About the Association
A professional home for surgeons working with technology
ASTI was set up by surgeons to provide a professional home for those interested in technology and innovation, and to bridge clinical practice, research, engineering and technology.
Vision
A surgical profession capable of shaping technological change rather than simply responding to it.
Mission
To improve surgical care by helping the surgical community understand, evaluate, develop and responsibly adopt technology and innovation.
ASTI was set up by surgeons who saw practice being reshaped by technologies that were, until recently, peripheral to the discipline: machine learning systems, robotic platforms, digital workflow tools, extended reality, advanced imaging and connected devices. These developments arrive quickly and unevenly, and the surgical community is often asked to adopt them faster than it can evaluate them.
The association gives the surgical profession a dedicated place to build understanding, share evidence, develop ideas and set expectations. It brings together surgeons, surgical trainees, medical students, engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs and others who share an interest in how technology can improve surgery and surgical care.
The association's position is deliberately measured. Technology is neither inherently beneficial nor inherently risky; what matters is whether a specific tool, used for a specific purpose, in a specific setting, improves care. That question is answered through education, evidence and collaboration rather than enthusiasm.
Our objectives
What the association sets out to do
These objectives guide the association's programmes, publications and partnerships.
- 01Improve technological literacy among surgeons at every career stage.
- 02Provide practical, applicable education rather than abstract overviews.
- 03Support surgical innovation from problem definition through to adoption.
- 04Encourage multidisciplinary collaboration across surgery, engineering and science.
- 05Promote evidence-based adoption of new technology.
- 06Develop professional guidance for the surgical community.
- 07Support research into surgical technology and its evaluation.
- 08Create opportunities for students and trainees.
- 09Contribute to national discussions about surgical technology.
- 10Represent the surgical perspective in technology development.