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

Our faculty members have appointments at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the region’s leading health care facility. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is consistently included in the Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and has 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 and cardiothoracic surgery.

Throughout the year, surgeons at WUIMIS offer courses for practicing surgeons in laparoscopic procedures such as complex ventral hernia repair. The MIS Section also offers a one-year clinical fellowship in minimally invasive surgery which is administered by the Fellowship Council (for details about the MIS Clinical Fellowship, visit the Fellowship Council website at www.fellowshipcouncil.org).

WUIMIS has a dedicated research laboratory and continues to be active on the frontiers of minimally invasive surgical research. As an example, gastroenterologists, GI and thoracic surgeons are working together to perform POEM procedures (per oral endoscopic myotomy) for the treatment of esophageal achalasia. This technique uses an endoscope placed into the mouth and then into the wall of the esophagus to divide the abnormal esophageal muscle that is a part of this condition.  

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 manager of research operations, or me with any questions about WUIMIS or its activities.

L. Michael Brunt

L. Michael Brunt, MD
Director, WUIMIS
Chief, Section of Minimally Invasive Surgery
Department of Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine