Hands-On Robotic Skills Courses
Fellows Course Dates:
DECEMBER 12, 2024 – Norcross (Atlanta area), GA
DECEMBER 13, 2024 – Norcross (Atlanta area), GA
JANUARY 30, 2025 – Sunnyvale (San Jose area), CA FULL
JANUARY 31, 2025 – Sunnyvale (San Jose area), CA FULL
Residents Course Dates:
FEBRUARY 27, 2025 – Norcross (Atlanta area), GA
FEBRUARY 28, 2025 – Norcross (Atlanta area), GA
APRIL 24, 2025 – Sunnyvale (San Jose area), CA
APRIL 25, 2025 – Sunnyvale (San Jose area), CA
MAY 8, 2025 – Norcross (Atlanta area), GA
MAY 9, 2025 – Norcross (Atlanta area), GA
MAY 29, 2025 – Sunnyvale (San Jose area), CA
MAY 30, 2025 – Sunnyvale (San Jose area), CA
Location: The SAGES Robotic Fellows and Residents Courses will rotate between two bi-coastal locations. For non-local attendees, the required arrival date is afternoon or evening prior to the course date to allow for an early start the next day. Applicants should be prepared to commit to a two-day travel itinerary.
Learning Objectives: This course will cover robotic general surgery procedures and topics (hernia repair, foregut, and bariatrics) with a focus on current and emerging robotics technologies and their safe and practical application in general surgery. By the end of the course, residents and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) fellows will have a comprehensive understanding of the technical, procedural, and surgical skills required to perform procedures using the da Vinci Xi system, as well as an introduction to the new da Vinci 5 system.
Please note: This course will not cover colorectal surgery (beyond brief discussions), thoracic surgery, or transplant topics. For courses addressing these areas, please contact the relevant professional societies.
Course Chair: Ankit Patel, MD, FACS, Emory University School of Medicine
Faculty Members: TBA
Agenda (approximated):
Most lectures are pre-recorded and shared with attendees upon acceptance to course.
Day prior to course:
- Afternoon or evening arrival
- Hotel check-in
Day of course:
- 6:45am Hotel check-out, shuttle from hotel to lab
- 7:00am Lab check-in, breakfast, introductions, program overview
- 8:00am Transition to lab
- 12:00pm Lunch with Q&A
- 12:30pm Transition to lab
- 3:00pm Adjourn and shuttle to airport
Resident Requirements:
- Applicant must be a SAGES member or have submitted an application for SAGES membership
- We are currently only accepting applicants from US, Canada and Mexico
- PGY 4 & 5 (exceptions made based on experience)
- Availability of Robotic Surgery (Xi system) in Residency Program
- Completion of basic robotic training including modules and console training (ideally 20+ console cases)
- Case logs
Fellow Requirements:
- Applicant must be a SAGES member or have submitted an application for SAGES membership
- We are currently only accepting applicants from US, Canada and Mexico
- Fellowships must contain robotic surgical systems and general faculty with robotic privileges
- Hospital Program should be performing at least 170 general surgery robotic cases within the last year, with one or more mentor faculty performing 35 general surgery cases within the last year (preferably Xi; Intuitive-provided case logs)
- Fellow should commit to completing a total of 20 console cases and 10 bedside cases prior to the completion of the current academic year
Review Process: Applications will be reviewed for eligibility by SAGES before being sent travel instructions
Fees: Upon acceptance into a course, registrants will be charged a $100 deposit which will be refunded upon completion of the course. The deposit will not be refunded in the event of a cancellation or no-show. The SAGES Robotics Fellows Courses are free of charge* for SAGES members; non-member applicants are permitted for course acceptance (if eligible) immediately upon submitting candidate membership application at $75 https://www.sages.org/membership/candidate/
SAGES gratefully acknowledges Intuitive Surgical for their generous educational grant in support of the SAGES Robotics Residents and Fellows Courses. All trainee travel, lodging accommodations, select meals*, and select ground transportation* are covered by the grant.
*Ground transportation from the hotel to the lab, and from the lab to the airport for departure are covered by the grant. Ground transportation upon arrival, such as from the airport to the hotel, is the responsibility of the traveler. Breakfast and lunch are provided on the day of the course; all other meals are the responsibility of the traveler.
Course Application: Open
Resident Application
Fellow Application Closed