Daniel Eun, MD, is the chief of robotic surgery at Philadelphia-based Temple University Hospital. He also serves as director of minimally invasive robotic urologic oncology and reconstructive surgery at the hospital.
With a background rooted in the beginning of robotic surgery in the U.S., he told Becker’s what he has learned from watching the field grow and what newer robotic surgery programs need to be successful.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How has the robotic surgery field evolved in recent years?
Dr. Daniel Eun: Urology is the most penetrated field in the world of robotic surgery. When the FDA approved the da Vinci robot in 2000, it was originally designed for cardiac surgery, but because the uptake in cardiac surgery was so poor, the company almost went out of business. It was really prostate surgery that rescued the company from going into financial ruin.
Not only does urology have the deepest penetration for robotic surgery, it also has the widest use, both oncologically and on oncologically. That’s largely to do with the fact that the organs that we have to deal with, the problems that occur in urology and the solutions to solve them, are very well suited to the strengths of the robot.
Because urology had embraced robotics in the mid-2000s, it quickly became the standard at most academic institutions. Residents in training expect robotics to be a critical part of the educational core teaching.
As other fields begin adopting it, like thoracic and colorectal surgeons, they’re going through the same struggles we did. We kind of look at that and say, “Wow, that was us back in, like, 2008,” or “That was our field in 2012!” We see them going through the necessary growing pains to push robotic surgery into their field.
The field of robotic surgery and all the different subset fields within are only going to grow. It’s here to stay and it’s only going to improve.
Q: How can healthcare leaders build institutional readiness to support robotic surgery programs?
DE: I’ve had a lot of conversations with the first CEO of Intuitive Surgical (the company that manufactures the da Vinci Surgical System), and he would always say, “If there wasn’t a Mani Menon, who knows where we would be with robotic surgery today and if the company would still be around.” Mani Menon, MD, is the father of robotic prostatectomies and my old mentor.
What that means is that we had a visionary. Somebody that really believed in the technology and hell or high water, was going to push it through. Every single one of these surgical fields needs somebody who is a champion, that really sees down the road of what it could be. Who has a desire to raise the bar and say “What we’re doing right now may not be the best, can we make it better?”
Naturally, every time there’s somebody that says that, there will be a lot of naysayers trying to block the path. We certainly saw it in prostate cancer surgery and in urology. There was a big battle over robotic surgery at the national conferences, year in, year out, for many, many years.
Now it’s not controversial in prostate cancer surgery and urology, but all of those other subfields are going to have to deal with that controversy. You’re going to have the old guard. You’re going to have people who are traditionalists and dogmatic about the way they think about things.
You’re going to need somebody that challenges that and is willing to run through the gauntlet and take the hits. Eventually, the technology shows its worth and the truth becomes evident.
Q: In what ways can robotic surgery programs contribute to or align with broader strategic goals within hospitals and health systems?
DE: In 2025, at least in the United States, there aren’t a lot of hospital systems that don’t have a robot. But to be serious about building and supporting a robotic program, you have to look at talent recruitment and retention. You have to look at how a robotic surgery program could affect beds and other surgical programs so you don’t cannibalize the volume of something that’s already profitable.
But at the end of the day, what I’ve always seen is that if it’s good for patients, there’s going to be a demand there. And if it’s good for patients, the bottom line will work out.
Q: What considerations should hospital and health systems leaders keep in mind when investing or establishing a robotic surgery program?
DE: Probably the most important component of a robotic surgery program is not the capital purchase of a robot, it’s talent acquisition. Just buying a robot is not the solution for a successful program.
Sure, you need the equipment, but you need to really look carefully at who you’re hiring and what their abilities are. You need to do this for a number of surgeons. There are so many different specialties that can use the surgical platform that you can diversify your risks with multiple different specialties. But you do need two or three key stakeholders that are going to drive that volume and then build your program around those people.
