Atrium Health, French surgical institute partner on innovation district

Atrium Health is working with IRCAD, a French-based surgical research and training institute, to form the organization’s first North American headquarters and create a space where surgeons can practice performing safer procedures.

The research building will be constructed in Charlotte, N.C.’s new innovation district, called “The Pearl,” next to the Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Charlotte campus currently being built, Atrium said Monday.

“We envision IRCAD being a ‘super magnet,’ attracting businesses, physicians and surgeons to train and collaborate in the latest surgical techniques, including: robotics, medical virtual and augmented reality, surgical artificial intelligence and simulation training,” said Eugene Woods, president and CEO of nonprofit Atrium Health, in a news release.

Called the Institut de Recherche contre les Cancers de l’Appareil Digestif in French, the Institute for Research into Cancer of the Digestive System focuses on educating physicians about minimally invasive surgery techniques through its robotics, research laboratories and research and development units in computer science.

The institute was founded in 1994 near the University Hospital of Strasbourg in France, and has expanded to six training centers in five countries, facilitating the education of more than 7,200 physicians annually in 18 specialties. IRCAD also runs the free minimally invasive surgery training website WeBSurg.

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Future physicians trained at Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s campuses in both Charlotte and Winston-Salem will be able to use IRCAD’s technology as part of their instruction.

IRCAD has robotics that design and develop tools for diagnosis and virtual reality systems that can transform a patient’s medical images into a virtual 3D clone, allowing surgeons to better prepare for surgery.