Surgical Innovation (Gr. Cert.) (15 credits)
Offered by: Surgery (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Program credit weight: 15
Program Description
The core of this 15-credit graduate program consists of two innovation courses (EXSU 620 Surgical Innovation 1. and EXSU 621 Surgical Innovation 2.) delivered by McGill Department of Surgery, with some sessions offered by external partners: John Molson School of Business (lean start-up), Concordia (software design), Local Industry (Regulatory & IP), and ETS (prototyping). the first semester of the program core focuses on team building and, supported by lectures, the students embark on a needs-finding process by observing all aspect of clinical activity in their focus themes. Trainees learn basic prototyping skills, start up organization and project management, supplemented by a basic statistics course and an introduction to the current status of biomedical research innovation. This certificate provides a solid foundation in the innovation process.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (12 credits)
9 credits in:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EXSU 619 | The Hospital Environment. | 3 |
The Hospital Environment. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The process of surgical innovation and hands-on skills necessary to work within a multi-disciplinary team in the creation of a novel, need driven, and marketable prototype used in the care of the surgical patient. This is second of a 3 part course introducing concepts and performing needs analyses focusing on the hospital environment and the close contact with its structure and patients. | ||
| EXSU 620 | Surgical Innovation 1. | 3 |
Surgical Innovation 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The process of surgical innovation and acquisition of hands-on skills necessary to work within a multi-disciplinary team in the creation of a novel, need driven, and marketable prototype used in the care of the surgical patient. This is the first of a 3 part course introducing concepts and performing needs analyses. | ||
| EXSU 621 | Surgical Innovation 2. | 3 |
Surgical Innovation 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 This course builds on key concepts and needs screening delivered and generated in EXSU 620 to develop hands-on skills necessary to work within a multi-disciplinary team in the creation of a novel, need driven, and marketable prototype used in the care of the surgical patient. | ||
And:
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 575 | Statistics for Practitioners. | 3 |
Statistics for Practitioners. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Understanding and interpreting basic statistical procedures used in basic and applied research, including graphs, measures of central tendency and variability, hypothesis testing, and correlations, t-tests, and basic ANOVA designs. | ||
| EPIB 507 | Biostats for Health Sciences. | 3 |
Biostats for Health Sciences. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Basic principles of statistical inference applicable to clinical, epidemiologic, and other health research. Topics include: methods of describing data, statistical inference for means, statistical inference for proportions, non-parametric statistics, correlation and introduction to linear regression. | ||
| EXSU 606 | Statistics for Surgical Research. | 3 |
Statistics for Surgical Research. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Review of statistics for surgical research. | ||
Some courses may be substituted with equivalents if timetabling requires it.
Elective Course (3 credits)
3 credits at the 500 level or higher, taken in consultation with the program director/adviser.