Participating institutions

• Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, Italy – contact person: Ms Floriana Conte, email: floriana.conte@unicatt.it
• Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland – contact person: Ms Małgorzata Rumińska, email: sekretariat_k_ock@orsk.pl
• University of Zagreb, Croatia – contact person: Prof. Zdravko Petanjek, MD, Ph.D., email: zdravko.petanjek@mef.hr
• Masaryk University, Czechia (coordinator) – contact person: Bc. Hana Suchá, email: hana.sucha@med.muni.cz

Participating anatomical and surgical specialisation

• Abdominal (gastroenterical/GIT) surgery - contact persons:  Dr. Branco Bogdanic, MD, Ph.D., email: dr.bogdanic@gmail.com,  MUDr. Tomáš Grolich. Ph.D., email: grolich.tomas@fnbrno.cz  
• Anatomy - contact persons:  Prof. Zdravko Petanjek, MD, Ph.D., email: zdravko.petanjek@mef.hr,  doc. Marek Joukal, Ph.D., email: mjoukal@med.muni.cz
• Neurosurgery - contact persons:  Dr. Sergej Marasanov, MD,Ph.D., email: smmarasanov@gmail.com,  MUDr. Andrej Mrlian, Ph.D., email: andrejmrlian@gmail.com
• Spondylosurgery - contact persons:  Prof. Lukasz Kubaszewski, MD, Ph.D., email: lkubaszewski@orsk.pl,  MUDr. Jan Kocanda, Ph.D., kocanda@med.muni.cz
• Plastic surgery - contact persons:  Prof. Marzia Salgarello, MD, Ph.D., email: marzia.salgarello@unicatt.it,  doc. MUDr. Libor Streit, Ph.D., email: streit.libor@fnbrno.cz

Learning, Teaching, Training Activities

Each of the four surgical specialisations participated in the following type of activities once per year (project duration is 3 years):

C1 - C3: Blended summer schools of surgery

This activity took place physically at Masaryk University (Czechia) - Department of Anatomy and Simulation centre. Here, the participants had a chance to practically train and enhance their surgical skills using simulators and bodies of donors to practice various surgical procedures. There was also a possibility to record the lectures and/or training sessions in dissection room to produce more project results (i.e. videos). The target participants were PG students specialising in surgery (early-career surgeons) and academics (more senior surgeons and anatomists). The project proposed that 2 academics and 4 students from MU will be involved in this activity, as well as 2 academics and 4 students from each partner institution. It was intended that new students would take part in this activity every year. Each surgical specialisation had their own summer school of surgery running yearly for the duration of the project (total number of summer schools was 3 for each of the surgical specialisations. There was also an extra activity organised for anatomists from University of Zagreb. These colleagues visited our department to observe the set up and organisation of the summer school of surgery with. Their goal was to collect know how and inspiration, so they can organise similar activites and specialised surgical courses at their home institution. Following summer schools of surgery were organised as part of this project:

Internship

This activity was closely tied to the Blended Summer schools of surgery (C1-C3), as these were the internships at one of four surgical departments (plastic, neuro, spondylo/orthopaedic, gastrointestinal surgery) of Masaryk University for PG students from our three partner institutions (each of the fours surgical specialisations). The internship was intended to last for 5 days, and gave an opportunity to 4 students to observe, assist and discuss real cases at the foreign surgical departments of their specialisation. The PG students from their respective field of surgery were able to enhance their practical surgical skill via participation in international internships at the partner institution in their respective field of specialisation. The students were able to observe and assist with specialised surgical procedures they might not necessarily encounter at their home institution. The students were under the mentorship of world-renown experienced surgeons and the academics (surgeons) were in turn able to instruct and collaborate with the PG students from a department with possibly slightly different focus to their own, gaining so a different perspective on a given case. It was planned that new PG students would participate in this activity every year for the duration of the project. Following internships were organised as part of this project:

Short course and intership

The short course was proposed to last for 3 days and was intended for the postgraduate students/early career surgeons (4 from the host institution, 4 from Masaryk University) and academics (1 from the host institution, 1 from Masaryk University) working in their respective surgical specialisation. The internship was planned to be tied to the short course (took place either directly before or after the short course). The target group for these internships were PG students from Masaryk University (4 participants). The internship was planned to last for 5 days. This activity gave participants the opportunity to observe, assist and discuss real cases at the foreign surgical departments of their specialisation. Furthermore, they had an opportunity to observe surgical procedures and discuss techniques and approaches practiced by the host department. The PG students were able to enhance their knowledge and practical surgical skills as they were able to observe and assist with specialised surgical procedures they might not necessarily encounter at their home institution. The students were under the mentorship of world-renown senior surgeons and the academics (surgeons) had a great opportunity to instruct and collaborate with the PG students from a department with perhaps a slightly different focus. Therefore, the participating senior surgeons (academics) could gain a different perspective on given case. This activity also helped with increasing of expertise of European surgeons by enhancing the surgical experience of students as well as academics. Moreover, the weekend between the short course and the internship part of the activity was usually filled with a cultural program and exploration of the surroundings which helped with networking and socialisation of the two collaborating teams. Following short courses + internships were organised as part of this project: