Lister’s robotic urology joins US-based Vattikuti global network of prestigious international institutions.
The Lister Robotic Urology service is proud to join the prestigious network of institutions across the world affiliated with the US-based Vattikuti Foundation Robotic Surgery program. Vattikuti Network Institutions are recognised for their collaborative leadership, frontline research in robotic surgery and consistent improvement in the quality of services provided to patients.

Stevenage, UK – 26 June 2015 – The Lister robotic urology service has been named a Network Institution by the Vattikuti Foundation, the main vision of which is to create a worldwide network of Institutions to foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and effective transfer of technology to the developing world. Currently, Vattikuti Network Institutions are in United States, Europe and India.

Consultant urological surgeon, Mr Nikhil Vasdev – who is also the Trust’s network lead for the Lister robotic urology/Vattikuti Foundation collaboration project – said:

“Joining the Vattikuti Foundation places the robotic urology service at the Lister well and truly on the international map of a few select centres of excellence in robotic urology surgery worldwide. We are currently the third centre in Europe to join the Vatikutti Foundation.”

“The main aim of the collaboration is to participate in the prospective database and create a high level of evidence in the literature through multi institutional collaboration. We look forward to providing support for an international training curriculum for robotic surgery, participating in the global exchange fellowship programs and to innovate new surgical procedures in collaboration with other partner institutions. Most importantly, the collaboration will benefit our patients, helping to ensure that they continue to benefit from one of the highest quality of robotic services to be found in the country.”

Reflecting on the team’s success, the Trust’s chief executive, Nick Carver, said:
“For some time now, the Lister-based urology service has been a leader in the field of robotic surgery. It is the only centre in the UK accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons to provide training to consultants-in-training who aspire to specialise in robotic urological surgery.

“Now the excellence of the Trust’s urology team’s service has been recognised internationally, having been accepted for membership for this prestigious global network of robotic surgery centres.”

The aim over the next 12 months is for the Trust’s urology team is to participate in the Vattikuti Collaborative Quality Initiative (VCQI) and International Vattikuti Foundation Consortium on the robotic partial nephrectomy, radical prostatectomy and radical cystectomy database, coordinated by the Vattikuti Foundation.

In addition, the Lister team has embarked already on collaboration work with the Vattikuti Foundation Network on exciting research projects such as haptic feedback prototypes in robotic surgery and cytokine-guided robotic surgery.

Dr Mahendra Bhandari, Director of Robotic Surgery Education and Research and the Chief Executive Officer of the Vattikuti Foundation, says: “Inclusion of Lister robotic urology service in the Vattikuti Foundation Network of Institutions will advance the mission of the Foundation to make high quality robotic surgery available to the common man at affordable prices; train high quality robotic surgeons and innovate new surgical technique to push the frontiers of minimally invasive surgery and to produce high level evidence to enhance the standard of care.”

For more information, please call Peter Gibson, associate director for public affairs on: 01438 285362 (direct line) or Sue Thaw, communications manager on: 01438 781736 (direct line); for out-of-hours calls, please page the duty press officer on 07659 103839.

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