#Regional News: Guwahati, Assam, June 11, 2023 Hon’ble Governor of Assam Shri Gulab Chand Kataria released the inaugural edition of the “International Journal of Advanced Robotic and Innovative Surgery”, the official journal of the Association of Robotic and Innovative Surgeons (ARIS) in a glittering function held on the 11th of June 2023 at a city hotel in Guwahati.
It was a historical moment last year when in the month of April 2022 the First Robotic Surgeons association of India and South east Asia was born in Guwahati. Within a short span of one year the association has trained over 80 Surgeons and have also been affiliated with the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Health and Educational Research, Chennai.
The Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Dr. Ashok Puranik, Executive Director, AIIMS, Guwahati and Prof. P.K. Iyer, Officiating Director of IIT, Guwahati.
Prof Subhash Khanna, the Founding President of ARIS and Chief Editor of the Journal, in his address to the audience spoke about the challenges of establishing a robotic system in small towns and how the access to this brilliant technology, for both clinical use and learning perspective has been a challenge across the globe for last two decades. He also spoke briefly on the birth of the Association of Robotic and Innovative Surgeons, the first independent Asian association dedicated to the development of Robotic Surgery and how it is committed to continue pushing the boundaries of medical innovation ensuring that surgical community receives the most advanced surgical model available including robust training and support system. While speaking on the occasion Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Sri Gulab Chand Kataria congratulated the editorial board for coming up with the first such journal on Robotics. He also expressed that no technique nor procedure is complete unless the work and its clinical outcome is published in peer reviewed journals. He expressed his desire of the technology to be made available for masses. While speaking on the occasion Dr. Ashok Puranik, Executive Director, AIIMS, Guwahati and Prof. P.K. Iyer, Officiating Director, IIT, Guwahati expressed happiness on such a development and expressed their views on that ARIS should come with innovative work jointly with the research scientists of the IIT, NIPER and AIIMS.
The meeting was also allotted by Prof. USN Murty the Director of National Institute of Pharmacological Education and Research and Prof. Ramesh Chandra Deka the V.C. of Cotton University and a galaxy of other dignitaries including many past presidents of Assam Surgeons Association.
Dr Belal Bin Asaf the robotic thoracic surgeon and sectional editor of the thoracic section also attended the programme whereas all overseas editorial board members did join virtually.
The editorial board members of the Journal are Robotic Surgeons from all over the world encompassing all specialties and the Journal shall be an Open Access Journal and shall be released quarterly from next year as informed by the Deputy Editor Dr. Raj Palaniappan of Apollo Hospital Chennai. He mentioned that the Journal shall publish articles in different domains of robotics, including patent studies (technometrics) and web-based studies (webometrics). It shall also publish articles that apply science-technology-innovation indicators to draw insights into country/regional/sectoral research, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Articles in areas of contemporary focus such as open science, new tools, and techniques including new approaches for information retrieval, metrics, and new forms of publications among others shall be encouraged.
