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About

Rieko Nakamura is a pioneering surgeon-researcher at the forefront of integrating artificial intelligence into robotic surgery, with a primary focus on esophageal and gastric cancer. Her major contributions center on developing AI-driven systems for automated surgical-phase recognition and instrument identification in robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) and robotic distal gastrectomy. Nakamura’s landmark 2022 study, cited 60 times, demonstrated how AI can automatically recognize surgical phases during RAMIE, paving the way for objective skill assessment and improved training. Her subsequent work has extended this approach to evaluating surgical complexity and expertise, with her 2023 paper on automated surgical process recognition in distal gastrectomy accumulating 28 citations. Notably, her 2021 comparative study provided critical evidence on the safety and feasibility of RAMIE with extended lymphadenectomy versus conventional minimally invasive esophagectomy. Through these innovations, Nakamura is transforming how surgeons learn and perform complex robotic procedures, offering tools to objectively measure the learning curve and enhance patient outcomes. Her research represents a vital bridge between cutting-edge AI technology and practical surgical education.