When Luke McVeigh, MD, began medical school at the Indiana University School of Medicine, he was unsure where his interests would take him. After working in an orthopedics lab and meeting Stephen Mendenhall, MD, McVeigh started to find his path.
“Stephen is a 2022 graduate of the neurological surgery residency program, and the two of us really hit it off and became good friends inside and outside of work,” said McVeigh, from Lansing, Michigan. “He knew I had an interest in spine and neurosciences and showed me that neurosurgery was a great field where I could have an incredible impact on people.”
McVeigh said his decision to pursue a career in neurosurgery was further solidified during his second year of medical school in 2019 when his dad, Brian, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-growing type of brain cancer.
After undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and a period of recovery, the cancer progressed. Fourteen months after diagnosis, Brian passed away in 2020.
“Going through that experience with him — from surgery to remove the tumor to recovery and then caring for him toward the end of life — gave me a different insight into the field,” McVeigh said. “Dealing with those heavy situations and very sick patients can sometimes scare people away from neurosurgery, but going through all of that my last few years of medical school drove me right into it.”
With support from the Julius M. Goodman Scholarship, McVeigh is in his third year of neurosurgery residency at the University of Michigan. The scholarship is named in honor of the late Julius M. Goodman, MD, one of the country’s top neurosurgeons.
The Goodman Scholarship is awarded to fourth-year medical students at the IU School of Medicine who have financial need and match for neurosurgery residency training. There is no application process, and every student is automatically considered for the scholarship.
“By supporting newly matched IU medical students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, a unique life journey and financial need, the Goodman Scholarship ensures that Dr. Goodman’s commitment to educational excellence and mentorship lives on in every future neurosurgeon it helps launch,” said Mitesh Shah, MD, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery.
When McVeigh found out he had been selected as one of three recipients in 2023, he said he was both shocked and grateful to be given the scholarship in honor of Goodman.
“Dr. Goodman is a legend in Indiana and nationally. He is the founder of the oral boards course that literally every resident in the country takes,” McVeigh said. “It was awesome to be recognized and carry on his name as a scholar.”
Goodman served as a faculty member at the IU School of Medicine and was affiliated with other hospitals in the Indianapolis area. He was a founding doctor of the Indianapolis Neurosurgical Group (which later grew into Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine) and was a specialist in pituitary disorders.
“Dr. Goodman devoted his life to the education of neurosurgeons — whether they were medical students just discovering the field, residents in the operating room or practicing surgeons refining their craft,” Shah said. “His passion for teaching was unwavering, and his legacy continues through the generous gift he left to support that mission. The Goodman Scholarship embodies his belief that talent, character, and potential — not financial circumstance — should determine who becomes a neurosurgeon.”
McVeigh said the scholarship helped relieve some of the financial burden that many trainees often face when transitioning from medical school to residency.
“The scholarship comes at an opportune time when most students — including myself — are graduating with a lot of debt and moving on to residency, which oftentimes involves relocating,” he said. “The scholarship was instrumental in helping me get to where I am today. Having that support has allowed me to really take advantage of all the opportunities I have had as a neurosurgery resident so far.”
McVeigh’s interests include complex spine surgery, tethered cord syndrome, and brain and spinal tumors, but his goal for now is to specialize in pediatric neurosurgery.
“I had some mentors in medical school who were pediatric neurosurgeons, and I have had more exposure during my residency that has confirmed that interest,” McVeigh said. “When I’m rounding in the morning at the pediatrics hospital, I find myself more rejuvenated. There is something so special and rewarding about treating children.”
The Goodman Scholarship has provided opportunities for McVeigh to build professional relationships within the field. In addition to attending a program lunch honoring new recipients, Goodman Scholars are invited every year to attend special receptions at national neurosurgery conferences including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting.
“I’ve kept in touch with some of the other Goodman recipients, including Samantha Palma, MD, and Alexei Christodoulides, MD, (PGY 3 neurosurgery residents),” McVeigh said. “It’s a great networking resource and a reason to stay closely connected with the IU School of Medicine.”
Since 2010, 39 students have been awarded the Goodman Scholarship.
Whitney Brown, MD, Trenton Line, MD, and Michael Visconti, MD, are the most recent scholarship winners. Brown and Line will join the IU School of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery as PGY1 residents in July and Visconti will begin neurosurgery residency training at Case Western Reserve University.
Many Goodman Scholars, Shah said, are “making meaningful contributions to our field.”
“The Department of Neurological Surgery at the IU School of Medicine is proud of its long-standing heritage of placing an exceptional number of highly qualified students into neurosurgical training programs across the country,” Shah said. “We are deeply committed to helping our students achieve their career goals, and we hope they continue to maintain a strong connection to the institution that gave them their professional start.”
Click here to learn more about the Julius M. Goodman Scholarship or to contribute to the fund.
