A New Chapter in Skull Base Surgery at Tufts

On a spring afternoon on Tufts’ Health Sciences campus in Boston, faculty, trainees, and clinical leaders gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the Carl B. Heilman, M.D., Skull Base Research and Surgical Training Lab.

The event marked the formal opening and dedication of a new lab that expands skull base surgical training and research.

Made possible by a generous gift from Kimberly and Robert Jedlicka in September 2025, the lab is named in honor of Carl Heilman, MD, Neurosurgeon-in-Chief at Tufts Medical Center. The naming recognizes a legacy reflected both in the generations of surgeons Dr. Heilman has trained and in the countless patients whose lives he has shaped—among them, Kim Jedlicka.

Heilman underscored the importance of experiential training for future neurosurgeons, ENT surgeons, and other skull base specialists. “The only way to truly learn is through hands-on experience—carefully dissecting and analyzing each nerve and vessel from every angle. That’s what this lab makes possible for trainees, and what ultimately improves surgical outcomes.”

Inside the lab, intricate skull base anatomy is studied in three dimensions, and highly specialized surgical approaches are practiced in a controlled, low-risk setting. As a result, medical students, residents, and fellows build skill and confidence before entering the operating room.

Helen Boucher, MD, Dean of Tufts University School of Medicine and Chief Academic Officer of Tufts Medicine, highlighted the role of philanthropy in advancing both the lab’s impact and Tufts’ broader mission.

“At the School of Medicine, our vision is to revolutionize health education and inspire discovery, and this space will help advance both. We’re educating the current and next generation to perform these complex procedures with greater precision, while discovering new ways to do them more safely and effectively,” Dean Boucher said. “Philanthropy is what makes that possible by extending our reach and deepening the work we do to make a difference for our patients today and tomorrow.”

The space enables cutting-edge research into surgical technique while bringing together surgeons and trainees from neurosurgery, otolaryngology, and related fields to study and refine complex procedures. Together, these efforts create new opportunities for collaboration and reflect Tufts’ broader commitment to multidisciplinary, compassionate care.

Reflecting that approach, the ribbon-cutting program drew leaders from across the School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, including Ron Riesenburger, MD, Chair of Neurosurgery; Miriam O’Leary, MD, Chair of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; and Jonathon Sillman, MD, Chief of Neurotology—underscoring the lab’s impact across departments.

For the Jedlickas, this gift represents both an investment in the future of neurosurgical training at Tufts and a deeply personal appreciation for the trust at the heart of patient care.

Kimberly Jedlicka reflected, “When it’s your brain, there’s a deeper kind of fear and a more fragile kind of hope. The trust you place in your doctor and the process aren’t just important—they become everything. The day I placed my trust in Dr. Heilman, I thought it would be a single chapter. But it has become a journey.”

Their philanthropy brings this journey full circle. “Dr. Heilman, thank you for your tireless dedication, your vision, your continued guidance, and, most importantly, for the profound difference you make in the lives of your patients every day.”

To support the Carl B. Heilman, M.D., Skull Base Research and Surgical Training Lab Fund and its impact on surgical training, discovery, and patient care, please visit: https://giving.tuftsmedicalcenter.org/donation-forms/donation-forms---heilman