Guwahati: The Governor of Assam, Gulab Chand Kataria, recently unveiled the inaugural edition of the 'International Journal of Advanced Robotic and Innovative Surgery' in Guwahati. The journal is the official publication of the Association of Robotic and Innovative Surgeons (ARIS). Last year, the First Robotic Surgeons Association of India and Southeast Asia was established in Guwahati, and within a year, it has successfully trained over 80 surgeons. The association is affiliated with the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Health and Educational Research in Chennai.
The event was attended by distinguished individuals such as Dr. Ashok Puranik, the executive director of AIIMS, Guwahati, and Professor P K Iyer, the officiating director of IIT, Guwahati. Professor Subhash Khanna, the founding president of ARIS and the chief editor of the journal, discussed the challenges of implementing robotic systems in small towns. He emphasized the global struggle in accessing this advanced technology for both clinical purposes and educational purposes over the past two decades. He also highlighted the birth of the Association of Robotic and Innovative Surgeons, the first independent Asian association dedicated to the advancement of Robotic Surgery. The association aims to push the boundaries of medical innovation, provide robust training and support systems, and ensure that the surgical community has access to the most advanced surgical models available.
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria commended the editorial board for launching the first journal of its kind on robotics. He stressed the importance of publishing work and clinical outcomes in peer-reviewed journals to ensure the completeness of techniques and procedures. The Governor expressed his desire for this technology to be accessible to the masses. Dr. Ashok Puranik and Professor P K Iyer also emphasized the need for collaboration between ARIS and research scientists from IIT, NIPER, and AIIMS.
The event was attended by esteemed individuals such as Professor USN Murty, the director of the National Institute of Pharmacological Education and Research, and Prof. Ramesh Chandra Deka, the Vice-Chancellor of Cotton University, along with past presidents of the Assam Surgeons Association.
The journal's editorial board consists of robotic surgeons from around the world, and it will be an Open Access Journal. Starting next year, it will be released quarterly. Dr. Raj Palaniappan from Apollo Hospital, Chennai, who serves as the deputy editor, informed that the journal will publish articles in various domains of robotics, including patent and web-based studies. It will also focus on applying science, technology, and innovation indicators to gain insights into research, innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystems at a country, regional, and sectoral level.
During the meeting, it was decided that the journal will encourage articles in contemporary areas such as open science, new tools and techniques, novel approaches for information retrieval, metrics, and emerging forms of publication.
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