Table 1

Contextual information about the HPB robotic surgery fellowship curriculum

TitleHepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) robotic surgery fellowship
Target audienceThe HPB robotic surgery fellowship is offered to physicians who completed an official training in general surgery and an AHPBA-accredited HPB surgery fellowship. Furthermore, they should be board-eligible or -certified either by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) or the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) or the European Board of Surgery (EBS).
This is a 12-month fellowship. One fellow per year will be trained.
Summary of the curriculum rationaleFor “customization” purposes, at the beginning of this 12-month HPB robotic surgery fellowship, fellows should chose which of the following pathways to pursue:

  1. Pure clinical

  2. Clinical and research

The curriculum structure and content for each fellow is built according to the chosen pathway.
Aim of the curriculumAt the conclusion of the HPB robotic surgery fellowship, the fellow will be able to:

  1. Perform robotically HPB-relevant operative procedures

  2. Provide state-of-the-art postoperative care for patients who underwent HPB robotic surgery procedures

  3. Counsel referring colleagues on HPB robotic surgery

  4. Act in a multidisciplinary environment

  5. Recognize and acquire emerging knowledge regarding HPB robotic surgery

  6. Conceive, realize, present and publish research projects regarding HPB robotic surgery

  7. Develop and support institutional programs related to HPB robotic surgery professional and societal policies

Structure of the curriculumThere are 8 core and 6 elective modules that each last 4 weeks (1 month). A fellow is obligated to follow the 8 core and, depending on the chosen pathway, another 4 elective modules. The available modules are:

  1. Introduction to HPB robotic surgery/dVS phase 1. Technology of robotic surgery (online modules and dV training centre)/dVS phase 2. Robotic skills simulator/dVS phase 3II (core)

  2. Dry laboratory skills simulator/dVS phase 3I&II (core)

  3. Biliary 1, bedside and console/dVS phase 3I (core)

  4. Biliary 2, console/dVS phase 3II (core)

  5. Pancreas 1, bedside and console/dVS phase 3I (core)

  6. Pancreas 2, console/dVS phase 3II (core)

  7. Liver 1, bedside and console/dVS phase 3I (core)

  8. Liver 2, console/dVS phase 3II (core)

  9. Biliary 3, console/dVS phase 3II (elective, mandatory for the pure clinical pathway)

  10. Pancreas 3, console/dVS phase 3II (elective, mandatory for the pure clinical pathway)

  11. Liver 3, console/dVS phase 3II (elective, mandatory for the pure clinical pathway)

  12. HPB robotic surgery clinical research/dVS phase IV (elective, mandatory for the clinical and research pathway)

  13. HPB robotic surgery educational research/dVS phase IV (elective, mandatory for the clinical and research pathway)

  14. HPB robotic surgery authorship/dVS phase IV (elective, mandatory for the clinical and research pathway)

Informative commentsModules 1 and 2 include online and skill simulators training, and they are delivered mainly in the Department of Surgery Research Laboratory facilities. Modules 3–11 combine teaching with clinical work. They are delivered in the hospital and in the medical offices; depending on caseload, bedside modules (3, 5 and 7) and console modules (4, 6, 8, 9 and 10) may run in parallel. Modules 12–14 involve database analysis and utilization of skills simulators. They are delivered mainly in the Department of Surgery Research Laboratory facilities.
Teachers, under the direct supervision of the program director (Dr. J. Martinie, MD, FACS), include all 4 HPB surgeons of the department, 2 HPB surgery fellows, medical researchers (2 PhD holders in experimental surgery) and various other medical faculty members (e.g., 3 information technology experts, 1 educationist, 1 lead medical writer).

  • AHPBA = Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association; FACS = Fellow of the American College of Surgeons; HPB = hepato-pancreato-biliary.