SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 22, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq:ISRG), the global leader in robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery, today announced that a selection committee from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Graham Foundation has selected 20 distinguished fellows for an upcoming thoracic fellowship training continuum program. This program is one in a series of fellowship support offerings that Intuitive Surgical is sponsoring in 2016.
For the third consecutive year, this program, beginning in August, will provide continuing education to participants on the latest advances and techniques in robotic-assisted thoracic surgery. The training requires fellows to complete a minimum number of assisted and fellow-led cases to qualify for an advanced training course. Upon finishing the advanced course and completing a minimum number of robotic-assisted lobectomy procedures, the fellows will earn the AATS Graham Foundation Surgical Robotic Fellowship Certificate of Completion. 2016 fellows include:
- Jinny Ha- Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Antonio Lassaletta- Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Nicholas Baker- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- Adam Bograd- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Edward Chan- Houston Methodist Hospital
- Mark Crye- Allegheny Health Network, Allegheny General Hospital
- Crystal Erickson- University of Michigan
- Peter Kneuertz- Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital
- Moshe Lapidot- Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Jason Muesse- Emory University
- Christian Otero- University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Medical Center
- Smarika Shrestha- Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical center
- Nicholas Stephens- The University of Texas Medical School at Houston
- John Waters- UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Brittany Zwischenberger- Duke University
- Huan Huan Sun- New York University, Langone Medical Center
- Laura Donahoe- University of Toronto
- Eric Jeng- University of Florida
- Janani Reisenauer- Mayo Clinic
- John Cleveland- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
“Open/thoracotomy procedures are still far too common in thoracic surgery. This program is designed to equip robotic-assisted surgeons with the skills and training needed to allow them to offer patients minimally invasive thoracic options,” said Myriam Curet, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Intuitive Surgical. “Intuitive Surgical is proud to once again support the AATS Graham Foundation Fellows in their journey to expand minimally invasive surgery.”
“Robotic-assisted surgery is designed to improve outcomes for our patients and this is the principle reason why our association has worked hard to develop this intensive robotic fellowship program” said Dr. David J. Sugarbaker, Baylor College of Medicine and President of AATS Graham Foundation. “This training plays a vital role in ensuring that our thoracic surgeons are skilled in the latest techniques and can offer their patients an array of minimally invasive treatment options.”
About Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (Nasdaq:ISRG), headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the global leader in robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery. Intuitive Surgical develops, manufactures and markets the da Vinci® Surgical System.
About the da Vinci Surgical System
There are several models of the da Vinci Surgical System. The da Vinci Surgical Systems are designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery. da Vinci Systems are not programmed to perform surgery on their own. Instead, the procedure is performed entirely by a surgeon who controls the system. da Vinci Systems offer surgeons high-definition 3D vision, a magnified view, and robotic and computer assistance. They use specialized instrumentation, including a miniaturized surgical camera and wristed instruments (i.e., scissors, scalpels and forceps) that are designed to help with precise dissection and reconstruction deep inside the body.
About AATS Graham Foundation
The AATS Graham Foundation supports cardiothoracic (CT) surgery leadership, learning and innovative research through funding of educational and research initiatives that impact the skills of CT surgeons at every professional level worldwide. It is the philanthropic foundation of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and is named after Evarts A. Graham, distinguished academic thoracic surgeon, tenth AATS president and inaugural editor of the Journal of Thoracic Surgery (now JTCVS). Learn more: www.aatsgrahamfoundation.org.
Important Safety Information
Serious complications may occur in any surgery, including da Vinci® Surgery, up to and including death. Individual surgical results may vary. Patients should talk to their doctor to decide if da Vinci Surgery is right for them. Patients and doctors should review all available information on non-surgical and surgical options in order to make an informed decision. Please also refer to http://www.daVinciSurgery.com/Safety for Important Safety Information.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of our management and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various important factors, including those under the heading “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 as updated from time to time by our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements using words such as “estimates,” “projects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “targeted” and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
© 2016 Intuitive Surgical, Inc. All rights reserved. Product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
CONTACT: Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (Nasdaq:ISRG) Corporate Communications 408-523-7337 corpcomm@intusurg.com http://www.intuitivesurgical.com https://twitter.com/intuitivesurg
