Surgical Fellowship

"The gap between technical advances and creative surgeons is growing"

Progress in surgical science has been characterized by a continuous cycle of innovation from bedside to bench to bedside. Beginning 30,000 years ago with the first bone needles to the surgical lasers and robotics of today, each quantum leap has resulted from the convergence of technical advances and creative surgeons.

Technology continues to advance rapidly, becoming more interdisciplinary and complex; at the same time, clinical surgery has become increasingly demanding, requiring intense focus. As a result, the gap between technical advances and creative surgeons is growing.

The two-year fellowship (see timeline) in Surgical Innovation teaches the process of innovation to surgeons and engineers to bridge this gap. The fellowship "team" consists of equal numbers of engineers and surgeons.

In the first year fellows participate in didactic courses which teach the practical issues involved in bringing innovations to the bedside.

The second year is spent further developing an identified project. At the completion of the program, fellows will possess the requisite skills to become a significant contributor to the next cycle of surgical innovation. The potential to obtain a Master's Degree in Bioengineering or an Master's degree in Management from the business school at Stanford also exists depending on the interests of the fellow.

The Surgical Innovation program leverages heavily on the well-established Biodesign Innovation Fellowship led by Drs. Paul Yock and Joshua Makower. This program has already resulted in several new technologies and start-up companies, and is well on its way to training the next generation of innovators.

For further information about the fellowship, contact Mike Gertner

Read our paper entitled, Biomedical Innovation, Surgical Innovation, and Beyond that was presented at the 9th Annual NCIIA Conference in March, 2005.