New Delhi: The Robotic Surgery evangelist Vattikuti Foundation (VF) has announced its 2023 Fellowship program for surgeons with super specialist qualifications.

The VF Fellowships being offered in India are aimed at increasing the pool of accomplished surgeons to learn through intensive surgical and clinical practice and research under the mentorship of eminent robotic surgery specialists of repute.

The fellowships are available in Surgical Oncology, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Gynaecologic Surgery as well as different aspects of Urologic Robotic Oncology.

The Vattikuti Foundation will grant a one-year paid Fellowship to 12 to 15 fellows to be trained under eminent robotic surgeons. The robotic surgeons from seven Indian cities – Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi - have agreed to mentor VF Fellows as Program Directors.

“The Vattikuti Foundation Fellowship Program facilitates training and certification of promising surgeons in minimally invasive surgery with a focus on robotic technology. The program offers comprehensive training in a wide range of disciplines to prepare fellows to deliver the best available care and to practice surgery focused on patient outcomes,” says Dr Mahendra Bhandari, CEO, Vattikuti Foundation and Director, Robotic Surgery Research, Henry Ford Health System, Michigan, USA.

A set of experienced Robotic Surgeons - Dr Anant Kumar, Dr Gagan Gautam, Dr Sudhir Rawal and Dr Surender Dabas (from Delhi NCR); Dr TB Yuvaraja (from Mumbai); Dr Ashwini Kudari, Dr Rakesh Sharma and Dr Prof Rooma Sinha from Hyderabad, Dr Kishore TA from Kochi, and Dr Ashwini Kudari, Dr Deepak Dubey and Prof Dr Somashekhar SP from Bengaluru; Dr A Sivaraman from Chennai - have agreed to serve as mentors to these surgeons over a period of one year.

As part of Fellowship in addition to a handsome monthly stipend the Foundation will cover the expense for one international conference to every participant.

The applicants would have completed a nationally approved and accredited residency program in the specialty that they wish to pursue. Applicants from India should have earned a recognized M.Ch. or equivalent super specialty qualification, within 10 years of obtaining their degree.

This Fellowship offers VF Fellows one year of unique surgical, clinical and research experience.

In addition to the eminence of mentors, the institutes have been chosen based on clinical volume and the technology that allows VF Fellows to exploit the full scope of training and research facilities.

The Fellowship program culminates in a VF certificate upon successful completion of training based on the program director’s assessment of the progress of the technical, clinical, and research skills of the fellow.

Applications are open at Vattikuti Foundation website on August 20, 2023.

The participating healthcare providers include:

Bengaluru: Aster International Institute of Oncology for Surgical Oncology, Manipal Hospital for Urologic Robotic Surgery and Narayana Health System for Surgical Oncology

Chennai: Chennai Urology and Robotics Institute for Urologic Oncologic Surgery

Delhi NCR: BLK Super Speciality Hospital for Surgical Oncology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket for Urological Robotic Surgery, Medanta the MediCity for Robotic Urologic Oncology and Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre for Urologic Oncologic Surgery

Hyderabad: Apollo Health City for Minimally Invasive & Robotic Gynaecologic Surgery, Apollo Hospital for Urological Robotic Surgery, Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital for Urologic Oncology

Kochi: Aster Medcity for Robotic Urologic Surgery

Mumbai: Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital for Urologic Oncologic Surgery

The Vattikuti Foundation Fellowships, first awarded in 2015, have created a pool of over 50 VF fellows who have gained hands-on experience conducting surgeries under the mentorship of a senior Robotic Surgery mentor at large corporate, government, trust and private hospitals in India. Most fellows have also been sponsored for 2-to-4-week study programs in the United States.

The Vattikuti Foundation has helped the growth of Robotic Surgery, especially in India. This is a philanthropic initiative of Indian American entrepreneur and philanthropist Raj Vattikuti sponsoring research and training for 25 years across geographies.

Applications close: August 20, 2023