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null Dan Poenaru, MD, MA, MHPE, PhD, CM

Senior Scientist, RI-MUHC, Glen site

Child Health and Human Development Program

Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation

Professor, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Harvey E Beardmore Division of Pediatric Surgery, MUHC

 

Keywords

patient-centred care • communication • pediatric surgery • patient-reported outcomes • non-technical skills • surgical simulation • medical education • artificial intelligence • digital health • global surgery • social determinants of health • global surgical equity • intersectionality

Research Focus

Our research at the intersection of families and surgical providers focuses on enhancing communication during key surgical decisions. We prioritize patient-reported outcomes and experiences post-surgery to ensure the voices of children and their families are integral to the decision-making process. Additionally, we investigate risk communication in pediatric surgery to improve trust-building and the consenting process.

Leveraging AI, we aim to enhance patient-centred care by using large language models for electronic health record data extraction and developing mobile applications to improve communication between clinical teams and families. We have also democratized trauma simulation training through a VR-based application. And in global surgery, we explore gender equity in pediatric care, using intersectional methods to understand the impact of various identities on clinical care.

The CommiSur Lab vision is to integrate multidimensional, longitudinal patient data into an AI-driven continuous learning platform to monitor and improve children’s health trajectories and provide lifelong "deep care."

Selected Publications

Click on Pubmed to see my current publications list

  • Arulanandam, Brandon; Selvarajan, Arthega; Piche, Nelson; Sheldon, Signy; Bloom, Robert; Emil, Sherif; Li, Patricia; Janvier, Annie; Baird, Robert; Sampalis, John; Haggerty, Jeannie; Guadagno, Elena; Daniel, Sam; Poenaru, Dan, Use of a risk communication survey to prioritize family-valued outcomes and communication preferences for children undergoing outpatient surgical procedures, J Ped Surg, Volume 57, Issue 5, 788-797 (2022)

  • Botelho, Fabio; Harley, Jason; Yanchar, Nathalie; Abib, Simone; Bank, Ilana; Poenaru, Ilana, A Debriefing Tool to Acquire Non-Technical Skills in Trauma Courses, Surgery Open Access, Volume 10, 228-231 (2022)

  • Botelho Mendes, F Tshimula, JM Poenaru, D. (2023). Leveraging ChatGPT to Democratize and Decolonize Global Surgery: Large Language Models for Small Healthcare Budgets. World J Surg. 10 September 2023: online.

  • Abu-Ashour W, Emil S, Poenaru D. (2023). Using Artificial Intelligence To Label Free-Text Operative And Ultrasound Reports For Grading Pediatric Appendicitis. medRxiv. 2023.08.30: 23294850.

  • Fabio Botelho Ayla Gerk Rangel Jason M. Harley Dan Poenaru. (2024). Improving Pediatric TraumaEducation by Teaching Non-technical Skills: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 59(Jan 2024): Jan 30, 2024.