The 7th Annual Conference of the Robotic Urology Forum of India (RUFCON-2025), held at AIIMS Jodhpur, India, from 4th to 6th July 2025, was very good for two Vattikuti Fellows, one who had both a poster and a video accepted for presentation and another who had a video selected as a finalist.
Dr. Nipun Bansal is currently pursuing his Vattikuti Fellowship in Urological Robotic Surgery under Mentor Surgeon Dr. Anant Kumar at the Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, New Delhi. He tells the Foundation, "Training as a Vattikuti Foundation Robotic Urology Fellow under the mentorship of renowned Dr. Anant Kumar has been a transformative phase in my surgical career. The hands-on training in robotic uro-oncology and robotic kidney transplant procedures, and the emphasis on surgical precision, research, and innovation under his guidance immensely strengthened my academic and surgical foundation."
The judging panels for RUFCON-2025 obviously appreciated the work Dr. Bansal put into his presentations. he received not one, but two awards for his research:
1. "KDH Best Video Presentation Prize" for a 5-minute surgical video on robotic renal autotransplantation and saving a kidney in a challenging case with complex renal vasculature.
2. "3rd Best Poster Presentation Prize" for sharing his experience with the multi-vessel donor grafts in the case of robot-assisted kidney transplantation.
Vattikuti Fellow, Dr Saurabh Patil, who studies under MENTOR Surgeon Dr. Gagan Gautam at Medanta, the Medcity in Gurgaon, had his video selected as one of the six-Finalists in the KDA Best video award session.
Dr. Patil wrote to us to give us the good news: "It’s an honor to be recognized with this prestigious and highly competitive award, chosen from numerous high-quality videos submitted by the leading experts across India and judged over two rigorous rounds.
This inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of robotic surgery and making a meaningful impact in the field."
One more piece of good news: Dr. Anand Patil, a Vattikuti Fellowship alumnus, also won awards in the same category, according to Dr. Saurabh Patil.
These prizes reflect on the value that Vattikuti Fellows receive during their yearlong placements with many of India's top robotic surgeons.
Dr. Bansal told us that his mentor, Dr. Kumar, "...guided me thoroughly in preparing for the presentations at the 7th Annual Conference of the Robotic Urology Forum of India... This achievement is a testament to the Vattikuti Foundation’s commitment to shaping the careers of young urologists."
Saurabh Patil added his note of thanks: "I am sincerely thankful to my Vattikuti Fellowship mentor, Dr. Gagan Gautam, and to Dr. Bhandari sir, for their profound impact on my personal and professional growth." (Dr. Mahendra Bhandari is the CEO of the Vattikuti Foundation.)
We thank Drs. Anant Kumar and Gagan Gautam for their longstanding commitment towards mentoring Vattikuti Fellows and congratulate Dr. Nipun Bansal, Dr. Saurabh Patil, and Dr. Anand Patil for their efforts in continuing the tradition of excellence that Vattikuti Fellows are known the world over for.
