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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Emergency Undocking in Robotic Surgery: A Simulation Curriculum
Published on: May 20, 2018
Current Landscape of Robotic Training During Transplant Surgery Fellowship: A Survey of 2025-2026 ASTS Fellows and
Adeel S Khan1, Paolla Hampel2, Haaris Kadri3
1Division of Transplant Surgery, Washington University, St Louis Missouri.
Objective:
While robotic surgery has expanded in living donor and transplant operations, it is unclear how the next generation of transplant surgeons will be trained to incorporate robotics into their practice. This study aims to assess current opinions regarding robotics training in transplant fellowship.
Design:
This was a cross-sectional survey of 2025-2026 American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) abdominal transplant fellows and program directors (PDs), assessing experiences with robotics during fellowship, barriers to training, and future directions in robotic transplant education.
Setting:
Surveys were sent electronically across North America.
Participants:
This study included 2025-2026 ASTS abdominal transplant fellows and PDs.
Results:
Eighty-one fellows and 19 PDs responded (response rates 55% and 45%, respectively). Seventy-three percent of fellows expected to participate in fewer than 50 cases during fellowship, 94% desired more robotic experience, and 35% expressed dissatisfaction with their training. Satisfaction correlated with higher transplant center volume, console exposure, and confidence in robotic procedures (all p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
This study highlights limitations in robotic surgery training during abdominal transplant fellowships, revealing a gap between fellow expectations and current practice, and underscoring the need for standardized curricula and training.
