Facebook
X
LinkedIn
ForwardMinimally Invasive General Surgery (MIGS) Symposium
This activity is designed to enhance knowledge and competence in the diagnosis and treatment of benign foregut disease, obesity, hernias, and complications associated with foregut surgery. Additional educational objectives include improving competence in video-based case review and the application of artificial intelligence to surgical quality improvement. By strengthening competence in these areas, the program aims to improve surgical performance and ultimately enhance patient outcomes.
Target Audience
- Physicians and APPs
- Surgeons (general surgeons, thoracic surgeons, surgical residents and fellows)
- Gastroenterologists
- Primary care providers
- Advanced practice providers
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Describe standard of care treatment and national recommendations for the management of obesity, achalasia, gastroparesis, and complex foregut complications.
- Identify the surgical approach options and mesh repair options for hernias, with considerations for patient preference, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, outcomes, and evidence-based guidelines
- Cite the national recommendations for the management of choledocholithiasis and identify the reasons for a shifting treating algorithm.
Course summary
- 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- 5.25 Hours of ParticipationHours of Participation credit.
| MIGS Symposium Agenda November 14, 2026 | |||
| Session | Time | Event / Talk Title | Speaker |
| Welcome | 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast and Registration | |
| Session I - Advances in Minimally Invasive Surgery Chair: Higgins | 10:00 a.m. | Welcome and Initiation | Higgins |
| 10:00 a.m. | Bariatric surgery in the GLP-1 era | Kindel | |
| 10:30 a.m. | Trust, Transparency, and Ethics - Building Confidence in AI for Surgical Care | Gould | |
| 11:00 a.m. | Video-based Assessment for Surgical Skill | Ritter | |
| 11:30 a.m. | Optimizing Surgeon Ergonomics in Minimally Invasive Surgery | Higgins | |
| Lunch | 12:00 p.m | Lunch | |
| Session II - Foregut Chair: Kastenmeier | 12:30 p.m. | Lap Common Bile Duct Exploration for Choledocholithiasis | Turner |
| 1:00 p.m. | Endoscopic GERD treatment - Ready for Primetime? | Marks | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Endoscopic management of complications following upper GI surgery - leaks, fistulas, infection, enteral access | Valukas-Scifo | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Surgery vs Watchful Waiting for Paraesophageal Hernia: How to Counsel Patients | Kastenmeier | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Break | ||
| Session III - Hernia Chair: Goldblatt | 2:45 p.m. | Review of Robotic Approaches for Hernias | Tan |
| 3:15 p.m. | Absorbable Mesh: When Should It Be Used? | Goldblatt | |
| 3:45 p.m. | Redefining Success: The Evolution of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) | Halbert | |
| 4:15 p.m. | Inguinal Hernia Repair - What is the role of open and laparoscopic repair in the robotic era? | Lak | |
| 4:45 p.m. | Adjourn | ||
Travel
Please Park in the parking lot off Grant Street between Third and Fourth Streets in lot P11 or P14.
Speakers:
In accordance with the ACCME® Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, Standard 3, all persons in control of content must disclose any relevant financial relationships. It is the policy of the Medical College of Wisconsin to identify, mitigate and disclose the absence or presence of all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies held by the speakers/presenters, authors, planners, and other persons who may influence content of this accredited continuing education. The following in control of content had no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
- TBD
The following persons in control of content disclosed the following financial relationships, which were reviewed via the MCW conflict of interest mitigation process and addressed:
Name | Company | Role |
Matthew Goldblatt, MD | Medtronic, WL Gore | Consultant |
Rana Higgins, MD | WL Gore, Intuitive Surgical, Medtronic | Speaker |
| Tammy Kindel, MD | Johnson and Johnson | Consultant, Speaker |
Available Credit
- 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- 5.25 Hours of ParticipationHours of Participation credit.
TBD
Price
REGISTRATION:
Register at ocpe.mcw.edu. If you don’t have an account, click “Create New Visitor Account” in the lower right corner. Once your account is created, select 2026 Advances in Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium under “Featured Courses,” register, and follow the prompts.
All registrations will be assessed $1.00 non-refundable processing fee.
PLEASE NOTE! The billing address entered upon checkout must match the billing address on the credit card you will be using to pay for this course. MCW accepts MasterCard, VISA and Discover card. For a more user-friendly registration and payment experience, Google Chrome is the recommended web browser.
FEES:
| Registration Category | Early Bird (through Oct. 14) | Regular Fee (after Oct. 14) |
| Physician | $125 | $150 |
Advanced Practice Providers, Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals | $50 | $75 |
| Fellows, Residents, and Students | Complimentary | Complimentary |
Registration scams:
Registration for courses managed by MCW Office of Continuing Professional Development can only be completed through our portal at https://ocpe.mcw.edu/. Course registrations made through other sites cannot be honored. MCW Office of Continuing Professional Development is not able to refund fees paid through unaffiliated registration sites, such as eMedEvents.com, MedConfWorld.com, EventEgg.com, and 10times.com. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations to [email protected].