SUNNYVALE, Calif. — July 24, 2014 — Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) today announced the launch of the first annual Intuitive Surgical Robotics Fellowship Course through the American Association for Thoracic Surgery’s (AATS) Graham Foundation. The course, which began in late July, is designed to offer an introductory training course in robotics to eight North American general thoracic surgery fellows and their attending surgeons. General thoracic surgeons specialize in procedures performed in the chest, such as surgery for lung cancer.
Among the first annual class members is Swedish Surgeon and Thoracic Surgery Fellow Lisa Brown, M.D.
The eight fellows will have the opportunity to spend two days at Intuitive Surgical's Atlanta facility to receive advanced training on Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci® Surgical System. Course Director Robert Cerfolio, MD, leading robotic surgery expert and Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Alabama, will provide clinical instruction. This year’s fellowship recipients come from Duke University, East Carolina University, Mayo Clinic, New York University, Swedish Medical Center, University of Kentucky, University of Southern California and University of Toronto.
"This is about training young surgeons in innovative new technologies and providing surgeons-in-training the opportunity to learn about the latest surgical technologies and techniques," said Ray Pasciuto, Director of Development for AATS’s Graham Foundation. "We are grateful for Intuitive Surgical’s commitment to product training and its support of our fellowship course."
"We welcome the opportunity to support surgeons early in their professional development as they experience advanced technologies that enable the delivery of more minimally invasive thoracic surgery," said Myriam Curet, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Intuitive Surgical.
