Dr Benjie Tang
Senior Lecturer
Respiratory Medicine and Gastroenterology, School of Medicine
Contact
Biography
Benjie Tang stands as a Senior Lecturer with School of Medicine at the University of Dundee (UoD). He has a background as a fully qualified general surgeon with extensive experience in laparoscopic surgery training. He leads and delivers surgical training programs for surgeons from diverse national and international backgrounds. In addition to this, he serves as the director of a broad portfolio of laparoscopic surgery training courses, including the advanced laparoscopic surgery course endorsed by the European Association of Endoscopic Surgery (EAES). He has independently led in designing and validating a range of innovative simulation models and methods for surgical training as well as education. He pioneered the first laparoscopic surgery training course for veterinary surgeons in Europe. He supervises PhD, MD, master’s and postdoctoral researchers.
Benjie has significantly contributed to the development of “Observational Clinical Human Reliability Analysis (OCHRA)” as well as major contributions to the development of human factor approaches to assess and enhance complex surgical performances and patient safety in the field of laparoscopic and robotic surgery. His research is currently focused on the development of artificial intelligence-based methods for the future generation in laparoscopic surgery skills training. He has led and completed a research project to develop an Autonomous and Intelligent Laparoscopy (AILap) trainer with an award granted by UKRI/EPSRC. Moreover, he has successfully led a study in identifying weak areas in the current two-year core surgical training programme in the United Kingdom.
Benjie serves as an internal examiner and convener of the examining committee for PhD, MD, and Master’s Students at the University of Dundee, and supervises Master’s students at the University of Edinburgh. Internationally, he is an external examiner and visiting professor at Shanghai University of Science and Technology, and Qingdao University, China. He has chaired and served on committees for numerous international conferences, including the EAES, where he continues to serve as a faculty member. Benjie has been invited to deliver 18 keystone speeches at national and international conferences and is a member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Surgical Simulation and Journal of Precision Medicine and serves as a peer reviewer for 12 academic journals, including the International Journal of Surgery and the British Journal of Surgery.
Research
- Development of an AI-based self-directed training platform for laparoscopic surgery.
- Optimisation of simulation-based training for the acquisition of operative skills in robotic surgery.
- Advancement and validation of Objective Human Reliability Analysis (OCHRA) for evaluating operative performance in clinical practice and simulation-based robotic surgery training.
- Investigation of assessment predictors in developing augmented terminal feedback for surgical trainees in robotic colorectal surgery.
- Designing of force-sensing surgical staplers for precise and secure anastomosis in laparoscopic and robotic surgery.
- Evaluation of ergonomic design of advanced surgical energy devices used in laparoscopic surgery.
- Assessment of AI and machine learning applications for enhancing colonoscopy training and skill acquisition.
- Modification and enhancement of cost-effective animal tissue phantoms for laparoscopic surgery training in general surgery and gynaecology.
Teaching
- Leading the design and delivery of a wide range of surgical training programs and courses for surgeons across varying levels of experience and expertise.
- Leading and overseeing the evaluation and quality assurance of course design and delivery, with a focus on curriculum development and effective teaching methodologies.
- Supervising PhD and Master’s students, as well as final-year undergraduates in research projects, literature reviews, thesis writing, and academic publication preparation.
- Managing and mentoring postdoctoral research assistants.
- Leading and delivering interdisciplinary modules, serving as module lead for “Surgical Technology and the Clinical Environment”.
- Teaching and assessing on one module for Joint Educational Partnership (JEP) with Northeastern University, China
- Undertaking senior administrative responsibilities and coordinating with faculty and staff members of the Surgical Skills Centre to develop and expand the course portfolio.