Meet Professor Charlie Teo AM

For over 35 years, Dr. Charlie Teo AM has been instrumental in the development, dissemination, and acceptance of the concept of keyhole minimally invasive techniques in neurosurgery. His commitment to advancing neurosurgical procedures and his dedication to patient care have made a significant impact on the community. Dr. Teo's pioneering work continues to provide hope and healing to individuals and families facing complex neurological conditions.

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Charlie Teo is truly a global neurosurgeon. In demand across all continents for his willingness to offer surgery to those who have been given no hope, he has had appointments in Australia, the USA, Germany, Luxembourg, Peru, India, Vietnam and Singapore.

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As passionate about teaching as performing surgery, Charlie has been awarded Best Teacher awards in both the USA and Australia and devotes 3 months of every year instructing and doing live surgery pro bono in developing countries. He established a fellowship program that attracts over 600 applicants every year and has taught and mentored neurosurgeons from many of the leading universities world-wide such as Karolinska, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Duke, Yale, Harvard, Vanderbilt, Albert Einstein, and the Barrow Neurological Institute.

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Prof. Teo strongly believes that a surgeon’s responsibility to his patients shouldn’t end after surgery. In keeping with his desire to find a cure for brain cancer he has raised over $53 million that has been used to fund research scientists both in Australia and abroad. He has done this through the Cure for Life Foundation, the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation (Charity of the Year 2016) and currently the Charlie Teo Foundation.

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His efforts were recognised in 2011 when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his pioneering efforts in the development of minimally invasive techniques in neurosurgery, in 2012 when he was invited to give the Australia Day Address to the Nation and in 2013 when he was the first non-politician Australian to address the US Congress on the need for more funding for brain cancer research. Incidentally, Prof. Teo was named the Most Trusted Person in Australia for 3 consecutive years.

 

Charlie has used his many contacts and entrepreneurial skills to conceive, build, and nurture several projects over his 38-year career. He was the Founder and Director of the Arkansas Neuro-oncology Clinic (APNOC) in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; the Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery (CMIN) in Randwick, Australia; the Cingulum Health Clinic in Rosebery, Australia; and Co-Founder of Omniscient Neuro, a software start-up company that utilises connectomics to improve outcomes for patients with brain disorders.

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Interestingly, Professor Teo has the unique characteristic of embracing and incorporating complementary and alternative treatments in his management of brain cancer. He holds a diploma in acupuncture, was the Director of the Acupuncture Clinic at Concord Hospital for several years before pursuing neurosurgery, and now incorporates manipulation of the microbiome in managing various neurological disorders. More recently, he has begun offering targeted/navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for the treatment of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and mental health conditions.

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After delivering a talk to a skeptical audience on the benefits of keyhole techniques in neurosurgery, one detractor remarked, “...your longer survival times may not be from the keyhole techniques, it might be that your patients worship you and that you’re just a ‘healer’.” Rather than take offence, Charlie considered this one of the greatest compliments he has ever received.

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Sadly, over the past four years, Charlie has faced vilification and persecution from some colleagues and media outlets. As a result, he now works primarily in China and Spain, where he remains highly respected and in demand, particularly for offering hope to patients with complex and high-risk brain tumors.

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Charlie is a devoted father to four daughters and is deeply committed to supporting the rights of girls and young women in impoverished countries. He is supported by his fiancée, Traci, who he credits with giving his life balance. Together, they also collaborate professionally, with Charlie serving as the Principal Strategy Consultant for Traci’s business, Flossophy.

 

He contributes to several charities, including his own Teo Family Foundation. He also serves as a Patron for Voiceless, an Australian charity focused on reducing cruelty to farmed animals, and as an Ambassador for Zambi Wildlife Foundation, which provides homes for abandoned zoo animals and native fauna. Additionally, he supports Orangutan Foundation International (Australia), which helps preserve the habitat of our closest ancestors, and the Cambodian Children’s Trust, which works to improve the lives of children in Cambodia, one village at a time.

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