Accredited Education Institute

The Center of Excellence in Laparoscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery (Center) received the designation of Accredited Education Institute from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) on June 24, 2008. The Center joins 34 other facilities across the United States, Canada and England to receive accreditation.

“Our mission is to promote the highest level of education and training of medical professionals via the most technologically advanced methods,” said Dr. Atul K. Madan, Director of the Center of Excellence for Laparoscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery. “The designation of Accredited Education Institute by ACS is a demonstration of the hard work of all who support the Center.”  The aim of the ACS Program for Accreditation of Education Institutes is to identify, develop, and promote standards for quality education. One of the program goals is to create a network of accredited Education Institutes across the country to assist surgeons, residents, medical students, and other members of the surgical team in achieving the requisite knowledge and skills in order to provide optimal care to surgery patients.

To obtain this accreditation, the Center submitted over 400 pages of documentation covering 20 specific criteria ranging from curriculum development to a listing of the training equipment available. The final step was a meeting in April at the Center with site surveyors from the ACS.  Attending this pivotal meeting were the key contributors to the accreditation project: Dr. Atul K. Madan, Center Director, Dr. Jose M. Martinez, Center Assistant Director, Susan G. Mazzola, Center Administrator, and Ray I. Gonzalez, Surgical Educator. The Accreditation Review Committee's Decision Summary listed several strengths of our program: self-sustainability, strong academic and management teams, curriculum development and dissemination, and modern facility.

The Center was established in 2001 by the DeWitt Daughtry Department of Surgery to provide education and technical training in laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery.  The curriculum for Jackson Memorial Hospital general surgery residents was expanded by Co-Program Director of the Surgical Residency Training Program and Professor of Surgery, Dr. Duane G. Hutson, to include a one-month rotation for interns in addition to the technical training labs regularly held during each resident year.  In May 2008, a da Vinci™ Surgical System (robot) was added to the training equipment available at the Center. Medical students, nurses, residents and doctors from all over the country have completed technical and skills training at the Center to learn or update skills.
 
For more information about the American College of Surgeons program for Accredited Education Institutes and a listing of accredited education institutes, visit http://www.facs.org/education/accreditationprogram/aimsandgoals.html