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Ganesh Sankaranarayanan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Seminar
Training the Next Generation of Surgeons: An Engineering Perspective
Thursday, October 11, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
EE Conference Room, AE 108
Host: Blake Hannaford
Abstract
Virtual reality surgical simulators are now widely used for training surgeons in various procedures. The development and validation of such simulators require a multidisciplinary team with expertise in, computational mechanics, computer graphics, robotics, machine learning, and psychology. The Center for Modeling, Simulation and Imaging in Medicine (CeMSIM) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is developing the next generation of surgical training simulation technologies in collaboration with surgeons from Harvard University. In this talk, I will focus on the technological aspects of developing a surgical simulator, including simulation software and haptic feedback mechanisms through examples from NOTES, LAGB and Generation 2 simulators. In addition, I will describe the ongoing challenges in evaluating surgeons’ skills to measure proficiency and for board certification. Lastly, I will discuss cutting edge surgical simulation technologies that we are developing, including simulation using mobile devices and fully- immersive situational awareness simulators.
Bio
Ganesh Sankaranarayanan received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington in 2007. He is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering and a faculty member at the Center for Modeling, Simulation and Imaging in Medicine (CeMSIM) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, NY and holds a joint appointment at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Cambridge Health Alliance, in Boston, MA. His current research is focused on achieving synergy between control, robotics and virtual reality.
