Advanced Robotic Cardiac Surgery Fellowship

About the Fellowship

This $25,000 advanced fellowship opportunity supports a surgeon and their institution in initiating a high-quality robotic cardiac surgery program. The fellowship is awarded to applicants who have received preliminary Intuitive instruction, meet specific institutional support and resource requirements, and have experience performing mitral valve repair and replacement. The fellow will be assigned an STS proctor who serves as the primary mentor/sponsor, assisting with five robotic cases at the fellow’s institution. The fellowship is supported by Intuitive and offers two pathways: Robotic Revascularization (CABG) and Robotic Valve/Intracardiac Program (Mitral). Applicants should have significant experience in CABG or mitral valve repair and replacement, depending on the desired pathway.

Eligibility Requirements

• Cardiothoracic surgeon certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) or an equivalent certifying body in the applicant’s country of residence.
• Minimum of 3 years as an independent attending cardiothoracic surgeon.
• Preliminary Intuitive robotics system instruction.
• Experience performing mitral valve repair and replacement and/or significant OPCAB experience.

Clinical Requirements

Applicants must meet the minimum requirements for Training & Practice and Clinical Experience as outlined in Contemporary Robotic Cardiac Surgical Training (Badhwar et al, JTCVS, 2021), specific to the chosen fellowship track:

Robotic Revascularization Program

• American Board of Thoracic Surgery accreditation or equivalent.
• 3 years of independent attending-level clinical practice, and/or a minimum 1-year post-graduate robotic cardiac fellowship with a robotic revascularization concentration.
• 250 career cases of coronary revascularization as primary operator (on or off pump) with an O/E of ≤ 1, of which 50 should be off pump.

Robotic Valve/Intracardiac Program

• American Board of Thoracic Surgery accreditation or equivalent.
• 3 years of independent attending-level clinical practice, and/or a minimum 1-year post-graduate robotic cardiac fellowship with a robotic valve concentration.
• 75 career cases of mitral valve repair or replacement, with or without concomitant procedures (e.g., surgical ablation), with an O/E of ≤ 1, of which 50 should be within the prior two years.
• 15 cases of valve/intracardiac operations performed via minimally invasive thoracotomy involving peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass within the prior two years with an O/E of ≤ 1.

Institutional Requirements and Support

Institutional Resources

• 250 adult cardiac surgical cases per year for a minimum of 3 years.
• A dedicated team of institutionally based cardiac anesthesiologists practicing routine use of transesophageal echocardiography.
• A dedicated team of institutionally based perfusionists.
• Letter of support from the chief of cardiothoracic surgery at the surgeon applicant's institution.
• Letter of support from an appropriate hospital administrator (e.g., service line director, COO, or CEO) confirming:
  • Minimum operating room block time of 2 full days per week for robotic surgery OR systems (with availability for the first case in the morning).
  • Investment in necessary ancillary equipment and supplies (potentially several hundred thousand dollars).
  • Support for surgeon applicant and team robotic surgery training time and expenses.
  • Support for a dedicated initial operating room team.
  • Assurance of confirmed support by anesthesia, nursing, and perfusion leaders.
  • Confirmation of the clinical volumes reported by the surgeon applicant.
  • Coverage of the remainder of training and associated costs, including proctoring costs.

Cardiovascular Robotic Team Development Plan

The institution must submit an initial Cardiovascular Robotic Team Development Plan, which can be assembled by a local administrator or industry consultant. The plan should include milestones such as on-site training, da Vinci TR100 & TR200 Training Labs, instrumentation acquisition, cadaver lab, simulated cases, and proctor engagement. Intuitive Surgical representatives are not trained to cover cardiac cases, so a detailed training plan is necessary.

Application Process

• Application must address all requirements noted in the Clinical and Institutional Requirements sections.
• Surgeon applicant must designate one desired training pathway (robotic mitral valve or coronary) and indicate any desired technique preferences to guide mentor-sponsor selection.
• Applications will be accepted through September 15, 2026, and reviewed by the TSF Robotic Surgery Fellowship Award Committee.
• Selections will be based on the quality of applications and available fellowship funds.
• The STS Robotic Cardiac Surgery Task Force will designate an experienced surgeon to serve as the primary mentor-sponsor for each successful applicant.

Training Timeline

• Fellowship term begins in February 2026.
• Surgeon fellow and first assistant complete a 1-day device training (T-100 training).
• Surgeon fellow and first assistant complete an STS 1-day procedural-specialty specific training course (T-200 training) with their designated mentor-sponsor.
• Surgeon fellow and team (5-member team: first assistant, anesthesiologist, perfusionist, circulating nurse, scrub nurse/tech) travel to the mentor-sponsor’s program to observe 2 cases and perform 1 simulated robotic procedure.
• Surgeon fellow and team perform 10 simulated procedures at their home institution (2 per week).
• Surgeon fellow selects 5 appropriate clinical cases to be approved and proctored by an STS proctor (ideally the mentor-sponsor).
• Proctor evaluates each case and submits evaluations to the mentor-sponsor.
• Mentor-sponsor reviews evaluations of the first 5 cases with the surgeon fellow.
• Surgeon fellow and team complete an additional 10 cases without a proctor (total of 15 cases within 6 months).
• Mentor-sponsor remains available for advice throughout the fellowship.
• Results of the proctor’s evaluations and the first 15 cases are reviewed confidentially by the mentor-sponsor and the STS Robotic Cardiac Surgery Task Force.
• The Task Force decides whether to award a certificate of completion (not a certification of clinical competency).

Award Completion Process

• TSF notifies the surgeon fellow and institution of completion.
• Certificate of program completion is presented at the TSF Reception during the STS Annual Meeting.

Expenses

TSF will fund a $25,000 training grant to the awardee and institution to offset the following costs:

• Team training and travel/lodging for a 5-person team (surgeon fellow, first assistant, anesthesiologist, perfusionist, circulating nurse, scrub nurse/technician) for a 2-day case observation program (2 cases, 1 simulation exercise).
• One 2-day procedural-specialty specific training course (TR-200) at an Intuitive facility, including travel and lodging for the surgeon fellow, first assistant, and STS mentor-sponsor.
• Proctoring per case honorarium ($1,000 per case for 5 cases) and reasonable travel expenses, reimbursed according to the institution’s policies.

Timeline

• Application Open: August 1, 2026
• Application Deadline: September 15, 2026
• Applicants Notified: December 2026 – January 2027