Introducing

The ARC Skills Lab

At the center of ARC's strategy is the ARC Lab, a specialized surgical training facility being established within Wigmore Women's & Children's Hospital in Yerevan, with a target opening of January 2027. Designed to advance surgical education and workforce development, the ARC Lab will provide hands-on training, professional development, and outcomes tracking to support the next generation of Armenian healthcare leaders.

Three Dedicated Training Environments

Microsurgery Skills Lab

Practice delicate surgical techniques under magnification before performing them on patients.

Fracture Management Lab

Train using surgical models designed to simulate and treat complex fractures.

Arthroscopy Lab

Develop advanced joint surgery skills using cutting-edge wireless camera technology.

Building Surgical Capacity Through Partnership

Our Foundation

Built on Decades of Partnership

The ARC Skills Lab is not beginning from scratch. It builds upon decades of collaboration between leading international organizations and Armenian healthcare professionals. Together, these partners have helped train surgeons, introduce advanced surgical techniques, strengthen local healthcare systems, and establish the foundation upon which ARC will continue to grow.

Operation Rainbow

Founded in 1978, Operation Rainbow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with nearly five decades of experience performing free orthopedic surgeries for children in developing countries who lack access to necessary medical procedures or equipment.

Operation Rainbow has sponsored Armenian surgeons to train at institutions such as UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital, and Stanford for more than 25 years. In July 2024, Operation Rainbow conducted its first in-country mission in Armenia, spending 12 days analyzing existing healthcare delivery systems and working directly with Armenian administrators and healthcare providers to understand their goals and the obstacles they face. Since that mission, Operation Rainbow has continued to provide the necessary personnel and donated equipment to help achieve those goals.

Photo courtesy ©Operation Rainbow

“The QUEST program has had a direct impact on my clinical practice and professional growth. Through an observership at Stanford and hands-on cadaveric training, I’ve expanded my hand surgery case volume, begun performing shoulder arthroscopy, and initiated research toward my PhD. I deeply appreciate QUEST’s continued commitment to building capacity in Armenia, and I view the best response to this support as sustained daily work and measurable improvements in patient care. The ARC Skills Lab will be transformative, providing our surgeons and residents a dedicated environment to build and refine techniques that simply haven’t been available in Armenia before, and accelerating the kind of capacity that will serve Armenian patients for generations.”

Yuri Simonyan, MD

Surgeon, Wigmore Hospital

Global-QUEST

Global-QUEST is a consortium of international surgeons experienced in global surgical outreach, focused on improving access to specialized hand surgery care in low-resource countries while building sustainable local surgical capacity. Since 2025, in coordination with Operation Rainbow, Global-QUEST has been executing a multiyear initiative in Yerevan specifically designed to train local surgeons, therapists, nurses, and operating-room staff.

Global-QUEST builds long-term partnerships with hospitals and local physicians, creating follow-up clinics, rehabilitation pathways, surgical education programs, outcomes tracking systems, and quality-improvement programs so that care continues long after visiting teams depart.

Photo courtesy ©Operation Rainbow

Beyond The Lab

Building More Than Surgical Skills

The ARC Lab is more than a training facility. It will serve as the foundation for a broader professional development program designed to strengthen Armenia's healthcare workforce for generations to come.

In addition to hands-on surgical training, the ARC Lab will support resident and fellowship curricula, international observerships, continuing education conferences, and a data-driven outcomes tracking system that helps ensure continuous improvement.