The Moral and Ethical Complexities of AI Utilization in Surgery

Prof. Gaya Spolverato trained at the Universities of Padua and Verona, with research fellowships at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution in Baltimore.

She completed her training as an International Clinical Fellow in Surgical Oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

She is currently an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology (DiSCOG) of the University of Padua.

In 2015, she co-founded Women in Surgery Italia, the association of Italian women surgeons.

She is the author of more than 200 scientific publications, Secretary General of the Italian Society of Oncologic Surgery (SICO), member of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO), and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). She serves on the editorial boards of journals including Artificial Intelligence Surgery and BMC Gastroenterology.

Her research focuses on oncologic surgery and gender equity in surgery. In recent years, she has developed an interest in the application of artificial intelligence to clinical surgery.

Professor Gumbs is the Director of Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery Excellence Center at the American Hospital of Tblisi. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Artificial Intelligence Surgery (aisjournal.net) and is the CEO of Talos Surgical (TalosSurgical.com), which specializes in autonomous surgery. Professor of Surgery at Grigol Robakidze University and the University of Magdeburg, he was previously Director of the Minimally Invasive Hepatic-Pancreatic-Biliary Surgery Program at SMG-MD Anderson Cancer Center and prior to that the Director of Minimally Invasive Hepatobiliary Surgery and at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been Instructor of Clinical Surgery at Cornell-Weill Medical College, Instructor of Clinical Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center. He is certified in general surgery, hepatic-pancreatic and biliary surgery, robotic and in laparoscopic surgery.

Antonella Ficorilli is a bioethicist, graduated in Philosophy. She held a PhD in Bioethics at Bologna University in 2009 and a Master’s Degree in Practical Ethics and Bioethics at Sapienza University of Rome in 2005 (Italy). She conducted research activities at Oxford University and other universities and scientific institutions. She is currently a temporary researcher at the Sapienza University of Rome, where she teaches bioethics and applied ethics topics.

Her main research interests are: applied ethics, bioethics,  research ethics, environmental ethics, citizen science.

My activity focuses on pancreatic surgery. Work experience includes several humanitarian missions in Balcanic area, Sierra Leone and Burundi.

I completed a PhD in Hepato-biliary and Pancreatic diseases at the University of Verona reporting the largest experience on RFA in advanced pancreatic carcinoma. Since 2012 I am active member of European Digestive Surgery (EDS) Society which focuses its surgical education programs in Eastern Europe and represent EDS at UEG meeting of members (2019-2022).

In 2015 I co-founded the first Italian Association of women surgeons (WIS Italia) and in 2020 the Associations of Women Leaders in Healthcare (LEADS) aiming to fight gender stereotypes in surgery at every level. Since 2017 I lead the Fellowship Program in Pancreatic Surgery at the Pederzoli Hospital and exported this experience in a larger program of Surgical Oncology lead by the Italian Association of Surgical Oncology. I currently have the position of Secretary-General of E-AHPBA where I started the first E-AHPBA Mentorship Program.

Since 2020 I am Associated Editor of Digestive Surgery and AISjournal, the official journal of WIS Italia, first journal totally focused on AI Surgery.

Principal interests are pancreatic cancer surgery, multidisciplinary approach to pancreatic cancer, AI, surgical oncology, education in surgery and the role of women surgeons worldwide. Strong believer in the value of a teamwork, I value networking and international collaborations as a strong background for progress in scientific and surgical field.