Dr. Silvana Perretta is an upper gastrointestinal surgeon and the Chief of the Foregut and Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Division. She also serves as the Director of IHU Education and the Surgical Endoscopy Fellowship Program since 2014. In June 2019, she was elected Vice President of IRCAD France. Her areas of expertise include upper gastrointestinal surgery, gastrointestinal physiology, bariatric surgery, interventional endoscopy, surgical education, and innovation.

 

Dr. Perretta has been a strong advocate for surgeons performing interventional endoscopy in Europe and has been actively involved in the development of endoscopic platforms and flexible robotics.

A pioneer in Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), hybrid surgical endoscopy procedures, endoscopic simulators, and MOOC-based medical education worldwide, Dr. Perretta has authored 146 peer-reviewed publications, with an h-index of 46. She has also delivered lectures in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and surgical innovation. Dr. Perretta holds 9 patents and, since 2011, has led the Business Engineering and Surgical Technologies (B.E.S.T.) program—an innovative educational program designed for engineers, medical students, and young professionals interested in driving medical innovation.

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In 2011, she received the SAGES Career Development Award. In 2016, Dr. Perretta was granted €1.2 million by the French government to develop e-learning and education initiatives in surgical endoscopy, image-guided therapy, and MedTech innovation. In 2020, she became only the second woman in 20 years to be elected the SAGES STORZ Lecturer and was appointed Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor on January 1, 2021.

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In March 2022, Dr. Perretta was the MGH-John Hopkins Visiting Professor. She was elected Chair of the EAES Flexible Endoscopy Committee and serves as an advisor for the American College of Surgeons Committee on Emerging Surgical Technologies and Education (CESTE). Most recently, Dr. Perretta was honored with the 2025 Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Pioneer in Surgical Endoscopy Award.