Photo Caption: Back Row, L-R: David Crownover, M.D., Douglas A. Woodburn, M.D., Marc A. Beaghler, M.D., Helmuth T. Billy, M.D., Michael M. Salehpour, M.D., Joseph A. Eisner, M.D., Cedric B. Emery, M.D., Seyed M. Khoddami, M.D., Patrick McCarty, M.D., Kayvahn P. Steck-Bayat, M.D., Brian C. Tuai, M.D., Shawn T. Steen, M.D. Front Row, L-R: Anne O. Rodriguez, M.D., Jennifer J. Wan, M.D., Lisa E. Brand, M.D., Srisawai Pattamakom, M.D., Lamar J. Bushnell, M.D., Edwin R. Ramirez, M.D., Jill C. Hall, M.D., Constanze S. Rayhrer, M.D., Michelle M. Takase-Sanchez, M.D.

(Ventura, CA) Community Memorial Hospital continues to grow and enhance its robotic surgery program with two da Vinci XI robots – the most advanced medical robot in use today – and an increasing list of surgeons trained to use da Vinci robots on more patients than ever before.

Combined with the state-of-the-art technology in our surgical suites in the new Ocean Tower, CMH continues to be a forward-thinking leader in state-of-the-art medical care, including robotic surgery. CMH was the first community-based hospital between Los Angeles and San Francisco to acquire the da Vinci Surgical System and now has the most surgeons on staff trained to use the da Vinci robot – 21 total – of any hospital located between Pasadena and Monterey.

CMH surgeons perform a wide range of procedures using the da Vinci robots, including OB/GYN surgeries, general surgery, chest and lung surgery, and urologic procedures. “Our program has been in existence since 2005. With 21 da Vinci trained surgeons, we have one of the most robust programs at any community hospital in California,” said Dr. Marc Beaghler, Medical Director of Robotics at Community Memorial Hospital. “We’ve done over 3,000 surgeries since the program started and completed 512 surgeries in 2019. With two top-of-the-line da Vinci XI robots, we expect this exponential growth to continue,” Dr. Beaghler said.

Robot-assisted surgery was pioneered about 20 years ago in an effort to make surgery less invasive and less traumatic. “More and more surgeons are adopting this technology because it yields better patient outcomes,” Dr. Beaghler continued.

15 is also helping to train the next generation of robotic surgeons in CMH’s Graduate Medical Education Program. CMH uses a special da Vinci training console to train resident physicians in the General Surgery residency program, giving them the exposure and experience required to pursue robotic surgery as a specialty. CMH is one of only two hospitals between Pasadena and Monterey with the da Vinci teaching console and a graduate medical education program.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, the Centers for Family Health, and various outpatient centers serving communities located within Ventura County, California.