Meet Dr. Eskandari
Annie & MUSC Children's Health's Story
Dr. Ramin Eskandari knew he wanted to be a pediatric neurosurgeon by the age of 12 years old. As Dr. Eskandari grew up, he stayed true to his calling. His mother, who worked as a cosmetologist, was able to connect him with a pathologist at the University of Michigan where he was able to round with her and work in the OR collecting specimen.
"I remember every single time we walked into the OR I just stared at the operating room table, the surgeon, the assistants and just what they were doing, and I could totally see myself. They were focused and every now and then they would laugh. I mean they were operating and laughing and joking and it was perfect...I just felt pulled towards it."
Despite his passion and drive, Dr. Eskandari did not immediately head to medical school after earning a Bachelor’s in Biology/Neurology from the University of Michigan. Originally from Iran, he was not a strong test taker as English is not his first language. Again, he stayed true to his calling, traveling around the world to work with children, earning his Master's in Medical Science, working on pediatric neurosurgery research, all the while consistently applying to medical school. Finally, he found himself at Wayne State University School of Medicine where he earned his Medical Doctorate.
Today, Dr. Eskandari serves as the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at MUSC Children’s Health. Research is the foundation of Dr. Eskandari’s work in helping to elevate the care MUSC Children’s Health is able to provide to patients at the bedside. His research has seen great success thus far and he and his team hope to push their work to the next stages soon and enter clinical trials. However, research projects can be complex, timely, and expensive so his work has not been without challenge.
“We stretched a very small amount of money over a very long period of time and got to a point where we were doing awesome collaborative work and had great results. We've started a process that I think going forward we have a good foundation for, but we also need a ton of philanthropic support because we don't have the big NIH [National Institute of Health] funding that big institutions have. We're hoping for that at some point but we're not quite there yet.”
It was at MUSC Children’s Hospital where Dr. Eskandari first met Annie in 2017. When Annie was four years old, she slipped and fell in her family’s garage. Annie was transported via helicopter straight to MUSC Children’s Hospital. The MUSC team working that day were able to think quickly, implement telehealth and bypass typical protocols so they could send Annie directly to the OR upon arrival, knowing they only had minutes to save her life.
After Annie’s accident Billy and Kelsey Nichols, Annie’s parents, wanted to start something that would give back and promote the research on traumatic brain injuries in pediatrics, so they created the Annie Banannie Foundation alongside the MUSC Foundation and Dr. Eskandari. Every year since, they have hosted Party on the Creek at Sunnyside Plantation in Murrells Inlet, SC. The support of the Annie Banannie Foundation has provided Dr. Eskandari and his team the support they needed to effectively continue their research. This has lead to publications, additional grants, and a student earning two major neurosurgery awards. Over the years, Dr. Eskandari and the Nichols have developed a strong friendship built on mutual respect and a shared passion of supporting traumatic brain injury research in pediatrics.
The Nichols have dreamed of growing their Foundation and increasing support of traumatic brain injury research in pediatrics even more, so this year the Annie Banannie Foundation with the help of Masters of Health Administration (MHA) students from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), is hosting its first ever 5K on Sullivan’s Island Beach. The event will take place on April 22, 2023, at 8:00 AM. Registration for the Annie Banannie 5k is open to all ages and the one-mile fun run is open to children ages 12 and under.
MUSC Children’s Health is constantly innovating and finding new ways to improve care. Annie’s accident provided the pediatric experts at MUSC an emergency situation to think outside the box that would later be used in other pediatric trauma cases when minutes were the only thing separating a patient from life and death.
The support of organizations, like The Annie Banannie Foundation, help make new technologies available to clinicians and move research beyond the walls of the lab, to the bedside.
Want to be a part of changing what’s possible for patients and families at MUSC Children’s Health? Join us on April 22!
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