Dr. Akira Ganaha from the University of Ryukyus performing surgery during the training seminar.
Twenty-nine Japanese physicians from Japan’s leading hospitals and universities attended an intensive four-day training seminar covering the best practices and techniques for performing complex ear surgeries intended to restore hearing or address other medical issues involving the inner ear from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9 in Seattle.
Training for the seminar came from 13 leading experts in the field, including physicians from the University of Washington, Swedish Neuroscience Institute, and Virginia Mason. The program was cosponsored by Seattle Science Foundation (SSF) and Swedish Neuroscience Institute.
The training took place in Seattle Science Foundation’s Bioskills Lab, a 4,000-square-foot operating room with up to 20 operating stations.
Parts of the otological surgery training seminar were video-conferenced to Kyoto, Kyushu, and Miyazaki University Hospitals in Japan over a high-speed network infrastructure exclusive to research and education entities that allows live streaming 1,000 times faster than standard Internet.
The Otological Surgery Course is one in a continuing series of programs at Seattle Science Foundation, which is dedicated to international collaboration among physicians, scientists, technologists, engineers, and educators. Over the last year alone, SSF has trained more than 1,000 physicians and surgeons, and another 1,200 medical industry representatives. (end)