Sep 21, 2026
DGAV Abstract Award for Josephine Runge from the Surgical Skills Lab Dresden
Award winner Dr. med. Josephine Runge
Josephine Runge from the Surgical Skills Lab Dresden received the Abstract Award of the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV) at the Visceral Medicine Congress in Hamburg. The award recognizes her research on training methods for complex robot-assisted surgical procedures.
Josephine Runge receives DGAV Abstract Award
As robotic systems become increasingly important in surgery, effective training concepts are gaining relevance. Since access to surgical robots for training purposes is often limited in clinical practice, virtual reality simulators may provide a valuable alternative. Together with a Dresden-based research team, Josephine Runge investigated the effects of VR-based training compared with training on a physical platform in robotic pancreaticojejunostomy.
Josephine Runge DGAV-Abstract-Award
The results show that structured training improves surgical performance. At the same time, VR-based training proved to be a valid alternative to training on a physical platform. The findings also highlight the importance of focusing not only on procedural efficiency but also on careful tissue handling when developing future training concepts.
The award-winning study was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, the Surgical Skills Lab Dresden, and the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden.