Jean-Rene Millier: "It's impossible to always stay in one place, I want to discover the world"

I've been traveling since I was a baby

Two months after I was born, my parents and I moved from France to East Africa, where I spent the first 14 years of my life. I think it was then that I felt and loved the taste of freedom, which in many ways determined my fate. Independence from public opinion and imposed standards, the absence of clear rules and certain patterns of behavior - all this characterized my life in those years. I was completely free.

Practicing in completely different conditions has hardened me as a surgeon

After returning to France, I graduated from high school and enrolled in the Medical University of Marseille (French: Université de medicine de Marseille). The entire training cycle took me 14 years: after 6 years of classical education, in order to enroll in an internship, I had to pass a competition, which was 67 people per place. But this did not become an obstacle. During my internship, which lasted 5 years, I returned to Africa again, namely, to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. I was one of the chief surgeons at the hospital, where I had to face every type of surgery imaginable in practice. Given the field conditions, the lack of equipment and special tools, and sometimes even the necessary medicines, this job has become a good school of life for me as a novice surgeon. At the end of my studies, I was appointed deputy chief physician of the clinic (fr. Assistant Chef de Clinique), where I passed on the experience to my own students.

The combination of macro- and microsurgery was what aroused real interest

During our internship, we spent 6 months in various surgical departments. I was interested in both manipulations under the microscope and "macrosurgery", which was studied in detail at the hospital. As a result, I chose ENT surgery, which stands on the border of these areas. An important role in this choice was played by a meeting with the guru of otorhinolaryngology, Professor Bremond (Pr G. Bremond), and his follower, the world-famous doctor, Professor Magnan (Pr J. Magnan), who later became my teacher and mentor. After graduation, my colleague and I organized the department of surgical otorhinolaryngology at a private clinic (French: Clinique Générale de Marignale) in Marseille, where I worked for about 18 years.

Coming to Russia was not accidental

Marseille is a sunny, warm place, pleasant in every way, but I told myself: it's impossible to always stay in one place, I want to discover the world. I was offered jobs in Italy and the United Arab Emirates, but the opportunity to work in Russia was a pleasant discovery. I once had a Russian patient who said: "You should start operating in Russia. This is a country with great prospects." This patient turned out to be a friend of Andrei Kobulov, the founder of the European Medical Center (EMC). Our first meeting took place in 1998. It was clear that Russia was going through difficult years, but I was deeply impressed by the Russians' ability to enjoy life, no matter what. Four years later, Andrey announced that he had opened a new clinic and invited me to operate there. I agreed immediately. The first operation was successfully performed at the clinic of the European Medical Center in Spiridonyevsky Lane, where the only EMC building was located at that time. Then we cured a patient with a complex diagnosis - cholesteatoma of the ear, facial nerve paralysis and incipient abscess. Since then, my internship at EMC has begun. At first, I operated here for 3-5 days every month, gradually the time spent in Russia increased, and by 2007 I had been working in Moscow for 50% of my time, and in 2008 I decided to move to live in Moscow.

It is impossible to perform high-class operations unless you are in symbiosis with other professionals

We have something to be proud of

In December 2011, we participated in the Russian-French Congress of Otorhinolaryngological surgeons in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, the image of Russian medicine in the eyes of French doctors is not very positive. But we proved the opposite. As part of the demonstration of our capabilities at the EMC clinic in Orlovsky Lane, we showed a master class on technologies that are not yet available even in France. I make annual presentations at congresses organized by the European Academy of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, presenting the results of the application of new technologies in my daily practice. In addition, I recently returned from Korea, where I was trained in transoral robotic surgery (English TORS – Trans Oral Robotic Surgery) using the Da Vinci system, the safest surgical procedure for the patient. Starting in the spring of 2014, we will perform operations using a robot on the lymph nodes of the neck, thyroid gland and organs of the oral cavity in the detection of benign and malignant neoplasms requiring surgical intervention. This technology allows you to avoid large blood loss and get a minimal aesthetic seam.

I have performed many successful complex operations, but this case has been remembered for a long time

A patient who came from Perm came to our clinic with a very rare disease - fibrotic tumor of the oropharynx. It was diagnosed only after the girl became pregnant. The growth rate of the neoplasm was proportional to the growth rate of the fetus, and in recent months the tumor had already visually stood out on the neck and noticeably interfered with the patient's breathing. Before coming to me, a young mother spent a long time looking for a surgeon who would agree to operate on her. Most doctors refused, believing that such a large tumor was inoperable. In total, about 35 similar operations have been performed in the world so far. I managed not only to remove a huge tumor, but also to do it in the most gentle way possible for the patient's health and appearance: there was a minimal aesthetic suture on the neck.

We have been developing professionally with EMC for 11 years now and we are not going to stop there

I am currently at the peak of my career as an otorhinolaryngologist, but I continue to improve my skills. My colleague, Dr. Julia Rural, and I started an Otorhinolaryngology Clinic from scratch. Now all the most modern technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of ENT diseases are collected here, and specialists of the highest level are working.