Gregory Mancini
Professor in the Division of General Surgery, The University of Tennessee Medical Science Center

Talk Title
Medtech Innovation in an era of healthcare change: tales from a front line surgeon

Time
April 23 at 2:10pm

Bio: Gregory J. Mancini, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville, with over 18 years of experience in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. His work with medical device companies has contributed to advancements in robotic platforms, energy devices, stapling technologies, and hernia repair materials, improving surgical outcomes.
Dr. Mancini earned his B.A. from Columbia University and M.D. from Mercer University, where he received multiple honors, including Alpha Omega Alpha membership. He completed his surgical training at the University of Tennessee and a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Missouri. He has held progressive academic appointments at the University of Tennessee since 2006 and is currently a Professor of Surgery.
He has received numerous awards for teaching and research, including induction into the UTHSC Academy of Master Educators. As Program Director of the Advanced MIS and Bariatric Fellowship since 2014, he has trained 12 fellows in advanced surgical techniques and research.
Dr. Mancini’s research includes developing an implantable wireless laparoscope in collaboration with the UT Bioengineering Lab, focusing on integration with robotic systems and AI-driven imaging to enhance surgical precision.
He also serves as Vice President of the Center for Perioperative Medicine at UT Medical Center and is a founder of the Tennessee Institute of Surgical Innovation. He is an active member of multiple national surgical societies.

Mahdi Tavakoli
Professor & Research Chair in Healthcare Robotics, University of Alberta Engineering

Talk Title
From Shared Autonomy to Learned Autonomy in Surgical Robotics

Time
April 24 at 11:20am

Bio: Mahdi Tavakoli is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Biomedical Engineering Department and a Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Healthcare Robotics. He is also Co-Director of the Mechatronics & Robotics Co-op Engineering Program at the University of Alberta. He received his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 2005. From 2006 to 2008, he was a post-doctoral researcher at Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR), Canada, and an NSERC Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard University, USA. Dr. Tavakoli’s research interests involve medical robotics, image-guided surgery, and rehabilitation robotics. Dr. Tavakoli is the Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Robotics and AI (Robot Design Section). He is a Senior Member of IEEE and an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Robotics Research, IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, and Journal of Medical Robotics Research.