The IHPBA Foundation has a long-standing commitment to advancing HPB surgery in resource-constrained settings through its outreach programs. With the launch of HPBridge, this commitment has evolved into a more structured, scalable, and impactful initiative. By refining the approach to education, collaboration, and research, HPBridge not only supports surgeons in low-resource environments through skills transfer and professional development, but also fosters meaningful, bidirectional engagement. Surgeons from high-income countries gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced in different care settings, strengthening global perspectives and improving practice on both sides.

HPBridge represents a unique, high-impact opportunity to advance equitable access to HPB care worldwide. By joining the IHPBA Foundation in supporting this initiative, funders can play a pivotal role in improving surgical capacity, strengthening health systems, and ultimately enhancing quality of life for patients who currently lack access to essential HPB services.

Martin Smith, IHPBA Foundation President

At Medtronic, our decision to sponsor HP Bridge is grounded in a deep recognition of the reality facing patients, surgical teams, and health systems around the world. Access to safe, timely surgical care is becoming harder - not just in low resource settings, but globally.  These pressures are forcing difficult decisions that directly affect patients and families who depend on timely, high-quality surgery for their loved ones.

Our support of HP Bridge reflects Medtronic’s commitment to doing the right thing for patients by applying innovation thoughtfully and responsibly. HP Bridge brings together surgeons across income settings through trusted, two-way digital collaboration. By leveraging our Touch Surgery ™ ecosystem, using video to share best practices, data and research to strengthen collective learning, AI enabled approaches to support coaching at scale, and live stream technologies to provide real time support when it matters most. By helping expertise travel across borders without adding burden to already stretched systems, HP Bridge strengthens surgical capacity, advances equity, and supports safer care for patients worldwide. Through this partnership, Medtronic is focused on using digital solutions to help address real healthcare challenges and expand access to high quality surgical care, wherever patients live.

LifeLike BioTissue’s purpose is to create realistic tissue models that better train surgeons in the surgical skills required to provide the best patient care and, in doing so, save more lives.

As surgical training continues to evolve, high-fidelity simulation plays an increasingly important role in preparing surgeons to perform complex HPB procedures with confidence, precision, and safety.

We are proud to support HPBridge and its global educational initiatives dedicated to advancing HPB training worldwide. Together, we are helping equip the next generation of HPB surgeons with the skills and experience needed to improve patient care today and into the future.