New Methodology: Potential to Transform Training for Surgeons

In order to earn certification in general surgery, residents in the United States need to demonstrate proficiency in the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic program (FLS), a test that requires manipulation of laparoscopic tools within a physical training unit. By combining brain optical imaging and a deep learning framework they call “Brain-NET,” a multidisciplinary team of engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — in close collaboration with the Department of Surgery at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences — has developed a new methodology that has the potential to transform training and the certification process for surgeons.