Surgical Innovation Collaborative Program
Informational Workshops, January 2026
Students from all WPI departments were invited to work with WPI’s PracticePoint (a medical R&D hub) and UMass Chan’s Department of Surgery to define and carry out MQP projects to address challenges in the OR!
Students had a unique opportunity to:
- Participate in guaranteed shadowing hours with attending surgeons at UMass Chan Medical School / UMass Memorial Medical Center, getting firsthand surgical research experience in the operating room
- Collaborate with WPI and UMass faculty members to develop project proposals for innovative surgical solutions
- Contribute to advancements in surgery and improve patient outcomes!
Specialties presented on January 21:
- Minimally Invasive Abdominal and Bariatric Surgery - Dr. Nicole Cherng, Dr. John Kelly, and Dr. Demetrius Litwin
- Surgical Oncology - Dr. James Lindberg
- Pediatric Surgery - Dr. Jeremy Aidlen
- Colorectal Surgery - Dr. Justin Maykel and Dr. Thomas Peponis
Neurosurgery - Dr. Arno Sungarian
Specialties presented on January 28:
- Vascular Surgery – Andres Schanzer MD, Doug Jones MD
- Transplant Surgery – Babak Movahedi MD, Justin Belin MD, Dheera Reddy MD, Randy Schaffer MD
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Raymond Dunn MD
- Thoracic Surgery – Mark Maxfield MD
- Trauma Surgery and Critical Care – Michael Iannamorelli MD
- Cardiac Surgery – James Barnard MD
PracticePoint MedTech Lecture Series
PracticePoint, in conjunction with the Robotic Engineering Department Colloquium, hosted the inaugural lecture of the MedTech Lecture Series in April of 2025, featuring a talk by Bill Peine, PhD, Vice President of Surgical Research & Technology, Leader of the Robotics Development Center at Medtronic.
How can robotics, advanced imaging and AI shape the future of surgery?
“The evolution of surgical robotics, artificial
intelligence, and an interconnected ecosystem
empower health practitioners to make surgical
procedures more precise, predictable, and
personalized”- Bill Peine
