More than 30 surgeons and administrators from Johns Hopkins, Rush, WVU and Yale attended the April Catalyst program, a joint partnership with Intuitive Surgical, on Friday, April 13 at the West Pavilion Conference Center, where UAB shared the details of its successful robotics program over the course of the day and several sessions.
This event marked UAB’s fifth “Robotic Catalyst” program, an event in which three to five institutions are invited to bring their surgeons, executives and administrators to UAB to learn how to grow an institution-wide multidisciplinary robotics program from our own general surgery robotics program. This year’s five attending institutions were targeted because they have indicated they are especially interested in learning to grow a general surgery robotics program for their residencies.
The event was hosted by General Surgery Residency Director John Porterfield, M.D., and was co-hosted by Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Kenneth Kim, M.D., and Assistant Professor of Urology Jeffrey Nix, M.D.
Dr. John Porterfield
"I am overwhelmed to be surrounded by such an amazing, bright and supportive crew," Porterfield said. "We have a unique approach that is the envy across the country. The growth of our relationships has positioned us side by side to provide the absolute best care for our patients, as well as exemplary research and educational opportunities."
During the day on Friday, Porterfield presented UAB’s multi-specialty robotics curriculum designed by Associate Professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery Jamie Cannon, M.D., Nix, Kim and Porterfield. Then Nix, the volunteer director of the robotic steering team, presented the team’s approach and discussed his use of cutting-edge health system analytics to guide his decisions, which have lead to efficient, cost-conscious and high-quality robotic surgery for patients. After that, UAB Hospital Chief Financial Officer Mary Beth Briscoe described how a robotics program fits into the financial and academic mission of a leading medical center. Following this, the attendees broke out into smaller groups to go through each institution’s current state, challenges and opportunities in order to receive assistance in creating a plan for them to return home and effect change that aligns with their goals. A panel of perioperative leaders lead by Vice President of Clinical Operations Brenda Carlisle, discussed specific logistics for these plans during a working lunch. Finally, the day concluded with Kim sharing his extensive data regarding resident learning curves and educational theory, as well as a look at the future of robotic surgery.
The next session will be held July 13. Additionally, UAB is expected to perform its 10,000th robotic surgery soon and plans to celebrate this milestone with an event in North Pavilion at 1 p.m., May 23.