Minimally Invasive and Novel Therapeutics (MINT) 2026

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Course Overview

Current treatment strategies for patients with complex digestive disorders continue to evolve. This is largely the result of growing technological advances in surgery and endoscopy. The goal of the Minimally Invasive and Novel Therapeutics (MINT) course is to inform physicians on how best to incorporate these technologies into their practice. Using a video-based format, our goal is technique transfer from world-renowned faculty to the community, hospital, endoscopy suite, and operating room. MINT offers an ideal mix of traditional standard-of-care principles with a balanced and unbiased view of new, cutting-edge information. This course engages learners through video-based lectures with recordings of surgical and endoluminal therapies, along with lively multidisciplinary panel discussions.

Digestive disease management requires multidisciplinary care. This course intends to break the barriers of subspecialty medicine by bringing together gastroenterologists, surgeons, psychologists, APPs, nurses, and dietitians to learn from each other. Since many surgeons and endoscopists learn best by “doing”, this course offers hands-on skills sessions in both endoluminal therapies and surgical techniques taught by national and international experts.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for Physicians, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Dieticians, Physician Assistants, and other members of the healthcare team.

Location

Mass General Brigham,
Assembly Row
399 Revolution Drive, Somerville,MA

-AND-

The Row Hotel at Assembly Row, Autograph Collection
360 Foley St. Somerville, MA

Date & Time

Hands-On Lab at The Row Hotel at Assembly Row
Wednesday, August 12, 2026,

Didactic Sessions at
Mass General Brigham, Assembly Row
Thursday, August 13, 2026 -
Friday, August 14, 2026

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Course Directors

Charu Paranjape, MBBS

Faculty at Harvard Medical School
Program Director, Robotic Education,
Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Chair and Chief of General Surgery, Mass General Brigham,
Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Kumar Krishnan, MD

Assistant professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School;
Director of Endoscopic Innovation, Technology and Education,
Massachusetts General Hospital

Alexandra Maltby, PA-C

General Surgery Physician Assistant, Mass General Brigham, Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Invited Faculty

MGB Faculty

Abdelrahman Nimeri, MD

MD, FACS, FASMBS, DABOM
Director of Bariatric Surgery
Faculty, Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA

Ali Tavakkoli, MD

MD, FRCS
Francis Daniels Moore
Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA

Carlos Fernandez-del Castillo, MD

MD, FACS
Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Director, Pancreas & Biliary Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Denise Gee, MD

MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Director, MGH Weight Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Elan Witkowski, MD

MD, MS, FACS
Instructor in Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Jonah Cohen, MD

MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director, Bariatric Endoscopy
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Malcolm K. Robinson, MD

MD, FACS
Vice Chair of Surgery for Clinical Operations
Mass General Brigham
Surgical Director, Perioperative Services
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA
Associate Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School

Nari Sabeti, MD

MD
Medical Director,
Surgical Weight Loss Program
Mass General Brigham
Danvers, MA

Peter Fagenholz, MD

MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Surgical Director, Pancreatitis
Treatment Center, MGH
Boston, MA

Eric Sheu, MD, PhD

MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Chief, Bariatric & Foregut Surgery
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA

Susana Wishnia, MD

MD, FACS
General & Bariatric Surgeon
Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Mass General Brigham
Newton, MA

Domestic Invited Faculty

Ankit Patel, MD

MD, FACS, FASMBS
Professor of Surgery
Texas Christian University
Emory University Hospital
Atlanta, GA

Aurora Pryor, MD

MD, MBA, FACS, FASMBS
Professor & Chair of Surgery
Warren Alpert Medical School
Brown University Health
Providence, RI

Charles (Chas) Parsons, MD

MD
Instructor in Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Division of Acute Care Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, MA

Hany Takla, MD

MD, FACS, FASMBS, DABS-FPMBS
Bariatric & Robotic Surgeon
Orlando Health Weight Loss
and Bariatric Surgery Institute
Orlando, FL

Lee Kaplan, MD, PhD

MD, PhD, FTOS
Professor of Surgery
Geisel School of Medicine
Dartmouth Health
Lebanon, NH

Sarah Samreen, MD

MD, FACS
Director, Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery
Assistant Professor of Surgery
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX

Uzma Siddiqui, MD

MD, FACG, MASGE
Professor of Medicine
Director, CERT
University of Chicago Medicine
Chicago, IL

V. Raman Muthusamy, MD

MD, MAS, FACG, FASGE, AGAF
Professor of Medicine
Director of Endoscopy
UCLA Health
Los Angeles, CA

International Invited Faculty

Amol Bapaye, MD

MBBS, MS, MD, FASGE, FJGES
Director, Shivanand Desai
Center for Digestive Disorders
Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital
Pune, India

Deepak Subramanian, MD

MBBS, MS, MRCS, FIAGES, FICS, FALS, FIBC
Clinical Lead and Sr. Consultant
Dept of MIS and Robotic Surgery
MGM Healthcare
Chennai, India

Hugh McGregor, MD

MBBS, FRACS
General Surgeon
Associate Professor, Surgery
University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia

Hassan Mashbari, MD

MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Residency Program Director
Jazan University
Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Mohit Bhandari, MD

MBBS, MS, DMAS
Founder Director,
Mohak Bariatrics & Robotics
President, IRCAD India
Indore, India

Somyaa Khuller, MD

MBBS, DNB, FMAS, FIAGES, FALS
Lead Consultant, General Surgery
Senior Consultant, MIS & Robotic Surgery
KIMS Hospitals
Bengaluru, India

Suha Kaaki, MD

MD, FACS, FRCSC
Associate Professor of Surgery
Director, Thoracic Surgery
Fellowship Program
King Saud University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Zhifei Wang, MD

MD, MBA, FACS
Chair & Professor of Surgery
Director, Center for GERD
Co-Director, Center for Metabolic
& Bariatric Surgery
Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital
Hangzhou, China

Yahya al-Habbal, MD

MRCSI, FRACS, FACS
Upper GI, Bariatric & General Surgeon
Interventional Endoscopist
Hobson Healthcare
Melbourne, Australia

IAGES Faculty

Abhay Dalvi

Consultant, Gleneagles Hospital
Mumbai, India
President IAGES 2015

Anil Heroor

Head of Robotics, MIS and Surgical Oncology
KIMS Hospital
Thane, India

Arunima Verma

Head, Department of Surgery
Tata Motors Hospital
Jamshedpur, India

Ashish Dey

Senior Consultant, Laparoscopic and General Surgery
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
New Delhi, India

Ashwin Thangavelu

Hon. Secretary, IAGES
Chairman, Ashwin Hospital
Coimbatore, India

Balaji Singh Krishna

Dean, SriRamachandra Medical College
Porur, Chennai, India

Deep Goel

Director, Minimal Access, Bariatric and GI Surgery
BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital
New Delhi, India

Ganni Bhaskar Rao

Chairman, GSL Group of Institutions
Rajamahendravaram, India

K. Govindaraj

President, IAGES
Chairman, Dr G Viswanathan Hospitals
Tiruchirappalli, India

Kalaivani R

Professor of Surgery
Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Sciences
Bengaluru, India

M. Kanagavel

MBBS, DNB, MRCS (UK), FIAGES, MNAMS
Head, Dept of General GI and Minimal Access Surgery
St. Isabel Hospital
Chennai, India

Madhuri Patnaik

Clinical Lead, MIS and Robotics
Sparsh Healthcare
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Mahendra Narwaria

Chairman, Asian Bariatrics
Ahmedabad, India

Ramen Goel

Lead, Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery
Wockhardt Hospital
Mumbai, India

Ranbir Singh

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Christian Medical College
Ludhiana, India

Rupjyoti Dutta

Consultant Endolaparoscopic Surgeon
Dr. Damani's Nursing Home
Dibrugarh, Assam, India

S. Easwarmoorthy

Head of General, MIS and Endotherapy
Lotus Hospital
Erode, India

Sanjay Sonar

MBBS, MS
Director, Laparoscopy Centre
Godrej Memorial Hospital
Mumbai, India

Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Director, Digestive Surgery Clinic
Belle Vue Clinic / CMRI Hospital
Kolkata, India

Satish Midha

CEO and Founder, Vivekanand Hospital
Ranchi, India

Subhash Chawla

Professor and HOD
Maharishi Markandeshwar University
Mullana, India

Sunil Popat

Chairman, Dept of GI and Laparoscopic Surgery
Nidhi Hospital
Ahmedabad, India

Suresh Deshpande

Advisor, IAGES
India

Vishal Soni

Director & Clinical Lead
Apollo Centre of Excellence for Robotic Surgery
Ahmedabad, India

Zameer Pasha

Chairman, Shanawaz Hospital
Tiruchirappalli, India

IAGES Moderators

Karunaharan Thomas

Professor of Surgery
Trichy SRM Medical College
Trichy, India

Rajavel Kannaiyan

Managing Director, Velan Speciality Hospital
Tiruchirappalli, India

Venkatesh V

Chairman, VG Hospital
Coimbatore, India

Agenda

MINT 2026 Agenda

Agenda Subject to Change

Wednesday, August 12

The Row Hotel at Assembly Row · 360 Foley St, Somerville, MA

Hands-On Labs

12:00 – 5:00 PM

Hands-On Skills Sessions at The Row Hotel

Robotic Lab

Hands-On

Robotic Lab Faculty

Susana Wishnia

Hany Takla

Ankit Patel

Sarah Samreen

Hassan Mashbari

Deepak Subramanian

Zhifei Wang

Eran Brauner

5:00 – 9:00 PM

Castle Biosciences Happy Hour

The Row Dining Space, The Row Hotel at Assembly Row · 360 Foley Street, Somerville, MA 02145

Reception

Thursday, August 13

Mass General Brigham, Assembly Row · 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville, MA

7:30 – 8:30 AM

Breakfast

Morning Block · MINT Foregut

Moderators: Kumar Krishnan · Charu Paranjape · Uzma Siddiqui · Suha Kaaki

8:00 – 8:10 AM

Welcome & Overview

Charu Paranjape & Kumar Krishnan

8:10 – 8:20 AM

POEM...Tunneling for Success

Uzma Siddiqui

8:20 – 8:30 AM

Fundoplication: In Search of a Perfect Surgical Wrap

Charu Paranjape

8:30 – 8:40 AM

Approach to Persistent Dysphagia in Achalasia

Amol Bapaye

Virtual

8:40 – 9:05 AM

AI in Bariatric Surgery

Aurora Pryor

Keynote

Technique Transfer Session

Moderators: Aurora Pryor · V. Raman Muthusamy · Eric Sheu · Kumar Krishnan · Uzma Siddiqui

9:05 – 9:15 AM

POEM-F

Amol Bapaye

Virtual

9:15 – 9:25 AM

10 Preventive Strategies to Prevent an Unhappy Surgical GERD Patient

Eric Sheu

9:25 – 9:35 AM

Zenker's Diverticulum

Kumar Krishnan

9:35 – 9:45 AM

Esophageal EMR

V. Raman Muthusamy

9:45 – 10:05 AM

Panel Discussion / Q&A

10:05 – 10:35 AM

Coffee Break

Non-CME Sponsored Sessions / Product Theater

Moderators: Prakash Gatta · V. Raman Muthusamy · Hany Takla · Uzma Siddiqui · Somyaa Khuller

10:35 – 11:05 AM

TissueCypher: Unlocking Barrett's with Molecular Precision

Castle Biosciences · Panel: Ramen Muthusamy, MD, Kumar Krishnan, MD, and Emmanuel Gorospe, MD

Non-CME

11:05 – 11:35 AM

The cTIF Revolution: A New Era in Reflux Surgery?

Merit Medical · Ramen Muthusamy, MD

Non-CME

11:35 AM – 12:35 PM

Lunch

MINT / IAGES Joint Session

Moderators: Hany Takla · Satish Midha – Deep Goel · Hugh McGregor

12:35 – 12:50 PM

Spyglass as a Saviour in Pregnancy and Altered Anatomy

K. Govindaraj

12:50 – 1:05 PM

Revision surgery after fundoplication

Dr Deep Goel

1:05 – 1:20 PM

Robotic Adrenalectomy

Dr A Zameer Pasha

1:20 – 1:35 PM

Minimally Invasive: Lateral Pancreatico Jejunostomy for Chronic Pancreatitis

SriKrishna Das

1:35 – 1:50 PM

eTEP Inguinal Outcomes

M. Kanagavel

1:50 – 2:05 PM

Simulation in Advanced Surgical Training

Ganni Bhaskar Rao

2:05 – 2:10 PM

Break

Multidisciplinary Management of Biliary Disease

Moderators: Uzma Siddiqui · Kumar Krishnan · Elan Witkowski · Aurora Pryor

2:10 – 2:30 PM

From Frustration to Fragmentation: The Endoscopic Evolution of Difficult Bile Duct Stone Management

V. Raman Muthusamy

2:30 – 2:50 PM

Choledochoscopy Tips from the Expert

Elan Witkowski

2:50 – 3:10 PM

Beyond the Basics: Biliary Disease in Post-Operative Anatomy

Uzma Siddiqui

3:10 – 3:30 PM

CBDE Exploration: Panel Discussion

Carlos Fernandez-del Castillo & Peter Fagenholz

3:30 – 3:45 PM

Questions & Break

4:30 – 6:30 PM

Welcome Reception with Industry (Exhibit Hall)

The Row Hotel (Assembly AB) · Attendees & Industry

Reception

Friday, August 14

Mass General Brigham, Assembly Row · 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville, MA

7:30 – 8:30 AM

Breakfast

Bariatric Surgery & Medicine

Moderators: Lee Kaplan · Ankit Patel · Sarfaraz Baig

8:05 – 8:25 AM

Optimizing Outcomes After RYGB: Tips from the Expert

Elan Witkowski

8:25 – 8:45 AM

The Perfect ESG...A Stitch in Time

Mohit Bhandari

Virtual

8:45 – 9:15 AM

Reflux Disease in Obesity: Surgical and Endoscopic Options

Ankit Patel

9:15 – 9:45 AM

Surgical Approach to Weight Gain in the Era of GLP-1 Agonists

Yahya Al-Habbal

9:45 – 9:55 AM

Questions

10:00 – 10:25 AM

A New Era in Obesity Management: What Every Surgeon/Endoscopist Needs to Know About Pharmacotherapy's Impact

Lee Kaplan

Keynote

10:25 – 10:55 AM

Break

Non-CME Event: Fatty Liver in the Bariatric Population

10:55 – 11:40 AM

Rezdiffra: Unlocking the Potential of a Liver-Directed Treatment

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals · Fred Gordon, MD

Non-CME

11:40 AM – 12:10 PM

Leveraging Digital Surgery for Resident Education

Intuitive Surgical · Ankit Patel

Non-CME

12:10 – 12:40 PM

Lunch

MINT Best Video Session

Moderators: M. Kanagavel · Susana Wishnia

12:15 – 1:15 PM

IAGES Video Abstracts

Markell A · Runs while lunch is served

MINT International Session

Moderators: Eran Brauner · Hassan Mashbari · Kanagaraj Govindaraj · Suha Kaaki · Hugh McGregor

12:40 – 12:50 PM

Robotic Esophagectomy

Suha Kaaki

12:50 – 1:00 PM

Conversion of MGB to RYGB for Reflux

Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

1:00 – 1:10 PM

Robotic D2 Gastrectomy

Anil Heroor

1:10 – 1:20 PM

Robotic eTEP repair of umbilical hernia with divarication of recti with Carolinas crossover and eTEP inguinal hernia repair – Single dock technique

Pari Muthukumar

1:20 – 1:30 PM

Robotic repair for recurrent inguinal hernia following laparoscopic eTEP inguinal hernia repair

Subbiah Sivagnanam

1:30 – 1:40 PM

Hydatid Cysts of Liver and Spleen

Subhash Chawla

1:40 – 1:50 PM

Masquerading Appendix

Satish Midha

Hernia Session · Chairs: Hany Takla & Elan Witkowski

Moderators: Hany Takla · Elan Witkowski · Nari Sabeti · Ashwin Thangavelu · Karunaharan Thomas · Deepak Subramanian · M. Kanagavel

1:55 – 2:10 PM

Robotic Neurectomy: When and How

Hugh McGregor

2:10 – 2:20 PM

Preperitoneal Plane: Road Less Travelled

Deepak Subramanian

2:20 – 2:30 PM

Robotic Component Separation: Why and How

Hany Takla

2:30 – 2:40 PM

Fasciotens

Sanjay Sonar

2:40 – 2:50 PM

PeTEP for Ventral Hernia

Ashwin Thangavelu

2:50 – 3:00 PM

Robotic Approach for Emergency Hernias

Chas Parsons

3:00 – 3:10 PM

IPOM vs IPOM-Plus vs Sublay: Choosing and Executing the Right Repair

Nari Sabeti

3:10 – 3:20 PM

Robotic Primary Lumbar Hernia Repair - TAPP

Shobana Mohandoss

3:20 – 3:30 PM

From Simulation to Scalpel: Training Proficiency in Foregut and Hernia Surgery

Zhifei Wang

3:30 – 3:45 PM

Break

3:45 – 3:55 PM

Robotic RAMPS

Deep Goel

3:55 – 4:05 PM

Robotic TAR

Vishal Soni

4:05 – 4:15 PM

Lap vs Robotic TAPP: When and How?

Somyaa Khuller

4:15 – 4:25 PM

Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome

Ashish Dey

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by HealthLYNX, LLC and Pinnacle Conference, LLC. Pinnacle Conference, LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

For more information on Accreditation and Disclosures please click HERE.