The Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS) and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. have partnered to create a unique opportunity in advanced robotic training for a female thoracic surgeon by a female thoracic surgeon. The overarching goals are to establish a mentoring relationship for a new female robotic surgeon and assist her in successfully launching her robotic surgical practice. WTS encourages both recent graduates and established surgeons to consider this exceptional opportunity to enrich their surgical skill set.
Since 2017, the WTS-Intuitive Robotic Fellowship has supported female general thoracic surgeons and their surgical assistant to participate in mentoring/case observations, robotics training, webinars, and other mentoring opportunities. This year’s program will provide training for both beginners and advanced fellows and attending surgeons over the course of several months. Four Webinars will be dispersed between training sessions, case observations and a final capstone event (Women in Thoracic Oncology event). Additional proctoring is offered as needed.
Women thoracic surgeons board eligible or certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) or equivalent Canadian, European, or Asian certifying body, with >50% practice in general thoracic surgery, and the desire to establish a robotic thoracic surgery practice. Applicants must also have access to the Da Vinci Xi® robotic system at their institution. A letter from the applicant’s chair or service chief is required to document adequate robotic access (at least a weekly basis). Currently, the Intuitive Robotic Fellowship is only available to women surgeons practicing in the United States.
Applications will be reviewed by the WTS Leadership and graded on strength of candidate, institutional support, and potential for career impact. Application window is currently closed. Look for updates in May 2023.
The following materials are required:
Interested applicants should send all required documents noted above in pdf or word format via email to wts@wtsnet.org. Please provide one Zip file with all your documents. Letters of support must reference the name of the applicant. The email subject line should state: “WTS/Intuitive Fellowship Application”. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Mandatory Training Components
The following training is not required for the application process, but completion is obligatory prior to the mentoring visit in order to maximize the educational potential.