Dear Colleagues&Friends, I have been mainly dealing with Robotic urology since the beginning of 2009. Due to January 2018 statistics, I personally performed >500 Robotic urology procedures including: Robotic Prostate cancer surgery (mostly) (some cases with concomitant inguinal hernia repair with mesh), Robotic Bladder cancer surgery (with intracorporeal urinary diversion), Robotic Kidney cancer surgery (mostly partial nephrectomy, some cases with zero ischemia), Robotic adrenal surgery and Robotic pyeloplasty. I also participated in 10 robotic sacrocolpopexy cases as a console surgeon to help one of my colleagues. Apart from the >500 cases that I personally performed, I proctored >100 robotic prostate cancer surgery cases. Before starting as a console surgeon, I assisted > 200 cases as a bed side assistant. Overall, due to January 2018 statistics, I have had a current experience & exposure of more than 800 robotic urological cases. I have many international papers published particularly in the field of robotic urology. Currently, I have been serving as an ERUS board member and previously I was a member of EAU YAU J-ERUS group. I have been also serving as an ERUS certified robotic urology trainer,tutored at many robotic courses. I have been taking part in the editorial board of scientific journals (Eur Urol, CEJU Videourology, EMJ Urology, Robotics research & reviews) particularly related with urology. I have been serving as the editor of the e-journal Robotics, Laparoscopy & Endosurgery with Videosurgery. I am a member of EAU,AUA,SIU,ERUS and Endourological Society. Apart from urology & robotics, I like playing accordion and dealing with music. With kind regards...Dr.A.Erdem Canda (Twitter: @erdemcanda)

Prof. Hoebeke is interested in pediatric urology and urogenital reconstruction. He focuses mainly on congenital disorders of the urinary tract and genitalia.

Prof. Hoebeke is active in several multidisciplinary teams, including the DSD team for congenital disorders of sexual development, and the team for the treatment of patients with gender dysphoria.

Prof. Hoebeke has given numerous presentations at national and international congresses and is also author and co-author of 180 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Paulo Roquete is a General Surgeon practitioner at the Hospital da Luz of Lisbon since 2007.

He is specialised in Laparoscopic and robotic surgery in the following areas: Obesity surgery, Colorectal surgery and Adrenal surgery

Dr. Roquete is also founding member of the Obesity Surgery Group of the São Francisco Xavier Hospital and he has written several articles regarding General Minimally invasive surgery along his career.

Dr. De Naeyer Geert is a staff member of the department of Urology at Onze-Lieve-Vrouw (OLV) Clinic in Belgium. He graduated from medical school in 2001 at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, with great distinction. He was trained in Urology at the OLV clinic in Aalst, as well as in the Urology department of Ghent University. He followed international fellowships in the Urology departments of the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and Universitäts-Klinikum, Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany. Since his training he has a major interest in all aspects of robotic surgery. He participates in many publications on robotic surgery, and was the first to publish a robotic psoas-hitch repair. He has also participated in different live surgery events on robotic urologic surgery, as table assistant, and as surgeon. He is also involved as a trainer for robotic surgery at ORSI. He is an editorial board member for the Journal of Robotic Surgery, and is also a reviewer for the Journal of Urology and the International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery.

Mr Barton-Smith's specialty is complex robotic and minimally invasive and surgery for benign gynaecological conditions mainly related to pelvic pain and subfertility related to endometriosis but also including uterine fibroids and abnormal bleeding. He performs a broad range of complex procedures robotically or laparoscopically including Excision of Severe Endometriosis, Hysterectomy and Myomectomy. He also performs operative hysteroscopic procedures for polyps, fibroids, endometrial resection and uterine septae.

He has performed over 125 cases for severe Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis robotically, one of the largest series worldwide. 

He established the leading UK robotic gynaecological surgery programme at the Royal Surrey and has performed over 400 procedures making him the most experienced gynaecologist in robotic surgery in the UK. Mr Barton-Smith has successfully performed over 2800 logged operative endoscopic procedures in the last 12 years with a low complication rate including over 400 robotic cases.

A Faculty member of the European Surgical Institute, he has taught and been an invited speaker on robotics and laparoscopic surgery around the globe including in the USA, Belgium, Germany, France, Turkey, Greece, Ireland, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the Philippines

Doctor Özer Makay is an Endocrinology Surgeon graduated from Ege University, School of Medicine. He did his surgical internship at London King’s College Hospital. During his surgical residency, in 2002, he received education regarding “Laparoscopic Surgery” at Free University Hospital, Amsterdam and carried out scientific studies there.

Dr. Makay worked at the division of “Endocrine Surgery” of the General Surgery Department of Ege University.

Ege University and him, started the “Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy Programme’ in 2008, together with Prof. Dr. Mahir Akyıldız. Also launched the “Robotic Surgery Programme" in 2012. In 2012 he became an “Associate Professor of Surgery".

Dr Carlos Vaz is an invited faculty in several national ans international symposia and congresses. He performed a live robotic gastric bypass during IFSO Congress in Istanbul in 2013 and has organised and co-directed several international symposia and meetings. He is also an official international proctor for Intuitive Surgical Inc.

His main areas of interest are:

• Robotic and minimally invasive surgery

He performed the first robotic operation for General Surgery and the first robotic gastric bypass in Portugal. He directs and runs the highest volume robotic bariatric and metabolic surgery program in Europe, and has performed over 3000 operations by laparoscopic or robotic surgery

• Bariatric and metabolic surgery

After returning to Portugal in 2007 and set up the Center for the Treatment of Obesity in Hospital da Luz, performing by a minimally invasive approach all the internationally recognised operations for the treatment of obesity and diabetes - Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, duodenal switch, Scopinaro operation and ileal interposition. He has performed over 1700 of these operations.

• Colorectal surgery

He has performed more than 300 colorectal operations for cancer by minimally invasive means. He set up in Lisbon the Coloproctology Unit at the Hospital de S. Francisco Xavier, the Colon Institute and the Coloproctology Outpatient Clinic in Hospital da Luz.

Dr. Kris Maes is an expert in : Robotic Urological surgery Laparoscopic Urology Urological Oncology Laser surgery Endo-Urology male and female incontinence surgery. HE works as director of urology department at Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Prortugal.

Senthil Nathan is a Consultant Urological Surgeon and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, working at three sites including University College Hospital London, Whittington and the Royal Free Hospital. 

After graduating MBBS with honours from The Madras Medical College, Senthil completed his Masters in Surgery from Bangalore Medical College where he won The Association of Surgeons of India Gold Medal for securing the highest mark in the surgical exit exam. While working as an Assistant Surgeon in The Church of South India Hospital in Bangalore he was one among the first candidates to be selected by the Royal College of Surgeons of England to continue specialist training in the Overseas Training Scheme. 

After working in general surgery and obtaining FRCS in Yorkshire he chose to be a Urologist and obtained Diploma in Urology while working at Royal Free Hospital. He secured an Honorary Lecturer position at Guys Hospital to develop robotic techniques in urology. Along with Mr John Wickham and colleagues from The Imperial College he developed The Probot, and carried out the first true robotic surgery in the world.

Senthil is a Trustee of the SNJ Educational & Charitable Trust; Managing Trustee of the SNJ Education Fund; President of the Government Aided Secondary School, Venkatachalapuram, India; Honorary Advisor to the N Sethia Foundation and Trustee of the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation (Former).

He is a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons; The Royal Society of Medicine; British Medical Association; European Association of Urologists; Convocation, University of London and the Society of Minimally Invasive Therapy.

Dr. Jo Vandervoort is a Specialist in: Advanced therapeutic endoscopy ERCP (Endoscopic RetrogradeCholangioPancreatography) EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasound) IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Diseases)

Kolontarev Konstantin Borisovich is Doctor for the department of Urology in Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry

Dr. Ketan K. Badani is Professor of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Vice Chairman of Urology and Robotic Operations at Mount Sinai Health System, Director of Robotic Surgery at Mount Sinai West, and the Director of the Comprehensive Kidney Cancer Program At Mount Sinai Health System.

Dr. Badani is recognized as a world leader in the research and treatment of urologic oncology. Specifically, he has focused his work on prostate and kidney cancer. Dr. Badani has led teams that first developed and published techniques for minimally invasive robotic kidney cancer surgery. His technique of robotic partial nephrectomy, The “F.A.S.T.” procedure has been published and taught around the world to treat patients with renal tumors. Dr. Badani leads a team seeking to improve treatment of these cancers by finding less invasive and effective therapy, while maintaining quality of life factors after surgery.  

Dr. Badani has performed nearly 4,000 robotic procedures in his career, placing him in the top 1% of urologists worldwide. He is one the preeminent practitioners in the world for robotic partial nephrectomy for complex kidney tumors, and robotic prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer; he has the largest combined experience in robotic kidney and prostate cancer in the New York area. Dr. Badani’s clinical expertise spans both surgical and non-surgical approaches to treatment of urologic cancers. He has just completed one of the largest decision impact studies evaluating genomic biomarkers for active surveillance in men with low risk prostate cancer.

I specialized in robotic surgery, especially in the prostate, but without neglecting other kidney and high urinary pathologies, such as renal tumor, the ureteral-joint syndrome. This is because I am convinced that, in selected patients, the robotic technique is the best to guarantee healing, minimizing the impact of surgery on the patient's quality of life, reducing complications as much as possible.

I had the opportunity to train with the best professionals in the world, in Italy and abroad, and from all of them I learned the techniques, the passion and the ethics necessary to carry on the profession of the doctor.

Dr. Ash Tewari is New York City based internationally acclaimed board-certified urologist, researcher and innovator in the field of robotic prostate cancer surgery. He has performed over 5,500 cases. Dr. Tewari is recognized as one of the world's foremost leaders in robotic prostate surgery and prostate cancer research. He is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious American Urological Association Gold Cystoscope Award. He has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers on prostate cancer and robotic surgery.