Tell us a little bit about your center.
Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University (ETSU)—founded in 1974—has remained true to its original directive to train primary care doctors and increase the number of physicians in underserved and rural areas. Quillen College of Medicine has been recognized nationally for this commitment and currently ranks among the top schools in the nation for producing primary care physicians.
The mission statement of the College of Medicine supports the education of future physicians, especially those with an interest in primary healthcare and who practice in underserved rural communities. Beyond this core mission, the College of Medicine is committed to improving access to all surgical disciplines in east Tennessee and the surrounding regions of Appalachia.
What is your center's specialty or strength(s)?
As part of this commitment to education and training, Quillen College of Medicine has continually updated its teaching methods and training facilities to meet the needs in east Tennessee. In December 2025, a 5-year project culminated in the opening of the Center for Surgical Innovation and Training (CSIT). This brand-new, ultramodern surgical center was custom designed to meet the emerging educational and surgical needs of medical students and residents across all surgical fields, and to offer advanced training to attending surgeons and beyond.
To achieve these high-end metrics, the unit employs new state-of-the-art embalming techniques, developed to produce cadaveric tissue preservation that is much more flexible and lifelike than any other cadaveric tissue currently available. The embalming techniques now allow human cadaveric tissue to be used for advanced surgical training by simulating actual surgical procedures, including laparoscopic surgery, demonstration of open surgical techniques, advanced arthroplasty and arthroscopic procedures, and gynecologic procedures as performed daily in the OR. In addition to the above-mentioned training, advanced robotic orthopaedic and general surgery also can be performed in real time using the unit’s audio-visual capabilities. By applying standardized simulation evaluations, it is possible to measure surgical outcomes and use them to further enhance surgical training.
The above-mentioned has not only enabled medical student training but also paved the way for resident training and interactions with several leading companies across various surgical fields. Several workshops have been successfully conducted for private companies, including Stryker, Johnson & Johnson, DePuy Synthes, and Arthrex.
What areas are you looking to expand or improve?
In late 2025, the CSIT was granted accreditation to host advanced ACS courses, including the ACS ASSET course. To this end, the unit is expected to further expand and develop mutually beneficial relationships with other surgically oriented departments and medical industries in the greater east Tennessee region, as well as in neighboring parts of Virginia and North Carolina.
To date, 18 very successful workshops have been held in the unit, covering diverse surgical fields, including general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, arthroplasty, robotic surgery, spinal surgery, OBGYN, podiatry, and more. While the CSIT specializes in advanced surgical instrumentation and techniques, training for medical students and nurses in simpler surgical procedures has not been overlooked. Human Structure and Function sessions are held at the College of Medicine for the training and development of junior medical students, and Virginia Commonwealth University uses the unit for the training of its nurse anesthetists.
What do you hope to gain from being an AEI?
The CSIT's recent accreditation by the ACS-AEI offers several key benefits, including enhanced credibility, reinforced by the unit's commitment to meeting rigorous national standards for simulation-based surgical education. In addition, accreditation allows access to and collaboration with a consortium of at least 68 other comprehensive ACS-AEI units and 11 focused ACS-AEI units globally. This, in turn, provides access to larger, well-resourced institutions, enabling the sharing of best practices and participation in multi-institutional research projects.
Importantly, the CSIT’s association with the ACS-AEI promotes conformance with current ACS curriculum development resources, faculty development programs, educational tools, technology, and virtual grand rounds. To this end, research and presentation opportunities have already increased with the CSIT’s contribution to the annual ACS Surgical Simulation Summit.
Quillen College of Medicine has continued to lead and innovate in preparing physicians for all fields of medicine. Its graduates have an excellent success rate in gaining high-quality residency placements across all fields of medicine. The faculty and staff's imagination, along with institutional and community support, contribute to the superb outcomes of its graduates and residents. For the College of Medicine, with its focus on training rural primary care physicians, AEI accreditation ensures that the school’s surgical education programs meet the highest possible standards, allowing graduates to prepare for practice in rural and underserved areas where a broader surgical skills set is often required.
In the future, the CSIT will collaborate with both national healthcare and educational institutions, as well as with other international ACS-AEI member institutions. In February 2026, the unit hosted its first ACS-supported ASSET course in conjunction with the Departments of Surgery at ETSU and at Chattanooga. Beyond national workshops and business relationships, the CSIT also has reached out to international academic institutions to make the unique set of services and training available in the Surgical Center available to these institutions as well.
The Institute director is Dr. Leon Dumas (dumasl@etsu.edu); the Surgical Program Director is Dr. Christy Lawson (lawsoncm2@mail.etsu.edu). For more information about using the CSIT at the Quillen College of Medicine, visit www.etsu.edu/com/medical-education, or contact the facility administrator, Shauna Wilson at kindlesn@mail.etsu.edu.
