The Science of Creativity In Surgery

Whether it be problem-solving in the operating room, or developing a new surgical technique that improves patient outcomes, the ability to be creative is essential in surgery.

My Ph.D. research is focused on understanding what it means to be creative in surgery, the qualities and characteristics of surgeons and surgical teams that enable creativity in surgery, and how we can cultivate creativity in surgery at all levels of the training process.

Publications

  1. Thabane, A., Saleh, S., Pallapothu, S., McKechnie, T., Staibano, P., Busse, J.W., Calic, G., Sonnadara, R., Parpia, S. and Bhandari, M., 2025. Creativity research in medicine and nursing: A scoping review. PloS One, 20(1), p.e0317209.

  2. McKechnie, T., Kazi, T., Shi, V., Wang, A., Zhang, S., Thabane, A., Nanji, K., Staibano, P., Park, L.J., Doumouras, A. and Eskicioglu, C., 2025. Spin Reporting Is Common in Pilot Randomized Controlled Trials in Surgery: A Methodological Survey. Journal of Surgical Research, 306, pp.16-25.

  3. Staibano, P., Gupta, M.K., Alresaini, F., Au, M., Nanji, K., Oulousian, E., Senthilkumaran, M., Oulousian, S., Pasternak, J.D., McKechnie, T., Monteiro, E., Thabane, A., and Zhang, H. (2024). Adjuvant Radioactive Iodine Ablation in Tall Cell Subtype Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Surgical Research, 304, pp.136-146.

  4. Thabane, A., McKechnie, T., Staibano, P., Calic, G., Kruse, C., Busse, J.W., Parpia, S. and Bhandari, M., (2024). Characteristics of creative individuals: An umbrella review protocol. PloS One, 19(10), p.e0311851.

  5. Staibano, P., Au, M., Zhang, H., Yu, S., Liu, W., Pasternak, J.D., Xing, X., Seib, C.D., Orloff, L., Nguyen, N.T., Gupta, M.K., Monteiro, E., Parpia, S., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Young, J.E.M., Bhandari, M., 2024. Intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring criteria in primary hyperparathyroidism: a network meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.

  6. Thabane, A., McKechnie, T., Staibano, P., Arora, V., Calic, G., Busse, J.W., Parpia, S. and Bhandari, M., (2024). A consensus definition of creativity in surgery: A Delphi study protocol. PloS One, 19(12), p.e0314445.

  7. Staibano, P., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Xie, M., Zhang, H., Gupta, M.K., Au, M., Pasternak, J.D., Parpia, S., Young, J.E.M. and Bhandari, M., (2024). Trends in using intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring during parathyroidectomy: Protocol and rationale for a cross-sectional survey study of North American surgeons. PloS one, 19(7), p.e0301153.

  8. Thabane, A., McKechnie, T., Arora, V., Calic, G., Busse, J. W., Sonnadara, R., & Bhandari, M. (2024). Investigation of divergent thinking among surgeons and surgeon trainees in Canada (IDEAS): a mixed-methods study. BMJ open, 14(3), e081367.

  9. McKechnie, T., Kazi, T., Wang, A., Zhang, S., Thabane, A., Nanji, K., ... & Bhandari, M. (2024). REporting quality of PilOt randomised controlled trials in surgery (REPORTS): a methodological survey protocol. BMJ open, 14(4), e085293.

  10. McKechnie, T., Kazi, T., Wang, A., Zhang, S., Thabane, A., Nanji, K., Staibano, P., Park, L.J., Doumouras, A., Eskicioglu, C. and Thabane, L., (2024). Pilot and feasibility trials in surgery are incompletely reported according to the CONSORT checklist: a meta-research study. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, p.111335.

  11. Staibano, P., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Olteanu, D., Nanji, K., Zhang, H., Lunny, C., Au, M., Gupta, M.K., Pasternak, J.D. and Parpia, S., (2024). Methodological review to develop a list of bias items for adaptive clinical trials: Protocol and rationale. PloS one, 19(12), p.e0303315.

  12. Staibano, P., Oulousian, E., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Luo, S., Gupta, M.K., Zhang, H., Pasternak, J.D., Au, M., Parpia, S. and Young, J.E.M., (2024). Adaptive clinical trials in surgery: A scoping review of methodological and reporting quality. PloS one, 19(5), p.e0299494.

  13. Thabane, A., Busse, J.W., Sonnadara, R., Bhandari M. (2023). Investigating divergent thinking and creative ability in surgeons (IDEAS): a survey protocol. BMJ Open, 13, e069873.

  14. Thabane, A., Phillips, M. R., Wong, T. Y., Thabane, L., Bhandari, M., & Chaudhary, V. (2022). The clinician’s guide to randomized trials: interpretation. Eye, 36(3), 481-482.

  15. Monsalves, M. J., Bangdiwala, A. S., Thabane, A., & Bangdiwala, S. I. (2020). LEVEL (Logical Explanations & Visualizations of Estimates in Linear mixed models): recommendations for reporting multilevel data and analyses. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 20(1), 1-9.

  16. Wang, M., Jin, Y., Hu, Z. J., Thabane, A., Dennis, B., Gajic-Veljanoski, O., ... & Thabane, L. (2017). The reporting quality of abstracts of stepped wedge randomized trials is suboptimal: a systematic survey of the literature. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 8, 1-10.

  17. Thabane, A., Dennis, B. B., Gajic-Veljanoski, O., Paul, J., & Thabane, L. (2016). Reporting quality of stepped wedge design randomized trials: a systematic review protocol. Clinical Epidemiology, 8, 261.

You can see my full CV here.