When the Washington University Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery (WUIMIS) was established in 1993, it was the first multidisciplinary group of surgeons in the country formed to advance research, education and patient care in minimally invasive surgery. Today, surgeons in 10 specialties remain dedicated to the Institute’s mission:

• Promoting clinical excellence in minimally invasive surgery
• Serving as a training and education center in advanced laparoscopic surgery
• Developing and standardizing techniques in advanced laparoscopic surgery
• Fostering clinical and basic-science translational research in the field of minimally invasive surgery.

Our faculty members have appointments at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the region’s leading health care facility. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is ranked ninth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and earned specific citations in many specialties that play roles in WUIMIS. The Institute is a collaborative effort of faculty from the areas of gastroenterology, urology, and obstetrics and gynecology, and the surgical subspecialities of minimally invasive gastrointestinal, neurological, hepatobiliary-pancreatic, colorectal, transplantation, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery.

Throughout the year, general surgeons at WUIMIS offer courses for practicing surgeons in laparoscopic procedures such as hand-assisted colorectal surgery and ventral hernia repair. Under the direction of L. Michael Brunt, M.D., WUIMIS faculty members from the sections of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, also offer a one-year clinical fellowship in minimally invasive surgery.
WUIMIS has a dedicated research laboratory and continues to be active on the frontiers of minimally invasive surgical research. As an example, gastroenterologists and general surgeons are moving forward on the development of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). This technique — currently in concept stage — would use an endoscope placed into the mouth and then through the stomach to remove the appendix or gallbladder or to perform other procedures.

This website offers more specific details on our research and educational programs as well as links to the minimally invasive procedures that our faculty members offer. Please feel free to contact Peggy Frisella, our clinical lab manager, or me with any questions about WUIMIS or its activities.

Brent D. Matthews, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Director, WUIMIS
Chief, Section of Minimally Invasive Surgery
Department of Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine