Opening of IRCAD América Latina (Barretos unit, Brazil)

IRCAD has inaugurated a new research and training center in the State of Sao Paulo in Brazil in partnership with the Hospital de Câncer de Barretos.
[video_ircad file=”20110709_IRCAD_Brazil” lang=”en” credits=”M. Heidmann – X. Ganaye / IRCAD”]

On July 9, 2011, IRCAD (Research Institute against Digestive Cancer) inaugurated its second international branch, IRCAD Latin America, a new research and training center in minimally invasive surgery located in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil, in the presence of Prof. Jacques Marescaux, president of IRCAD, Mr. Henrique Prata, director of Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, Mrs. Sybill Storz, CEO of Karl Storz Endoskope, Mr. Roland Ries, Senator-Mayor of Strasbourg, Mr. Arnold Munnich, counselor of President Nicolas Sarkozy for biomedical research and health, Mr. Yves Bur, parliamentarian, Mr. François Loos, parliamentarian, former Minister, Vice-President of the Regional Council of Alsace, Mr. Alain Beretz, President of the Strasbourg University, Giovanni Guido Cerri, State Secretary of Health, who represented Geraldo Alckim, Governor of the state of Sao Paulo, José Serra, former Governor of Sao Paulo, and several Brazilian political representatives.

With a surface of more than 7000 square meters, IRCAD Latin America is one of the largest training centers in minimally invasive surgery in America.

IRCAD Latin America follows a two-fold objective:

  • Providing surgeons from both the North and the South American continent high level training in the field of minimally invasive surgery,
  • Developing research and development in new surgical technologies, in particular computer sciences and robotics.

IRCAD France will assume the entire scientific responsibility of research and education at IRCAD Latin America through a 15-year contract.

Minimally invasive surgery training and research in computer sciences

IRCAD Latin America has the most advanced technologies and teaching methods, which made IRCAD’s renown: an experimental operating theater with 22 tables that are all linked together with a multimedia teaching system for minimally invasive surgery, High Definition at all levels (auditorium, experimental operating theater, conference rooms, operating theaters at the hospital of Barretos), and a pool of 800 expert surgeons of international renown who are in charge of the courses.

Following the model of the Institute in Strasbourg, this center aims at training about 6,000 surgeons per year by 2016 coming from the North and the South American continent in the specialities of general, digestive, colorectal, bariatric and pediatric surgery, urology, gynecology, interventional endoscopy, skull base surgery, arthroscopy, surgery via natural orifices.

In parallel to the onsite surgical training in Brazil, the Brazilian team of IRCAD has started to translate the entire content of Websurg (www.websurg.com) into Portuguese, first website for online surgical education.

In the future, IRCAD France and IRCAD Latin America will further cooperate to develop common research projects.

The creation of IRCAD Latin America represents a 17 million Euros investment, which has entirely been assumed by Mr. Henrique Prata, executive director of the Hospital de Câncer de Barretos. Visionary with a passion for new technologies, Mr. Henrique Prata chose to use his fortune for philanthropic projects in the health field. He has had IRCAD Brazil built with great enthusiasm within 14 months, right next to the Hospital de Câncer de Barretos.

IRCAD worldwide

After Asia-IRCAD Taiwan in 2008, the opening of this second branch of IRCAD on the South American continent represents an additional step towards globalization of education as praised by the Institute in Strasbourg.

Through the exportation of its know-how in the field of surgery, IRCAD becomes an ambassador of French and European excellence in the world in minimally invasive surgery education.

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COVID19: IRCAD sanitary measures & health pass

Please note that the IRCAD administrative board and staff are closely monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation, in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in France. The health, safety, and well-being of our participants, experts and staff are our top priority!
Despite the current context, the IRCAD stands firmly by your side to help you acquire knowledge and skills. Come and join us !

We would like to draw your attention that the « Vaccine Pass » is now mandatory in France since end of January 2022 and replaces the former « Health Pass » to access places that are open to the public, such as cinemas, museums, cafés and restaurants, hotels as well as the IRCAD Institute which welcomes participants in the framework of its courses and seminars. Thus, a PCR test without vaccination is no longer sufficient to take part in our courses.

The vaccine pass includes a proof of the following (one of the 3 items is sufficient):

  • The vaccination certificate, proving that persons have a complete vaccination (as of January 15, 2022, all persons aged 18 and over must receive a booster dose no more than 7 months after their last injection or Covid infection to receive a valid vaccination pass. As of February 15, 2022, the time limits for keeping the pass will be reduced, you will have to do your booster dose 4 months and no longer 7 months after your 2nd dose to have a complete vaccine schedule and maintain a valid vaccine pass)
  • The result of a positive RT-PCR or antigenic test attesting to the recovery of Covid, more than 11 days and less than 4 months
  • The certificate of contraindication to vaccination

Further information about the new vaccine pass can be found at :

We very much hope to be able to count on your kind understanding of those rules which have been set by the French Government and which our Institute is required to apply