Dr. John Sweeney appointed new ESTAR Director, 10/2007

Succeeding Dr. Edward Lin (see below), Dr. John Sweeney is now the director of ESTAR in addition to being the new chief of the division of general and gastrointestinal surgery of the Department of Surgery at Emory. Dr. Sweeney came to Emory from the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine where he directed the division of general surgery, the department's Bariatric Surgery Program and the Michael E. DeBakey Minimally Invasive Surgery Center of Excellence. Prior to that, he served as chief of surgery at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center and director of Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Michigan.

Presentation at SAGES meeting, 4/2007

Dr. Matthew Shane, 2006-2007 Endosurgery Fellow, and Dr. Barbara Pettitt, Director of Education of the Emory Endosurgery Unit (among other titles), presented "Video Games and Laparoscopic Skills" at the SAGES 2007 Annual Meeting in April.

Dr. Edward Lin appointed interim ESTAR Director following Dr. Dan Smith's departure, 10/2006

In 1995, Dr. C. Daniel Smith helped refine the use of one of the first general surgery simulators ever developed and went on to become a nationally regarded surgical simulation advocate. He was integral to the formation of ESTAR in 2003 and directed the program until leaving Emory in 10/2006 to assume the chairmanship of the Department of Surgery at The Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL.

Dr. Edward Lin, who also leads the Surgical Program of the Emory Bariatric Center, the section of GI and General Surgery at Emory Crawford Long Hospital and the Emory Gastroesophageal Treatment Center, was appointed interim director of ESTAR. In 2004 at Crawford Long Hospital, Dr. Lin performed the first endoscopic plication for GERD ever done in the U.S. Due to the recognition he has received for his involvement in developing endoluminal procedures, Dr. Lin was able to initiate a collaborative effort with Boston Scientific in March 2006 that established training programs at Emory in endoscopic interventions and endoluminal surgery. In April 2006, Dr. Lin also chaired an endoluminal surgery hands-on course at the SAGES Annual Meeting.

Presentation at SAGES meeting, 10/2006

"Results of Resident Training in the First and Second Year: The Pre-trained Novice" was presented by Dr. Matthew Shane, 2006-2007 Endosurgery Fellow, and Dr. Barbara Pettitt, Director of Education of the Emory Endosurgery Unit, at the American College of Surgeons 2006 Clinical Congress.

Dr. Dan Smith trains colleagues in France by telerobotics, 1/2006

While peering directly behind surgeons practicing an advanced laparoscopic procedure in Strasbourg, France, Dr. C. Daniel Smith conducted one of the world's first telerobotic surgical training sessions from his office at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Smith used a mobile robot located in the largest surgery training center in Europe to mentor and train two surgeons from Venezuela.

Dr. Smith used an RP-6 robot, developed by InTouch Health, Inc., which can be remotely controlled by physicians via standard high-speed Internet connections. Through proprietary communications and the robot's mobile platform, the controlling physician can be virtually projected to other locations to interact with patients and caregivers while participating in the treatment process, from reviewing X-rays, medical records and lab reports, to discussing that information with doctors and patients, all in real time.

Emory Endosurgery Fellow presents results of simulator studies, 4/2005

2004-2005 Endosurgery Fellow Dr. Kent Van Sickle presented "Setting National Benchmark Proficiency Levels For Laparoscopic Performance Using Simulation: Results From The 2004 Sages Learning Center MIST-VR Study" at the SAGES 2005 Annual Meeting. The conclusion of the presentation was that national benchmark proficiency levels for laparoscopic skills had been established by experienced laparoscopic surgeons using the MIST-VR simulator. Dr. Van Sickle also gave a presentation on using the tensiometer at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Surgical Congress.

ESTAR researchers present study findings at Medicine Meets Virtual Reality conference, 1/28/05

ESTAR-associated researchers had a high-profile presence at the January 2005 Medicine Meets Virtual Reality (MMVR) conference. Current and former Emory faculty from a variety of medical disciplines, including surgery, urology and cardiology, presented study findings at the session entitled "Simulation Applied: VR to OR; A Review of Projects in Surgical Simulation." MMVR is a premier forum for scientists, physicians, engineers and clinicians who develop, refine and promote advanced, data-centered tools for clinical care and medical education.

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