Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 3, 2019

12 Dr. Ganz is a long-standing community neurosurgeon who recently moved his practice to join Kootenai Clinic. Tell us a little about you and your family: My wife and I have four children and one grandchild. Why did you pick your specialty? I have always had an interest in neuroscience from childhood: how the brain works, how we can be self-aware and how it can malfunction with disease. I liked the challenge of MeetWilliamGanz, M.D. By Andrea Nagel Every morning, most of us wake up and start a pot of coffee to begin our day. We may carry a cup from room to room as we get ready for work or to the table or sofa to eat breakfast or watch the news. This seems like a normal, mundane ritual that millions of people do every day. For those who have essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease or another neurological disease, picking up a cup of coffee may be incredibly difficult—perhaps impossible. Luckily there’s a treatment that may help. “I assisted in bringing deep brain working with my hands during my surgical rotations, and I also enjoyed the inpatient management of complicated diseases on my internal medicine rotations. One of my medical school mentors was a neurosurgeon who comprehensively took care of his patients—their medical problems and their surgical management. He did not consult out every problem, and he spent time with his patients. What can patients expect when they first meet with you? Patients can expect a thorough evaluation with a mid-level provider, a focused evaluation with me to identify major issues, a review of imaging studies, and GETTING B Deep brain stimulation helps patients overcome neurological disease stimulation to Kootenai in 2012,” said William Ganz, M.D., neurosurgeon with Kootenai Clinic Neurosurgery. “There was a real need for that service here. I’m hoping to continue to grow the program.” Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a procedure that can significantly help people with conditions such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. During surgery, a small device is implanted in the brain that delivers electrical pulses to block or override signals in the brain that cause the tremors. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1997, DBS can be a life-changing procedure for people who are