Date(s)
May 14–15, 2026
Location
Norcross, GA
Area of Practice
Adult Cardiac
Audience
Surgeon
Hear didactic lectures and case demonstrations from expert faculty, then practice in a realistic, cardiac robotic simulation environment.

As of March 19, the workshop is at capacity. Further applications are not being accepted. 

Gain extensive hands-on procedural experience in robotic mitral valve procedures and robotic coronary revascularization in a realistic simulation environment. A state-of-the-art training facility fitted with surgical robots allows a true hands-on experience for every attendee. Expert surgeons with extensive experience in robotic surgery will offer guidance during hands-on procedures and deliver complementary didactic lectures.  

The course is designed for new teams interested in starting a robotic cardiac surgery program or early experienced robotic surgeons and teams, including bedside first assistants and nurses. The course consists of one day of hands-on simulation and one day of didactic lectures, case videos, and discussion. 

Continuing medical education is not offered for this workshop.
 

Course Directors   

Arnar Geirsson, MD, New York, NY  
Arman Arghami, MD, Rochester, MN  

 

Learning Objectives

After completing this workshop, participants will be able to: 

  • Understand skills required to perform robotic cardiac surgery including mitral valve repair and coronary revascularization.  
  • Identify the essential components of building a robotic team and securing the required hospital resources to develop a safe and effective cardiac robotic program.
  • Increase their knowledge base of current evidence and surgical literature related to robotic cardiac surgery.
  • Describe different robotic techniques and practice models.  
  • Understand different peripheral perfusion techniques and myocardial protection strategies in robotic cardiac surgery.  
  • Demonstrate understanding of advanced techniques in robotic cardiac surgery including concomitant operation, aortic valve replacement, and total endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB).  
  • Interact with experts in the field and become a member of the robotic cardiac surgery community.

 

Target Audience

Surgeons, bedside assistants and other team members with prior open cardiac surgery experience looking to start a robotic cardiac surgery program or team with prior robotic cardiac surgery experience looking to advance and/or add to their robotic surgical skill repertoire.
 

Prerequisites

Workshop participants must meet the following requirements:  

  1. Be an attending surgeon and or on a surgical team interested in and committed to developing a robotic cardiac program or who have recently started a robotic cardiac program with interest in expanding skills and competency.  
  2. Maintain full and unlimited credentials to do cardiac surgery at surgeon’s hospital of employment.
  3. Hospital administration has committed support for the robotic cardiac surgery program.  
  4. Proposed primary console surgeon for robotic MICAB has performed >250 CABG independently over their career.  
  5. Proposed primary console surgeon for robotic mitral valve repair has performed >75 career intracardiac mitral valve procedure with or without surgical ablation and >40 in the past two years.  
  6. Hospital with >250 annual open-heart cases.  
  7. Maintain access to robotic block time at least two days per month.  
  8. Work in a hospital with a dedicated team of cardiac anesthesiologists.
     

Agenda

Agenda and speakers subject to change. All times Eastern.

Day 1 - Thursday, May 14
TimeActivity
6:45 – 7:45 a.m.Registration 
Breakfast Symposium: Navigating the Small Space: Optimizing Robotic Mitral Valve Replacement with the Low-Profile Mosaic Neo™ Mitral Valve, Sponsored by Medtronic (non-CME)
Danny Ramzy, MD, PhD
7:45 – 8 a.m.Group 1 – Remains at Hotel/Break/Visit Exhibits
Group 2 – Takes Bus to Intuitive Lab 
8 – 11:45 a.m.Group 1 – Didactic/Lectures at Hotel
Group 2 – Hands-On Lab at Intuitive
8 – 11:45 a.m.

Group 1 – Lectures
Moderators: Arnar Geirsson, MD, and Arman Arghami, MD

  • 8 – 8:15 a.m.               Robotic Mitral Surgery – Evidence 
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 8:15 – 8:30 a.m.          Patient Selection and Preoperative Assessment
                                        Stephanie Mick, MD
  • 8:30 – 8:45 a.m.          Rooms/Patient Setup, Port Placement, and Myocardiac Protection
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 8:45 – 9 a.m.               Mitral Valve Repair – Resection and Band
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 9 – 9:15 a.m.               Mitral Valve Repair – Chords and Band    
                                        Mike Halkos, MD
  • 9:15 – 9:30 a.m.          Complex Mitral Repair – Endocarditis, Anterior Leaflet, MAC
                                        Robert L. Smith II, MD
  • 9:30 – 9:45 a.m.          Panel Discussion
                                        Michael Halkos, MD, Stephanie Mick, MD, and Robert L. Smith II, MD
  • 9:45 – 10:15 a.m.        Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 10:15 – 10:30 a.m.      Mitral Valve Replacement
                                        Michael Ibrahim, MD
  • 10:30 – 10:45 a.m.      Adding Maze and Left Atrial Appendage Management
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 10:45 – 11 a.m.           Tricuspid Valve Repair
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 11 – 11:15 a.m.           Complications and How to Avoid Them
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.      Robotic Aortic Valve Replacement
                                        Vinay Badhwar, MD
  • 11:30 – 11:45 a.m.      Panel Discussion
                                       Michael Ibrahim, MD, Serguei Melnitchouk, MD, and Vinay Badhwar, MD
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.Group 1 – Lunch / Visit Exhibits
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Group 2 – Lunch at Intuitive
12:30 – 4 p.m.Group 2 – Lab at Intuitive
12:45 – 4 p.m.

Group 1 – Lectures
Moderators: Dominic Emerson, MD, and Danny Ramzy, MD

  • 12:45 – 1 p.m.             Patient Selection and Preoperative Imaging
                                        Brittany Zwischenberger, MD
  • 1 – 1:15 p.m.               LITA and BITA Takedown
                                        Chase Brown, MD
  • 1:15 – 1:30 p.m.          How I Do It: Robotic MIDCAB    
                                        Amalia Jonsson, MD
  • 1:30 – 1:45 p.m.          Robotic On-Pump CABG
                                        Danny Ramzy, MD
  • 1:45 – 2 p.m.               Robotic MIDCABG in the Challenging Patient – Pushing Boundaries
                                        Dominic Emerson, MD
  • 2 – 2:15 p.m.               Panel Discussion
  • 2:15 – 2:45 p.m.          Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 2:45 – 3 p.m.               TECAB Without the Endowrist Stabilizer
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3 – 3:15 p.m.               Hybrid Coronary Revascularization        
                                        Bob Kiaii, MD
  • 3:15 – 3:30 p.m.          Robotic Practice After Fellowship
                                        Yazan AlJamal, MD
  • 3:30 – 3:45 p.m.          Robotic Coronary Pros and Cons – the Data            
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3:45 – 4 p.m.               Panel Discussion
4 – 4:30 p.m.Group 2 – Return to Hotel
Break / Visit Exhibits
4:30 – 6 p.m.

Group Lectures – Surgeons
Moderator: Arman Arghami, MD

  • 4:30 – 4:50 p.m.          How To: The Bedside Team
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 4:50 – 5:10 p.m.          How to Build and Sustain a Robotic Program
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 5:10 – 5:30 p.m.          Robotic Multivalve and Valve CABG: Moving Beyond Simple
                                        Vinay Badhwar, MD
  • 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.          Panel Discussion 
4:30 – 5:45 p.m.

Group Lectures – Bedside Assistants

  • 4:30 – 5 p.m.               Intracardiac Procedures and Program Sustainability
                                        Michael Lalonde, PA-C
  • 5 – 5:30 p.m.               MIDCAB, TECAB and Complex Robotic Setup
                                        Kaitlin Grady, PA-C
  • 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.          Panel Discussion 
5:45 – 6:15 p.m.Transition to Dinner
6:15 – 7 p.m.Dinner Symposium: Global Myocardial Protection in Every Case: What’s Holding Us Back?, Sponsored by enableCV (non-CME)
Johannes Bonatti, MD and Danny Ramzy, MD, PhD
Day 2 - Friday, May 15
TimeActivity
6:45 – 7:45 a.m. Registration / Breakfast / Breakfast Symposium
7:45 – 8 a.m.Group 2 stays at hotel
Group 1 takes bus to Intuitive Lab
8 – 11:45 a.m.Group 1 – Lab at Intuitive
8 – 11:45 a.m.

Group 2 – Lectures at Hotel
Moderators: Arman Arghami, MD and Arnar Geirsson, MD

  • 8 – 8:15 a.m.               Robotic Mitral Surgery – Evidence 
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 8:15 – 8:30 a.m.          Patient Selection and Preoperative Assessment
                                        Stephanie Mick, MD
  • 8:30 – 8:45 a.m.          Rooms/Patient Setup, Port Placement, and Myocardiac Protection
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 8:45 – 9 a.m.               Mitral Valve Repair – Resection and Band
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 9 – 9:15 a.m.               Mitral Valve Repair – Chords and Band    
                                        Mike Halkos, MD
  • 9:15 – 9:30 a.m.          Complex Mitral Repair – Endocarditis, Anterior Leaflet, MAC
                                        Robert L. Smith II, MD
  • 9:30 – 9:45 a.m.          Panel Discussion
                                        Michael Halkos, MD, Stephanie Mick, MD, and Robert L. Smith II, MD
  • 9:45 – 10:15 a.m.        Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 10:15 – 10:30 a.m.      Mitral Valve Replacement
                                        Michael Ibrahim, MD
  • 10:30 – 10:45 a.m.      Adding Maze and Left Atrial Appendage Management
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 10:45 – 11 a.m.           Tricuspid Valve Repair
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 11 – 11:15 a.m.            Complications and How to Avoid Them
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.       Robotic Aortic Valve Replacement
                                        Vinay Badhwar, MD
  • 11:30 – 11:45 a.m.       Panel Discussion
                                        Michael Ibrahim, MD, Serguei Melnitchouk, MD, and Vinay Badhwar, MD
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Group 1 – Lunch at Intuitive
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.Group 2 – Lunch/Visit Exhibits
12:30 – 4 p.m.Group 1 – Lab at Intuitive
12:45 – 4 p.m.

Group 2 – Lectures at Hotel
Moderators: Dominic Emerson, MD, and Danny Ramzy, MD

  • 12:45 – 1 p.m.             Patient Selection and Preoperative Imaging
                                        Brittany Zwischenberger, MD
  • 1 – 1:15 p.m.               LITA and BITA Takedown
                                        Chase Brown, MD
  • 1:15 – 1:30 p.m.          How I Do It: Robotic MIDCAB    
                                        Amalia Jonsson, MD
  • 1:30 – 1:45 p.m.          Robotic On-Pump CABG
                                        Danny Ramzy, MD
  • 1:45 – 2 p.m.               Robotic MIDCABG in the Challenging Patient – Pushing Boundaries
                                        Dominic Emerson, MD
  • 2 – 2:15 p.m.               Panel Discussion
  • 2:15 – 2:45 p.m.          Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 2:45 – 3 p.m.               TECAB Without the Endowrist Stabilizer
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3 – 3:15 p.m.               Hybrid Coronary Revascularization        
                                        Bob Kiaii, MD
  • 3:15 – 3:30 p.m.          Robotic Practice After Fellowship
                                        Yazan AlJamal, MD
  • 3:30 – 3:45 p.m.          Robotic Coronary Pros and Cons – the Data            
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3:45 – 4 p.m.               Panel Discussion
4 p.m.End of Workshop

 

Pricing

 MemberNon-Member
Surgeon/Physician$1,300$1,600
Allied Health, Trainees, and Medical Students$700$800
Industry Employee $1,500

 

Cancelations

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons will issue a refund, minus a $100 administrative fee, for all cancelations received in writing to the Meetings Department by Friday, May 1, 2026. No refunds will be issued after this date.

 

Exhibitors

Sold out.

 

Ethical MedTech Compliance

This course has been assessed by Ethical MedTech and is compliant with the MedTech Europe Code of Ethical Business Practice and EFPIA Code of Practice. 
 

Course Directors, Faculty and STS Staff Planners Disclosure Information

Unless otherwise noted, the individuals below have had no commercial relationships with ineligible companies in the past 24 months. All commercial relationships have been mitigated. (current as of May 12, 2026)

Course Directors

  • Arnar Geirsson, MD
    Columbia University
    Commercial Relationships: Edwards Lifesciences, enableCV, Intuitive Surgical – Consultant/Advisory Board
  • Arman Arghami, MD
    Mayo Clinic


Faculty

  • Yazan AlJamal, MD
    Mayo Clinic
  • Vinay Badhwar, MD
    WVU Medicine
  • Johannes Bonatti, MD, FETCS
    UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute
    Commercial Relationships: Intuitive Surgical, enableCV – Speakers Bureau/Honoraria, Consultant/Advisory Board
  • Chase Brown, MD
    University of Pennsylvania
    Commercial Relationships: Intuitive Surgical – Speakers Bureau/Honoraria
  • Dominic Emerson, MD
    Cedars-Sinai
    Commercial Relationships: Intuitive Surgical – Consultant/Advisory Board, Proctor 
  • Kaitlin Grady, PA-C
    University of Chicago
  • Kelsey Gray, MD
    Yale University
    Commercial Relationships: Intuitive Surgical – Speakers Bureau/Honoraria
  • Michael Halkos, MD 
    Emory University
    Commercial Relationships: Intuitive Surgical – Consultant/Advisory Board, Speakers Bureau/Honoraria, Medtronic – Consultant/Advisory Board
  • Michael Ibrahim, MD
    University of Virginia
    Commercial Relationships: Corcym – Research Grant, Speakers Bureau/Honoraria/Consultant/Advisory Board, Edwards Lifesciences – Consultant/Advisory Board, Intuitive Surgical – Speakers Bureau/Honoraria, enableCV, Atricure – Consultant/Advisory Board
  •  Amalia Jonsson, MD
    Emory University
  • Michael LaLonde, MHA, PA-C
    Columbia University
    Commercial Relationships: Edwards Lifesciences – Speakers Bureau/Honoraria
  • Anthony Lawler, PA-C
    Mayo Clinic 
  • Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
    Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Stephanie Mick, MD
    New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell
    Commercial Relationships: Medtronic, Artivion – Speakers Bureau/Honoraria, Johnson & Johnson – Consultant/Advisory Board
  • Danny Ramzy, MD, PhD
    UT Health
    Commercial Relationships: Corcym – Proctor, enableCV – Consultant/Advisory Board
  • Robert L. Smith, II, MD
    The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano
    Commercial Relationships: Edwards Lifesciences – Research Grant, Other Research Support, Speakers Bureau/Honoraria, Consultant/Advisory Board, Medtronic – Research Grant, Speakers Bureau/Honoraria, enableCV – Speakers Bureau/Honoraria

  • Brittany Zwischenberger 
    Duke University

     

STS Staff

The following staff have NOT had any financial relationships with any ineligible companies in the past 24 months.

  • Scott Bradbury, Vice President of Education
  • Kasia Chalko, Associate Director of Marketing
  • Anne Friedman, Education Manager
  • Caitlin Golden, Marketing Manager
  • Meredith Herzog, Associate Director of Education
  • Melisa Puthenmadom, Senior E-Learning Coordinator
  • Elisa Robles-Gnet, Meeting Manager