PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Catherine Mohr

Catherine Mohr is an engineer and physician whose work connects surgical robotics with AI and clinical training. After studying mechanical engineering at MIT and working on vehicles and aircraft at AeroVironment, she moved into medicine at Stanford and designed the LapCap laparoscopic device. At Intuitive Surgical, she developed robotic procedures and, in 2016, discussed how AI and data from robotic systems could shape surgery. As of October 2026, she is president of the Intuitive Foundation and a non-executive director of Aroa Biosurgery; the foundation backs low-cost surgical training.

Now at
Intuitive Foundation and Aroa Biosurgery
Works
27
Citations
953
h-index
13
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1990s

    From engineering to LapCap

    She studies mechanical engineering at MIT and works at AeroVironment on vehicles and aircraft. In the late 1990s, she questions the impact of that work and turns toward medicine; at Stanford, she designs the LapCap laparoscopic device and co-founds VeriSure to market it.

  2. 2006

    Research at Intuitive Surgical

    In 2006, she works in research and strategy roles at Intuitive Surgical. As director of medical research, she develops robotic procedures and evaluates technologies for surgical outcomes; she studies the forces generated by cutting and suturing.

  3. 2009

    A talk on robotic surgery

    Her 2009 TED talk, “Surgery's past, present and robotic future,” traces surgical history and demonstrates tools for tiny-incision operations using robot hands.

  4. 2016

    AI in surgical robotics

    At Exponential Medicine in 2016, she describes surgical robotics converging with AI and data gathered from robotic systems.

  5. 2020

    A global surgical training challenge

    In 2020, the Intuitive Foundation launches the Global Surgical Training Challenge to create low-cost surgical training modules. Mohr is the foundation's president.

  6. November 2022

    Director at Aroa Biosurgery

    In November 2022, she joins Aroa Biosurgery's board as a non-executive director.

  7. 2025

    Research and fellowship grants

    In 2025, she reports that the Intuitive Foundation provided research grants and surgical fellowships in 2024.

  8. As of October 2026

    President of the Intuitive Foundation

    As of October 2026, she is president of the Intuitive Foundation and a non-executive director of Aroa Biosurgery.

Career

  1. Since 2022Aroa BiosurgeryNon-executive Director
  2. Since 2020Intuitive FoundationPresident
  3. 2006–2020Intuitive SurgicalDirector of Medical Research
  4. VeriSureCo-founder

Education

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  2. Stanford University

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Comparison of totally robotic laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and traditional laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass2005 · Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases · 171 citations
  2. Totally Robotic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass2005 · Archives of Surgery · 125 citations
  3. Early, Intermediate, and Late Effects of a Surgical Skills “Boot Camp” on an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills: A Randomized Controlled Study2010 · Journal of the American College of Surgeons · 123 citations
  4. Fertility considerations in laparoscopic treatment of infiltrative bowel endometriosis2005 · 110 citations
  5. Totally Robotic Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: Results from 75 patients2006 · Obesity Surgery · 77 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

  1. Stanford University trained or employed 26 of the 108 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Stanford University. Stanford University trained or employed 26 of the 108 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  2. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Includes Stanford University. Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI from 1961 to 2025, with a year-by-year chart.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Stanford University. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.
  4. The median h-index is 54 at universities and 19 at frontier AI labsIncludes Stanford University. The median h-index is 54 at universities and 19 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, citations and moves to estimate how universities and frontier labs contribute to AI research.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Catherine Mohr yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Dream Jobs 2010: Catherine Mohr Designs Surgical Robots spectrum.ieee.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  2. Mohr - TEDMED tedmed.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  3. Catherine Mohr | AROA aroa.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  4. Catherine Mohr - Intuitive Foundation intuitive-foundation.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  5. Catherine Mohr | Speaker | TED ted.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  6. The Future of Surgery Is Robotic, Data-Driven, and Artificially Intelligent singularityhub.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  7. Global Surgical Training Challenge challengeworks.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  8. Intuitive Announces $45 Million Donation to the Intuitive Foundation to Promote Health and Advance Education nasdaq.com. Checked 18 October 2026.