A second meeting to stimulate medical innovation in Strasbourg
On June 5, 2025, the IHU Strasbourg will host the second IHU Strasbourg I ITI HealthTech meeting, organized in partnership with the Institut Thématique Interdisciplinaire HealthTech of the University of Strasbourg and the ICubelaboratory. This meeting is a continuation of the dialogue initiated in 2022 on the dynamics of translational research, at the crossroads of engineering sciences, medicine and health technologies.
This new edition will bring together researchers, clinicians, engineers and project leaders to share their advances and explore new synergies around the design, prototyping and validation of innovative medical devices. The afternoon will feature a number of highlights, including presentations of results from projects supported in 2022, a spotlight on current proofs of concept, a poster session devoted to 2024 projects, and an overview of the technological platforms that accelerate the transition from idea to clinical application.
In particular, the event will showcase the cross-disciplinary expertise of IHU Strasbourg – with its preclinical and clinical research divisions and its DIAMS service dedicated to healthcare data and artificial intelligence – as well as ICube’s IRIS platform, specialized in rapid prototyping for medical robotics.
The meeting will conclude with a convivial moment and the possibility, upon registration, of visiting the IHU’s technical facilities. This initiative illustrates the partners’ shared desire to create an environment conducive to innovation, anchored in the region, serving research and the transformation of medical practices.
[Strasbourg, France] — [18 March 2025] — Prof. Silvana Perretta, a renowned minimally invasive surgeon and Director of Education at the University-Hospital Institute (IHU) in Strasbourg, France, has been honored with the 2025 SAGES Pioneer in Surgical Endoscopy Award. This prestigious accolade recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of surgical endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery.
Prof. Perretta’s career spans decades of innovation, education, and advocacy in flexible endoscopy and minimally invasive surgical techniques. As Director of Education at the IHU Strasbourg, Prof. Perretta has been instrumental in fostering international collaboration, spearheading advanced training programs, and mentoring the next generation of surgical leaders. Since 2011, she has led the Business Engineering and Surgical Technologies (B.E.S.T.) program, which aims to bridge the gap between medicine and new technology. By providing – free of charge – young professionals, engineers, and medical students with the skills to innovate and lead, the program has become a model for integrating cutting-edge technology into medical practice.
Prof. Perretta was elected Vice President of IRCAD France, a role she held until July 2023. A strong advocate for surgeons performing interventional endoscopy, she has played a pivotal role in developing new endoscopic platforms, devices, and flexible robotics. Prof. Perretta pioneered Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), performing the world’s first transvaginal cholecystectomy, and introduced POEM and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty techniques in France. She has also led groundbreaking work in hybrid surgical endoscopy, lean endoscopic simulations, and global digital medical education.
Prof. Perretta was awarded the SAGES Career Development Award in 2011, became the first woman in 20 years to be elected SAGES STORZ lecturer in 2020, and was named Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor of France in January 2021. Recently, Dr. Perretta was elected Chair of the EAES Flexible Endoscopy Committee, and she serves on the IFSO Flexible Endoscopy Committee, the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Emerging Surgical Technologies and Education, the WEO Surgical Endoscopy Committee, the AMEE Surgery Track Steering Committee and the SAGES AI Task force. She is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of EVE-Evolving Education, a company focused on democratizing surgical endoscopy training worldwide. In April 2024, she founded the Bariatric Endoscopy World Association (B.E.W.A.), where she now serves as Vice President. Additionally, she is the President and founder of FAIR, an organization dedicated to supporting women in surgery, science, and MedTech by providing opportunities, resources, and networks to help them thrive in historically underrepresented fields.
The SAGES Pioneer in Surgical Endoscopy Award is among the most respected honors in the field, celebrating pioneers who have shaped the future of surgical endoscopy through innovation, research, and leadership. Past recipients include luminaries such as Prof. Jeffrey Ponsky, a trailblazer in endoscopic procedures, and Prof. Lee Swanstrom, an innovator in advanced minimally invasive and flexible surgical techniques, and previously Director of Innovation at the IHU Strasbourg. Prof. Perretta is the first woman surgeon to receive the prize, as well as being the youngest woman overall to receive it, and the first woman after Dr Sybill Storz in 2016.[1]
“SAGES is an organization that has long set the standard for excellence and innovation in minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery,” said Prof. Perretta. “It is an incredible honor to join the ranks of such distinguished pioneers whose work has transformed surgical care globally.”
Prof. Perretta’s work aligns closely with the mission of SAGES, which emphasizes inclusivity, interdisciplinarity, and the global advancement of surgical practice. Her leadership at the IHU Strasbourg has established the institution as a premier center for research and training in flexible endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. Through her efforts, she has helped to bridge the gap between surgical innovation and real-world clinical application, impacting patient care worldwide.
The award was presented during the 2025 SAGES Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California, an event that convenes the brightest minds in the field to exchange ideas, showcase advancements, and celebrate excellence in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery.
About Prof. Silvana Perretta Prof. Perretta is an internationally recognized expert in minimally invasive surgery and surgical endoscopy. As Director of Education at the IHU Strasbourg, she has designed and implemented cutting-edge training programs, fostering skill development and innovation in surgeons worldwide. Her contributions to research, education, and clinical practice have solidified her reputation as a leading figure in the global surgical community.
About SAGES The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) is an international organization dedicated to advancing minimally invasive surgical techniques and fostering innovation in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery. Through education, research, and global collaboration, SAGES strives to improve patient outcomes and transform surgical care worldwide.
We wish to inform you that a personal data breach was identified in January 2025 within our IT system. It concerns the hacking of the Microsoft account of our education department staff.
This breach could affect certain personal data stored in our systems: bank details, ID cards, student cards, passports, diplomas, CVs, etc. of students and experts who attended courses at the IHU Strasbourg during the period 2013 to 2024. This breach resulted in the loss of confidentiality of the personal data concerned.
As soon as this incident was detected, technical and organizational measures were immediately put in place to secure our systems and limit the risks. The password of the Microsoft 365 account affected by the hacking was immediately changed. Other internal accounts are being checked. 2-factor authentication was quickly adopted by our establishment to reinforce the security of personal accounts.
The French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) has been informed of the breach. A complaint has also been lodged with the public prosecutor.
Due to the nature and volume of the information involved, it is not possible for us to identify and contact all the people concerned individually. The method adopted is individual notification of some of the high-risk data subjects and public information on the website.
We invite you to exercise the utmost vigilance in the face of the risk of fraudulent e-mails, SMS messages or calls, and to ensure the security of your bank card.
In the event of any suspicion or abnormal situation, we invite you to contact the official digital victim assistance service at: www.cybermalveillance.gouv.frto make a report and assert your rights.
Should you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail: dpo@ihu-strasbourg.eu or by post, quoting your e-mail address:
Institut de Chirurgie guidée par l’Image (IHU Strasbourg) – DPO 1 place de l’Hôpital – 67091 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
We deeply regret this incident and assure you that we take the protection of your data very seriously. We are committed to implementing all necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Mr. Samir Henni, Director General of Strasbourg University Hospitals, and Prof. Christian Debry, in his role as Vice-Dean for International Relations, representing the Dean of the University of Strasbourg’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Jean Sibilia, led the first university hospital delegation to visit the city of Pondicherry in India.
They met with representatives of the Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Hospital, including Vice-Chancellor Mr. Nihar Ranjan Biswas, leading to the signing of a memorandum of understanding opening up a unique academic partnership involving exchanges of students, doctors and researchers, as well as technical cooperation between the institutions.
Prof. Debry also represented the IHU and its numerous opportunities for cooperation, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. The Indian delegation will shortly be visiting the IHU site to meet the various teams, in particular that of Prof. Nicolas Padoy.
The Institute of Image-Guided Surgery of Strasbourg is proud to announce its team’s brilliant participation in the 32nd annual congress of the EAES (European Association for Endoscopic Surgery) held in Maastricht in Netherlands. This prestigious event was marked by the success of the “H01. Hands-on Course Flexible Endoscopy”, directed by Professor Silvana Perretta (Director of Educational Programs at IHU Strasbourg).
The congress also saw the IHU participants take home a number of accolades, and engage with the worldwide congress attendants in practical and academic sessions:
9th Hands-on Course Flexible Endoscopy: Professor Silvana Perretta successfully organized this edition, attracting numerous participants and experts in the field.
Awards and distinctions:
Best Poster Award: Maria Vannucci (Fellowship New Hospital of Strasbourg/IHU Strasbourg) won this prize thanks to her insightful presentation on the cost-effectiveness of endoscopic gastroplasty.
Finalist for the G. Buess Award: Maria Vannucci’s outstanding work on gender differences in musculoskeletal pain among surgeons was recognized.
Winner of the EAES research grant: The innovative project “Surgical Annotations and Training Impact on Skill Evaluation and Formative Yield (SATISFY)” by Lorenzo Arboit, Pietro Mascagni, Salvador Morales Conde, Silvana Perretta and Nicolas Padoy (Scientific Director and Director of Research in Informatics and AI) was awarded this prestigious grant.
Advances and collaborations:
Bariatric endoscopy sessions: two highly successful course sessions led by Professor Silvana Perretta with renowned experts such as Santiago Horgan, Christine Stier, Phillip Chiu and Pietro Mascagni.
Innovative flexible robotics presentation: A presentation on advances in flexible robotics showed new possibilities for endoscopic procedures.
This success is a source of pride for the IHU Strasbourg and its teams and testifies to our commitment to innovation and excellence in the field of image-guided surgery.
Get ready to plunge into the exciting world of healthcare innovation at the 10th Hacking Health Camp 2024! IHU Strasbourg is proud to be a loyal partner of this unique project, to be held from April 5 to 7. This event promises to push the frontiers of healthcare innovation like never before.
The IHU Strasbourg Surgmetrics project was awarded the University Hospitals of Strasbourg Prize in 2023 for its ambition to improve real-time pre-operative diagnostics with aid of AI-based technology.
The concept
Get inspired: Immerse yourself in captivating discussions led by visionary speakers who are shaping the healthcare innovation landscape.
Learn: Explore the complex dimensions of healthcare innovation through legal, medical, technological, design and entrepreneurial aspects.
Do: Immerse yourself in the action by joining multidisciplinary teams to transform your innovative ideas into tangible prototypes in just 50 hours at the Hackathon!
How to get involved?
Carrying out a Project: Are you facing a recurring healthcare challenge? Share your project idea and collaborate with other experts, healthcare professionals and visionaries to bring it to life! Whether you’re a healthcare professional, paramedic, patient or caregiver, your contribution is invaluable.
Contribute to a Project: Whether you’re a developer, designer, healthcare professional or simply passionate about innovation, join us to contribute your expertise and make a significant impact!
Why take part?
Hacking Health Camp isn’t just a hackathon*, it’s an unprecedented opportunity to:
Push the boundaries of collaboration and problem-solving;
Design user-centered prototypes that meet real needs;
Refine your prototypes and understand the needs of the healthcare sector under the supervision of major industry players.
Save the date: April 5-7, 2004
Don’t miss this Hackathon for healthcare innovation! Reserve your place by registering here
Together, let’s spark a revolution in healthcare innovation! For more information, visit: hackinghealth.camp
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About Prof. Silvana Perretta
About SAGES
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