Surgical Innovation Through Engineering. Interventional processes, devices, and systems are complex. The conception, development, realization, and evaluation of novel solutions require a tight interaction between several engineering disciplines and clinicians. This necessitates environments in which engineering teams and practitioners can interact and exchange ideas on a daily basis. Vanderbilt University’s strong history of and commitment to interdisciplinary work and the close proximity of its Medical and Engineering Schools makes it the ideal campus for advancing the state of the art in this field. The Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering provides a structure that facilitates this interdisciplinary work and creates an environment in which traditional boundaries are eliminated.