Dr. Ryan Broderick, MD is a trailblazer in his field, converging technology and medicine. As interim director of UC San Diego’s Center for the Future of Surgery (CFS), he is helping shape the next era of surgical care.
With a background in biomedical engineering and deep roots in a family of physicians, he brings a unique blend of expertise and insight to his role. Since opening in 2011, CFS has trained more than 20,000 health care professionals in a high-fidelity, flight-simulator-style environment for surgery.
Under Broderick’s leadership, the Center is pushing the envelope in robotics, AI and augmented reality, ensuring UC San Diego remains a global leader in surgical innovation with a direct focus on better patient outcomes.
A key partnership under Broderick’s leadership has been the Center’s work with JCHI, particularly in exploring spatial computing in surgery using the Apple Vision Pro (AVP). This collaboration has enabled surgeons to simulate and now perform live procedures using augmented reality (AR) overlays that enhance anatomical guidance in real time.
With over 50 live cases already completed using the AVP, Broderick says the technology is expanding into neurosurgery, pulmonology and GI, revolutionizing procedural training and ergonomics in the OR.
Looking ahead, Broderick is positioning CFS as an agnostic, multidisciplinary robotic surgery training hub. This includes introducing specialty-specific robotic platforms across disciplines such as urology, orthopedics and even plastic surgery.
Thanks to cutting-edge AI tools that enhance surgical notes, video analysis and fluorescent imaging, the Center is paving the way for a future where surgery is sharper, more vibrant and ultra-precise.
What Broderick loves most about his job is the impact, both immediate and long-term. Whether it’s helping a patient recover from an appendicitis or developing training programs that shape future surgeons, he’s driven by the opportunity to change lives.
“It’s about more than my own patients,” he says. “It’s about extending that impact through the people I train and the technology we help create.”
