighter. But, that is not the case. When you get to that first step in your career, you will realize they have been preparing you all along for what you will experience as a surgeon scientist.
While you’re a resident (and even after training), be a thief of knowledge– steal as much knowledge as you can. Dr. Hadley used to tell us that he wanted us to do it better than he can. I still talk to Dr. Hadley. I call him with questions, and we talk over the holidays. There really is still a network at UAB, and I know they will always be there for me. Dr. Riley has the most modernized cutting-edge techniques for pituitary approaches, and Dr. Fisher is there to cheer me on in complex aneurysm cases, like basilar tips. Dr. Walters will always be a research giant. The UAB Department of Neurosurgery has it all.
Training a neurosurgeon does require a village, and it’s important to allow others to contribute to your growth by staying humble and recognizing that it will take many, many people to build the life you have envisioned for yourself.
In a nutshell, protect each other, have each other’s back. Neurosurgery residency at UAB really is like a family for seven years. So, it is important to protect and love each other. And, when you leave, don’t forget to look back and remember where you came from. Sooner or later, you’ll have your photo on the wall. And, once you do, then it is important to give back to the place that made you who you are. Without them, you would not be where you are today.