Dr. Victoria Lyo First General Surgery Trainee in UC System to Earn Robotic Qualification Equivalency Certificate from Intuitive Surgical
Victoria Lyo, M.D., MTM, a recent graduate of the UCSF General Surgery Residency and now a minimally invasive surgery and foregut fellow at OHSU, was the first trainee in the UC system to receive the Robotic Qualification Equivalency Certificate (QEC) from Intuitive Surgical.
The development of the UCSF Resident Robotic Curriculum was spearheaded by senior resident Courtney A. Green, M.D., MAEd. working closely with a group of multidisciplinary academic surgeon-educators. The overall goals were to standardize and streamline robotic surgery curricula, to support advances in educational resources, and collaborate effectively in regional to national dissemination.
The resident robotics curriculum was implemented in Fall 2016, a 5-year longitudinal curriculum including hands-on structured simulation sessions both in- and outside the operating room. Residents completing the requisite training are afforded the opportunity to earn an Intuitive robotic equivalency certificate (QEC).
The QEC is offered nationally to surgical residents who have completed a defined set of criteria during their residency training. The QEC is thought to be the functional equivalent of Intuitive’s FDA regulated robotic certificate that is earned by attending physicians for credentialing at most institutions.
Dr. Lyo was the first UCSF general surgery resident to complete the training as approved by the UCSF Surgical Education Committee. Given the recent rollout of the curriculum, Dr. Lyo's attainment of her certification only 15 months reflected both her individual tenacity as well as the department's commitment to resident education.
The Department of Surgery has a strong institutional commitment to robotic surgery that includes comprehensive training of surgeons, credentialing, surgical mentorship, training of residents and fellows, and outcomes research, all aimed at refining surgical excellence and spurring innovation in the field.
