About Us
The Vattikuti Foundation (VF) is committed to making robotic surgery and other technologically advanced medical procedures of the future cost effective and available to underprivileged communities. The Foundation has partnered with hospitals around the world to create a Network of Institutes. These institutions are well developed, highly experienced and specialize in the areas of urology, cardiac surgery, gynaecology, ENT, surgical oncology, transplantation and gastro and hepato-billary surgery.
THE VATTIKUTI FOUNDATION IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL SHARING OF ROBOTIC SURGERY KNOWLEDGE.
This VFRSI portal is dedicated to bringing together institutions, professionals and patients with the objective of educating and mentoring the community in the field of minimally invasive surgery. The VF funds programs that educate, refine, inspire and provide equipment to bring this beneficial technology to the common man.
The members of the Vattikuti Network of Institutions and Network Doctors contribute frequently to this portal, making it a unique place for sharing a wealth of knowledge in the area of robotic surgery. This website gives the medical community the opportunity to view, participate and also contribute new ideas.
(photo below: early robotic OR)
FOUNDERS
THE PASSION OF RAJ AND PADMA VATTIKUTI KNOWS FEW BOUNDS. THE HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM HAVE AMBITIOUS PLANS TO TAKE ON GLOBAL CHALLENGES, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR NATIVE INDIA.
Most businessmen would be content with building a profitable company. Raj Vattikuti is not like most businessmen. The Vattikuti Foundation’s first initiative was supporting cancer research and treatment programs. This included donations to Henry Ford Hospital, where the Vattikuti Urology Institute was established, and Beaumont Hospital, home to the Vattikuti Digital Breast Diagnostic Center, both located in Michigan.
"I find that focused giving suits me best, as it can be difficult to make a true impact if you are supporting too many causes," Vattikuti says.
The Vattikuti Urology Institute (VUI) is a premier center of robotic surgery in the world. Dr. Mani Menon, Director Emeritus of the Institute and an eminent urology surgeon and his team developed the technique of robotic radical prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer. They have refined it over the years and shared it with colleagues worldwide. It is the "Gold Standard" for prostate cancer surgery today. The operation has been named after the Institute and is popularly known as Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy (VIP).
The VUI has also developed the techniques of Robotic Radical Cystectomy for the treatment of urinary bladder cancer, Robotic Partial Nephrectomy for the treatment of kidney cancer, and very recently, the Vattikuti Technique of Robotic Renal Transplantation, now being practiced in hospitals around the world, in partnership with several leading robotic surgeons. These are just some of the many minimally invasive techniques the VUI has pioneered. The Vattikuti Urology Institute has performed more than 10,000 robotic procedures and has published extensively in the prestigious urological journals. Most recently, the VUI has worked with leading Indian urologists to develop the Robotic Kidney Transplant With Regional Hypothermia, making kidney transplants safer, providing less pain and faster recovery for patients. It has become the standard of care in many transplant centers around the world.
In 2010, the Vattikuti Foundation extended its operations in India with a mission to establish cost effective robotic surgery. The Foundation is to be credited for developing robotic surgery in India. Currently, there are over 80 Indian robotic installations, performing upwards of 8000 procedures per year. The VF sponsors the Robotic Surgeons Council of India, a growing group of surgeons and students who meet annually to share together the latest in robotic surgery. To achieve Raj Vattikuti's goal of having 500 successful robotic surgeons in India by 2020, the VF is providing Fellowships to deserving students at hospitals and institutions across India and in the U. S. As of January, 2020, there are 7 current Fellowships, (plus two recently-completed International Fellowships of 2-weeks each at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.). New Vattikuti Fellowships for 2020, in various surgical specialties, will be announced soon. In 2019, the Foundation initiated sponsorship of the Joint Replacement Surgeons Council of India, hosting an initial meeting of orthopedic surgeons, followed by two Master Classes in Mumbai & Chennai.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
MAHENDRA BHANDARI, MBBS, MS (Surg), M,Ch (Uro), D.Sc. (Hon.) FAMS, FNA Sc, MBA (Ross School of Business, U. of Michigan), Graduate in Biostatistics (Harvard Ext. School), Principles of Economics, Stanford (Certificate of Distinction), has been the CEO of the Vattikuti Foundation since 2010. Under his leadership, the Foundation has played a significant role in the growth of robotic surgery globally, with a focus on India's healthcare needs.
Some of the Vattikuti Foundation initiatives under Dr. Bhandari's leadership include: The Robotic Surgeons Council of India (RSC), a group of high-achieving robotic surgeons who meet twice annually to share news, technique and ideas; The Vattikuti Fellowships in Robotic Surgery, now providing up to ten young surgeons specialty-specific training with volunteer mentor surgeons for a period of one year; Vattikuti Global Robotics Multispecialty Conferences have been held in 2012 and 2015 (in conjunction with the RSC); The Vattikuti Scholar Program, which has provided over 150 medical students acess to the Robotic Surgeons Council of India meetings; The Vattikuti Collective Quality Initiative, a growing database of robotic surgery surgeon and patient statistics, now being used by medical journal research because of the high-quality of data. This website, with news, publications, hundreds of robotic surgery videos and training information is another example of Dr. Bhandari's leadership. He initiated the formation of the Joint Replacement Surgeons Counccil of India in 2019.
He is also the Director of Robotic Surgery Research and Education, Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit. Currently, he is listed as an author in 71 PubMed-listed medical articles.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Mahendra+Bhandari