31st Conference of the International Society for Medical Innovation and Technology (iSMIT)

The international Society for Medical Innovation and Technology (iSMIT) is an international society, formed in 1989 under the name “Society for Minimally Invasive Therapy” (SMIT) by an innovative group of medical practitioners led by John Wickham. Prof. Jens Rassweiler was one of the founding members, all leaders in their fields and dedicated to the multidisciplinary advancement of minimally invasive therapy in an attempt to reduce patient trauma arising from traditional surgical operations or radiological interventions. The current membership base includes representatives from most medical specialties, instrument manufacturing, biomedical engineering and research out of >35countries. As to reflect this broader membership as well as to attract further members not necessarily only within minimally invasive therapy, the name of the Society was formally changed to “international Society for Medical Innovation and Technology” iSMIT.

Since its inauguration in 1989, SMIT has served as an „interdisciplinary forum to promote the cooperation between physicians from various surgical specialities, but also medical engineers, respectively medical device manufacturers, whose expertise was needed to build the instruments that had to be developed to carry out the new concept of surgery.“ (Extract from: 25 years of SMIT: the past, the present, and the future of minimally invasive therapy. )