Dr. David Samadi, vice chairman, Department of Urology, and chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, welcomed 130 academically outstanding high school students to witness a live robotic prostatectomy procedure. National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine (NYLF/MED) invited Dr. Samadi to be part of their ten-day residential program for exceptional high school students in the greater tri-state area. As a leading urologist in New York and an expert in prostrate cancer treatment and robotic surgery procedures, Dr. Samadi's live surgery was a great draw to students participating in the program.

National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine provides sophomore, junior and senior high school students who excel in science and math, typically with a 3.0 GPA in these subjects, an opportunity to experience healthcare first hand. In addition to their outstanding academic record, students are selected for the program based on nominations and/or recommendations from teachers or past program participants, as well as their interest in the medical field. The tuition and scholarship-based program has an 18-year history in cities throughout the United States, giving students access to experts from the nation's top medical centers. "The more excited students are about healthcare, the more great minds we have entering our institutions,” Dr. Samadi said.

The students attended the 7 am live surgery, witnessing the event via closed circuit TV at a Mount Sinai Medical Center education facility. Immediately following the surgery, Dr. Samadi joined the students for a question and answer session. Students had the opportunity to ask Dr. Samadi directly about the specifics of the procedure, ranging from the limited blood loss, to patient recovery time, to the amount of training required in order to perform such procedures.

SOURCE: PR Newswire