EMIGS Year in Review: From Momentum to Movement
2025 has been a defining year for EMIGS—one that transformed steady progress into unmistakable momentum. What began as an ambitious effort to standardize cognitive and laparoscopic skills assessment across OBGYN training has now become a national movement reshaping how we prepare the next generation of MIGS surgeons.
Our growth speaks for itself. EMIGS registrations surged past 3,800 residents, reflecting unprecedented demand for structured, validated, competency-based assessment. Residency adoption continues to expand, now with 223 residency programs. In addition, more than 1,100 practicing physicians are actively engaging with EMIGS Didactics—clear proof that this platform is no longer “just for trainees,” but is becoming a professional expectation for lifelong surgical readiness.
Examination volume rose sharply this year, with more than 1,800 cognitive exams and 1,500 manual skills exams completed. Behind these numbers is the rigorous infrastructure we have built: over 50 experts contributed to a re-engineered cognitive item bank now with the addition of 395 new validated questions, while the manual skills exam advanced to virtual macro-photo grading with updated performance-based cut scores. These upgrades are not incremental—they represent a leap forward in fairness, reproducibility, and psychometric integrity.
Educational resources expanded as well. Newly updated modules and the addition of EMIGS Study Guide now provide a comprehensive pathway for trainees and physicians to prepare with confidence, reinforcing EMIGS as the central curriculum for laparoscopic competency in gynecology.
This year also marked major advances in research and innovation. Through the FAAGL-supported EMIGS Research Award, we funded high-impact studies examining efficiency metrics, proficiency-based curricula, and correlations between simulation and real-world surgical performance. Each project strengthens the scientific foundation behind EMIGS and accelerates our ability to measure what truly matters—skill, progression, and outcomes.
Our industry partnerships reached new heights, with computer-vision–powered LapAR and HystAR simulators now installed across virtually all OBGYN residency programs. Additionally, the LapAR has been certified for use in EMIGS testing, providing programs with an additional top quality box trainer as a resource to facilitate training and testing. This nationwide access to standardized simulation represents one of the most consequential steps ever in modernizing surgical training in the US. For the first time, residents everywhere can practice psychomotor skills in an equitable, measurable, data-driven environment.
Looking forward, the work does not slow down. EMIGS-Pro, our next-stage pathway for practicing physicians and fellows, is actively under development with the same rigorous psychometric oversight that defines EMIGS today. Moreover, interest from the international surgical community continues to grow, with multiple societies pursuing EMIGS as a potential framework for harmonizing training and assessment worldwide.
The message is clear: EMIGS has outgrown its role as “a test.” It has become an ecosystem—a standard, a culture shift, and a shared commitment to excellence.
In 2026, we will push harder, expand further, and elevate surgical education with the same conviction that brought us here. We will continue to expand access, deepen scientific rigor, and ensure that every surgeon, regardless of geography or stage of career, has the opportunity to train, practice, and excel within a validated, data-supported framework.
EMIGS is no longer building momentum; EMIGS is the momentum.
