The University of Maryland-Baltimore and Axis Research & Technologies are teaming up to establish the first AI-powered Smart Surgical Performance Center in the United States. The new Center—powered by the University of Maryland-Baltimore and Axis—aims to set a new national standard for innovation in surgical training, performance, and patient care.

This 36,000-square-foot facility will unite the University of Maryland’s two centuries of leadership in medical education with Axis’s national expertise in surgical training and innovation to create an ecosystem for education, performance optimization, research, and discovery. The Smart Surgical Performance Center will be powered by OMNIMED SmartOR, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled platform that integrates real-time data and performance analytics into surgical environments.

The Smart Surgical Performance Center represents a new model for the future of surgical education and innovation. Purpose-built to blend the strengths of academic medicine with industry collaboration, the facility will integrate cadaveric and model training, immersive simulation suites, and OMNIMED SmartOR—an AI-powered telemetry platform that captures and analyzes data across classroom, simulation, and operating-room environments. This combination creates a next-generation ecosystem where education, research, and technology converge, giving students, clinicians, and engineers unparalleled insights and opportunities to advance the practice of surgery and patient care.

“This partnership represents the convergence of surgical expertise, advanced computation, and intelligent systems that will shape the future of surgical education and innovation,” stated Graeme F. Woodworth, M.D., professor and chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Together, we’re creating a data-driven environment that allows us to measure, refine, and elevate surgical performance—benefiting both clinicians and the patients they serve.”

A Legacy of Innovation

Chartered in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s first building—Davidge Hall—was built in 1812 and remains the oldest continuously operating medical education facility in the Western Hemisphere. Established by physicians who advanced anatomical understanding as foundational to patient care—at a time when this idea was controversial—Davidge Hall helped establish the early standards of medical education both nationally and globally. That standard continues today as nearly all medical schools include human anatomy courses in the first year. This same foundational spirit unites and guides the University of Maryland, Baltimore and its partnership with Axis, marking the next evolution in anatomical education and surgical performance.

“Through the lens of advancing clinical patient care, University of Maryland Faculty Physicians have led medical innovation through novel discoveries and state-of-the-art education,” said William F. Regine, M.D., Isadore & Fannie Schneider Foxman Chair of Radiation Oncology and president of UM Faculty Physicians. “Our partnerships with cutting-edge biotech leaders such as Axis, and the incorporation of AI, will only accelerate the pace of our contributions into the next century of medicine.”

Axis’s National Network and Industry Partners

Axis Research & Technologies currently operates advanced training and research facilities in Irvine, Calif.; Columbia (Baltimore), Md.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Houston, Texas. Each location is designed to accommodate complex surgical education, cadaveric research, device development, and live broadcast collaboration. Axis works with many of the world’s leading medical device companies and health systems, making the new Smart Surgical Performance Center a destination for innovators who want to collaborate, invest, or establish a presence within this environment. The center represents the next evolution of Axis’s national network—creating the first fully integrated, AI-powered training ecosystem in partnership with a premier academic institution.

“Axis was built to provide platforms where surgeons, educators, and innovators can come together to push healthcare forward,” Axis Research & Technologies CEO Jill Goodwin said. “Partnering with the University of Maryland allows us to expand that vision into a connected, data-rich training ecosystem that will shape the future of surgery.”

Established in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is one of the nation’s top-tier biomedical research institutions. With more than 3,000 faculty and 46 departments, centers, and institutes, the School drives discovery and innovation in medicine, science, and education—locally and globally. 

Axis Research & Technologies operates a national network of advanced facilities supporting surgical training, cadaver-based research, and healthcare innovation serving as a partner to medical device companies, universities, and health systems nationwide. 

OMNIMED is billed as a leader in surgical intelligence and data-driven healthcare innovation. Its flagship platform, SmartOR/SmartAI, combines artificial intelligence, real-time performance analytics, and multimodal sensor integration to elevate surgical performance, enhance safety, and accelerate clinical learning.