On Feb.13, the Surgical Minimally-invasive and Artificial-intelligent Robotic Training Centre (S.M.A.R.T) under CUHK-Shenzhen’s School of Medicine was officially launched. The establishment of the centre marks a significant milestone in the development of the School of Medicine, representing another innovative endeavor in the field of medical education. It aims to contribute wisdom and strength to the healthcare sector in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and beyond.

The centre aims to provide students with direct access to cutting-edge tools early in their training journey, empowering them to grow and excel with their “intelligent skills with benevolent hearts” in real-world scenarios. It adheres to the "crawl, walk, run" philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of gradual skill development through a structured and stepwise approach. This carefully designed progression begins with mastering anatomy and fundamental surgical skills, transitions to laparoscopic techniques, and ultimately advances to the complexities of robotic surgery.

Davy Cheng, the founding dean of the School of Medicine at CUHK-Shenzhen, said, “The mission of the medical school is to train future-leading doctors for the GBA and the world. Exposure to minimally invasive and robotic technologies represents the future of surgical procedures, which requires medical students to acquire these skills during their studies, rather than learning them after becoming doctors.”

Distinguished guests (from left):

Au Kwok Wai, CEO of Cornerstone Robotics

Davy Cheng, Founding Dean of the School of Medicine, CUHK-Shenzhen; Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Liping Zhou, Deputy Director of Shenzhen Health Commission

Lo Yuk Ming, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chairman of Governing Board, CUHK-Shenzhen; Vice-Chancellor of CUHK

Yangsheng Xu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, President of CUHK-Shenzhen

Rujin Wang, Deputy Director of Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau

Philip Wai Yan Chiu, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK

Ban Tsui, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada; Executive Associate Dean of the School of Medicine, CUHK-Shenzhen