Teodor Grantcharov, MD, PhD, FACS |
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| Dr. Teodor Grantcharov completed his surgical training at the University of Copenhagen, and a doctoral degree in Medical Sciences at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. Dr. Grantcharov is a Professor of Surgery at Stanford University and Associate Chief Quality Officer for Innovation and Safety at Stanford Healthcare. Prior to joining Stanford, Dr. Grantcharov was a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and Keenan Chair in Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He was the Founder of the International Centre for Surgical Safety – a multidisciplinary group of visionary scientists with expertise in design, human factors, computer- and data science, and healthcare research. He previously held Canada Research Chair in Simulation and Surgical Safety and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II diamond jubilee medal for his contributions to clinical research and patient safety in Canada. Dr. Grantcharov was awarded the honorary fellowship of the Imperial College in London, the honorary fellowships of the Bulgarian, Danish and Brazilian surgical societies, the Spinoza Chair in Surgery from the University of Amsterdam and multiple national and international awards for his contributions to surgical education and surgical safety. Dr. Grantcharov’s clinical interest is the area of minimally invasive surgery, while his academic focus is in the field of surgical innovation and patient safety. He has become internationally recognized as a leader in this area with his work on curriculum design, assessment of competence and impact of surgical performance on clinical outcomes. Dr. Grantcharov developed the surgical Black Box concept, which aims to transform the safety culture in medicine and introduce modern safety management systems in the high-risk operating room environment. Dr. Grantcharov has more than 220 peer-reviewed publications and more than 200 invited presentations in Europe, South- and North America. He holds several patents and is the Founder of Surgical Safety Technologies Inc – an academic startup that commercializes the OR Black Box platform. He sits on numerous committees with Surgical Professional Societies in North America and Europe. |
Robert M. Sweet, MD, FACS, MAMSE |
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| Dr. Sweet is a Professor of Urology, Surgery and Bioengineering at the University of Washington and was the Founding Medical Director of the UW Medicine Kidney Stone Center. Dr. Sweet founded and led the University of Minnesota’s SimPORTAL and cofounded the University of Washington’s ISIS which was renamed the University of Washington of the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho Institute for Simulation Technologies (WISH) when he assumed the Executive Director position. He is the PI for all programs in the Center for Research in Education and Simulation Technologies (CREST) including the “UMN Combat Casualty Care Consortium” and the “Advanced Modular Manikin” projects. CREST programs have been funded by the Department of Defense, NIH and industry and has led to the development of numerous healthcare simulation training devices and curricula. Effective January 1, 2020, a Division of Healthcare Simulation Sciences, uniting WISH, CREST and healthcare simulation academic programs under a formal academic unit, was established at the University of Washington with Dr. Sweet now serving as the Founding Division Chief. Dr. Sweet is the Principal Investigator of numerous simulation research and development projects. Seattle Business Magazine Awarded him and his programs the 2019 “Leaders in Health Care, Achievement in Medical Technology” Gold Award. Dr. Sweet has served in leadership positions in simulation and education within the American College of Surgeons, the Society for Laparoendoscopic and Robotic Surgeons, the Endourology Society and the American Urological Association. Dr. Sweet helped develop the Surgical Simulation Fellowship Accreditation Program for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education and started two such programs at the Universities of Minnesota and Washington. He is most proud of the accomplishments of his graduating fellows. For his contributions to surgical education, Dr. Sweet was the recipient of the 2015 Arthur Smith Award, inducted into the 2018 inaugural class as a Member of the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators™, received a 2019 American Urological Assocation Distinguished Contribution Award and was the 2023 Society of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeons Excel Award winner. |