Click each day below to view the detailed agenda and faculty listing. All times Central. Schedule and faculty subject to change.
| Time | Session | Faculty | Moderator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 – 12:35 p.m. | Welcome & Setting the Stage: Technical Mastery in Coronary Surgery | Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD David Glineur, MD, PhD | |
| 12:35 – 2 p.m. | Session I – Coronary Anastomosis Masterclass: How We Teach It
Don’t Forget the Proximal Anastomosis Proximal anastomosis techniques:
Common Technical Mistakes and Bailout Maneuvers Faculty Technical Pearls and Operative Videos Intraoperative Quality Control: Is Your Anastomosis Good Enough?
| David Glineur, MD, PhD Joseph F. Sabik III, MD Michael Halkos, MD | Irbaz Hameed, MD, PhD Bobby Yanagawa, MD, PhD |
| 2 – 3 p.m. | Session II – Conduit Choice & Grafting Strategy: Planning the Operation
| Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD Jennifer Lawton, MD | Sigrid Sandner, MD Alexandra Kharazi, MD |
| 3 – 3:30 p.m. | Break/Visit Exhibits & Faculty Meet-and-Greet | ||
| 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Hands-On Workshop Rotations (Non-CME)
| ||
| 5:30 – 6 p.m. | Poster Competition Group 1 Moderators: Sigrid Sandner, Jennifer Lawton, Bobby Yanagawa | Faculty | |
| 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | Welcome Reception & Networking with Faculty | ||
| Time | Session | Faculty | Moderator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 – 9 a.m. | Session III – Advanced Grafting Strategies
| Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD David Glineur, MD, PhD Sigrid Sandner, MD | Joseph F. Sabik III, MD Bobby Yanagawa, MD, PhD |
| 9 – 10 a.m. | Session IV– Surgical Management of Concomitant Atrial Fibrillation in Coronary Surgery
| Ralph J. Damiano, Jr., MD Armin Kiankhooy, MD | Robert B. Hawkins, MD, MSc Ann Arbor, MI |
| 10 – 10:30 a.m. | Break/Visit Exhibits | ||
| 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Hands-On Workshop Rotations (Non-CME)
| ||
| 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch / Industry Symposium: Paradigm Shifts in Treating Afib for Coronary Patients (Sponsored by AtriCure)
| James L. Cox, MD | |
| 1:30 – 3 p.m. | Session V – Getting Started In Minimally Invasive and Robotic Coronary Surgery Part 1: Who Should Be Your First Patients?
Part 2: Which Skills Do You Need Before You Start?
Part 3: How do you perform the operation?
Part 4: Avoiding the Mistakes We All Made Early On
| Nirav Patel, MD Michael Halkos, MD Marc Ruel, MD, MPH Ottawa, ON, Canada | Chase Brown, MD, MSHP Philadelphia, PA |
| 3 – 3:30 p.m. | Session VI – Hybrid Revascularization
| Michael Halkos, MD Marc Ruel, MD, MPH | Nirav Patel, MD New York, NY |
| 3:30 – 4 p.m. | Break/Visit Exhibits | ||
| 4 – 5 p.m. | Session VII – Building a Career in Academic Coronary Surgery
| Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD Joseph F. Sabik III, MD Patrick Myers, MD Jennifer Lawton, MD | Irbaz Hameed, MD, PhD Alexandra Kharazi, MD |
| Time | Session | Faculty | Moderator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 – 10 a.m. | Hands-On Workshop: Hands-On Anastomosis Course (Sponsored by J&J) | Paul Sergeant | |
| 8 – 9 a.m. | Abstract Session 1
| Joseph F. Sabik III, MD Robert Hawkins | |
| 9 – 10 a.m. | Abstract Session 2
| David Glineur, MD, PhD St. Johns, NF, Canada Chase Brown, MD, MSHP Philadelphia, PA | |
| 10 – 10:30 a.m. | Break/Visit Exhibits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Session VIII - Managing the High-Risk CABG Patient
| Joseph F. Sabik III, MD Vivek Rao, MD, PhD | Sigrid Sandner, MD Vienna, Austria |
| 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Session IX – Five Papers Every Coronary Surgeon Should Know Interactive evidence-based review of landmark trials and contemporary studies that changed coronary surgery practice. | Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD New York, NY | Sigrid Sandner, MD Vienna, Austria |
| 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch / Industry Symposium: Beyond the Bypass: Redefining Success in Combined CAD and Valve Disease (Sponsored by Medtronic)
| Nirav Patel, MD Kenith Fang, MD Ruda Vega, MD | Doug Johnston, MD |
| 1:30 – 3 p.m. | Session X – Challenging Cases in Coronary Surgery: How Would You Do It? Faculty-led case discussions integrating operative planning, conduit strategy, graft configuration, minimally invasive approaches, and intraoperative decision-making. | Nirav Patel, MD Christopher Lau, MD Chase Brown, MD, MSHP Giuseppe Tavilla, MD Marc Ruel, MD, MPH | Irbaz Hameed, MD, PhD Alexandra Kharazi, MD |
| 3 – 4 p.m. | CABG Academy Finalists Showdown | Finalists & Faculty Panel | |
| 4 p.m. | Awards Ceremony & Adjourn | Course Directors | |
Attendees will rotate through dedicated hands-on workshops focused on practical technical skills and emerging technologies in coronary surgery. Hands-on workshops are not eligible for continuing medical education.
The rotations will include:
Workshop 1
Concomitant Surgical Ablation and Left Atrial Appendage Management
(Sponsored by AtriCure)
Faculty: Pablo Ruda-Vega, MD
Procedures include posterior left atrial box ablation, left atrial appendage management, and cryo nerve block for sternotomy.
Workshop 2
CABG Cup: da Vinci SimNow 2 powered by da Vinci 5
(Sponsored by Intuitive)
Faculty: Michael Halkos, MD
Participants will gain hands-on experience with da Vinci 5 and SimNow 2, Intuitive’s next-generation simulation platform designed to support surgeons in developing, refining, and advancing their technical proficiency within a realistic, consequence-free environment.
Workshop 3
Details coming soon.
(Sponsored by Medistim)
Workshop 4
Anastomosis: Simulation and Analysis
Faculty: Chase Brown, MD, MSHP; Kelsey Gray, MD; Robert Hawkins II, MD, MSc; Christopher Lau, MD; Giuseppe Tavilla, MD
As the second step in part of the CABG Academy Anastomosis Competition, participants will construct a coronary anastomosis on a tissue model under standardized conditions. The completed anastomosis will undergo structured 3D imaging review — assessed on lumen patency, suture spacing, heel/toe geometry, and tissue trauma.
Hands-On Anastomosis Course
(Sponsored by J&J Medtech)
Faculty: Paul Sergeant, MD, PhD
This three-hour hands-on course, complemented by didactic instruction, is designed to deconstruct the essential steps required to achieve the perfect anastomosis in reduced airspace. The program is intended to establish a strong foundation in anastomotic techniques applicable to both conventional and minimally invasive approaches, including robotic-assisted procedures.
Key objectives include:
- Pre-training steps 1 and 2 on the My Virtual Surgery (MVS) platform
- Posture and needle holder manipulation
- Needling manipulation and optimization
- Bite placement and spacing
- Mastery of anastomotic simulation
- Repeated post-training on the MVS platform
