The second week of the International Summer School of Experimental Surgery has started at the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen. This unique program is designed for medical students from 3rd year upwards who want to specialize in surgery in the future. The faculty offers them comprehensive training from theoretical basics to challenging practical skills.
Participants attend blocks of lectures by Czech and foreign experts on the principles of surgical methods, anaesthesia and perioperative care of animal models, experimental radiology or evaluation of results. The practical part begins with training in basic suturing techniques and vascular anastomoses on pig feet and other biological models and continues with more complex procedures on live animal models.
The summer school also emphasizes modern and more ethical approaches that can replace, complement or refine experiments (the 3R approach – Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). Therefore, the programme includes sessions on software modelling of surgical procedures and simulations, statistical data processing or working with tissue culture and the basics of tissue engineering.
This year’s 12th edition is attended by 33 students, with Belgium being the most represented (13 students), 7 students from the Czech Republic, three from Germany, two from Switzerland, one each from India, Canada, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Greece, Slovenia, Spain and the USA. In addition to the intensive professional programme, there is also an accompanying leisure programme, during which the participants can get to know each other and Pilsen better.
A photo gallery and detailed information about the Summer School of Experimental Surgery (30 June – 11 July 2025) can be found on the website: http://www.sses.eu.
