We are thrilled to share with you a recap of the recent SELF Symposium that took place from August 20 to August 23 in Santa Clara, California. This event, attended by approximately 50 distinguished surgical and educational leaders around the world, marked a significant milestone in the journey toward universal access to high-quality surgical skills training.

A Shared Vision for Progress

The SELF Symposium brought together leaders from various disciplines to discuss the progress toward a future where self-administered surgical training is possible. The symposium aimed to forge a shared vision and consensus on a robust roadmap for achieving scalable surgical training through presentations, insightful discussions, and collaborative working groups.

Appropedia Foundation also attended the SELF Symposium. Our presence at the event reassured Appropedia's commitment to advancing sustainable solutions in surgical education and promoting universal access to top-notch education.

Exploring Crucial Topics

During the symposium, participants delved into critical topics that will shape the future of surgical training. These topics included:

• Establishing frameworks for self-assessment.
• Determining the level of fidelity in simulator materials.
• Ensuring the accessibility of training platforms.

Participants worked together to reach a consensus on standards and best practices for self-assessment, focusing on achieving appropriate realism in simulations. Additionally, the event emphasized the significance of making training content easily searchable and accessible to all.

The Mission of the SELF Symposium

At its core, the SELF Symposium is on a mission to revolutionize how clinicians learn new skills and promote universal access to top-notch education. By bringing leaders from diverse disciplines together, the symposium drives progress and fosters innovation in surgical skills training.

SELF, also known as the Surgical Education Learners Forum, is a program that uses Appropedia as a platform to enable surgical training access in low and middle-income countries. The initiative empowers healthcare professionals to learn and self-assess surgical skills through open-source training modules. In collaboration with Appropedia, SELF is dedicated to creating cost-effective surgical skill training materials and simulators. These modules will be accessible to everyone, enabling a learning approach beyond conventional educational channels.

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