The contest is open to Robotic Surgeons at all levels, including Vattikuti Foundation Fellows and Residents.

The Detroit-based Foundation established the awards in memory of the late Subramaniam who, as the head of Vattikuti Technologies, played a key role in the establishment of robotic surgery in India.

According to Vattikuti Foundation CEO Dr. Mahendra Bhandari, “KS was a driving force in the development robotic surgery in India. He was a friend to all surgeons, and tireless in his efforts to bring its many benefits to surgeons and their patients. The Vattikuti Foundation is honoured to keep his memory alive with this awards program.”

The subject material of the videos submitted shall be on an aspect of robotic surgery. Any specialty is welcome, he added.

The winner would receive Rs 100,000 while the second and third runners-up would get Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively.

“Videos must be in HD, no longer than eight-minutes and use the .mp4 or .mov formats.  All videos must be completely self-contained, with narration, titles/labels and edited footage and graphics as required to effectively present your subject material, but no music is permitted because of copyright concerns,” the Foundation informed.

The Vattikuti Foundation has trained over 300 robotic surgeons in India by bringing in 150 mentors from outside the country to India over the last 10 years and organizing bi-annual sessions of Robotic Surgeons of Council of India, said Dr Bhandari who also serves as director of Robotic Surgery Education and Research at Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, USA.

Continuing its relentless focus in this key area, the Foundation organized the first meeting of the Joint Replacement Surgeons Council in India at New Delhi in May 2019 to replicate the success of Robotic Surgeons of Council.

These efforts have helped Indian surgeons to become accomplished in the new technology. Many Indian surgeons have created robotic surgery procedures that have been adopted by colleagues worldwide. The foundation has so far awarded one-year Vattikuti fellowships to nearly 50 specialist surgeons with post-graduate qualifications in surgery.

The last date to submit videos is Oct 1.