Translating 3D Printing Technologies into Neonatal Surgical Training: Development of a Synthetic Simulator
Petra Zahradníková, MD, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Bratislava, and the National Institute of Children’s Diseases in Bratislava. She is actively involved in European pediatric surgical education and professional collaboration as a member of the Education Office of the European Paediatric Surgeons’ Association (EUPSA) and the Steering Committee of Women of EUPSA. Her academic and translational work focuses on innovation in surgical education, particularly the development and validation of anatomically realistic, 3D-printed simulation models for neonatal minimally invasive surgery. She leads InfantSim, an interdisciplinary project developing a modular synthetic neonatal simulator to support advanced surgical training, standardised skills assessment, and improved patient safety. Through her clinical, academic, and innovation activities, she contributes to advancing pediatric surgery, translational research, and simulation-based education in Europe.