Dr. Reza Gamagami Helps Train da Vinci Robotic Surgeons

Following training with surgery pioneer Sir Alfred Cuschieri in Dundee, Scotland, Dr. Reza Gamagami already had a reputation as a respected surgeon. Then he attended a conference on the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System in San Diego in 2012.

So impressed was Dr. Gamagami with the possibilities, he convinced Silver Cross administrators that robotic-assisted surgery was the future. Shortly afterwards, the Midwest Institute for Robotic Surgery at Silver Cross Hospital was created.

An educator, proctor, and consultant for Intuitive Surgical (da Vinci robot) since 2012, Dr. Gamagami is the highest-volume robotic general surgeon in Illinois. He has performed over 4,400 da Vinci robotic procedures and is currently ranked fifth in the U.S.

In 2012, 80 percent of the colon resections and hernia repairs at Silver Cross were done through open surgeries. Now, 90 percent are performed using da Vinci minimally invasive systems.

Nearly weekly, he and Dr. Nahla Merhi, a board-certified urogynecologist specializing in female pelvic floor disorders who has performed more than 2,200 robotic surgeries, have a group of surgeons observe their da Vinci procedures.

In November 2023, Dr. Gamagami lectured to over 100 surgeons in India, sharing his experience with da Vinci robotics for treating abdominal wall hernias, colorectal cancer, and gastrointestinal, pancreatic and heartburn disorders. He also provided lectures to train the next generation of surgeons in da Vinci robotics.

So, what convinced Dr. Gamagami that da Vinci robotics was the future of surgery?

“Using laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon gets only a 2-D picture of the procedure. With da Vinci, the instruments rotate to mimic the movements of the surgeon’s hands and give a 3-D picture at 10 times the magnification,” he explained.

Dr. Gamagami said his goal is for Silver Cross to become the #1 hospital for da Vinci robotic surgeries in the United States.

To learn more about robotic surgery at the Midwest Institute for Robotic Surgery at Silver Cross Hospital, please visit silvercross.org.