UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Assistant Professor Kristen Wong, M.D., was recently selected as an instructor for the Laparoscopic & Robotic Foregut Surgery Course offered by the Institute for Research into Cancer of the Digestive System (IRCAD).
A leader in the field, Wong was invited to serve on a panel of experts at IRCAD institute to teach minimally invasive foregut surgery to early-career surgeons. Throughout the course, instructors were responsible for delivering lectures to the group and then guiding the trainees through six core foregut operations in pig laboratories over two days.
“Serving as an instructor at IRCAD has been one of the highlights of my academic career. It has been incredibly rewarding to guide trainees as they transition from theoretical classroom knowledge to the hands-on technical skills required for foregut operations in the lab. Equally inspiring has been the camaraderie that occurs in the field of surgical education,” said Wong.
Among the instructors, other highly qualified experts were invited, including pioneers and leaders in foregut surgery. Wong was pleasantly surprised by the scale of IRCAD: “The facility itself was amazing – 11 floors dedicated to surgical education, medical research, and development! I look forward to further collaborations with IRCAD in the future!”
Wong earned her medical degree at Virginia Commonwealth University and general surgery residency at the Montefiore Medical Center, where she served as administrative chief. Before joining the UAB Department of Surgery as a faculty member, she completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Wisconsin.
About the Institute for Research into Cancer of the Digestive System
The Institute for Research into Cancer of the Digestive System (IRCAD) is a leading global organization specializing in minimally invasive surgery, robotic procedures, and digital health education for training and research. For over 30 years, IRCAD has trained thousands of surgeons from around the world, pioneering innovative techniques that improved patient care. Currently, IRCAD has training centers in: Brazil, China, India, Lebanon, Rwanda, Taiwan, and, most recently, in North America, with a center in Charlotte, NC.