Portrait of Dan Poenaru

Dan Poenaru

Associate Academic Member
dan.poenaru@mcgill.ca
Professor, McGill University, Department of Pediatric Surgery
Research Topics
AI and Healthcare
AI in Health
Medical Machine Learning

Biography

Dan Poenaru is a professor of pediatric surgery at McGill University and a senior scientist at the research institute of the McGill University Health Centre. He has a master’s degrees in health professions education and international development, and a doctorate in health strategy and management. Poenaru is a Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS) and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded investigator in patient-centered surgical care, head of the McGill CommiSur Lab, director of the Jean-Martin Laberge Fellowship in Global Pediatric Surgery, and a founding member of the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS).

His current areas of academic interest are technology-assisted surgical communication and medical education, including AI, VR and digital health devices, patient-centred surgical care, and developing global surgical research capacity.

Current Students

Mohsen Amoei
PhD - McGill University
Carmel Daskalo
Master's Research - McGill University
Aylin Erman
PhD - McGill University
Principal supervisor :
Jackie Cheung
Hakima Laribi
PhD - Université de Sherbrooke
Co-supervisor :
Martin Vallières
Website
Github
Olivier Lefebvre
PhD - Université de Sherbrooke
Co-supervisor :
Martin Vallières
Github
Eve Wang
Master's Research - McGill University
Github

Publications

Adaptation, Translation, and Validation of a Patient-Reported Experience Measure for Children and Young People for the Canadian Context.
Zanib Nafees
Julia Ferreira
Elena Guadagno
Jo Wray
Agneta Anderzén-Carlsson
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
Adaptation, Translation, and Validation of a Patient-Reported Experience Measure for Children and Young People for the Canadian Context
Zanib Nafees
Julia Ferreira
Elena Guadagno
Jo Wray
Agneta Anderzén-Carlsson
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
Improving Pediatric Trauma Education by Teaching Non-technical Skills: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Fabio Botelho
Ayla Gerk
Jason M. Harley
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
The State of Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Surgery: A Systematic Review.
Mohamed Elahmedi
Riya Sawhney
Elena Guadagno
Fabio Botelho
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
The State of Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Surgery: A Systematic Review
Mohamed Elahmedi
Riya Sawhney
Elena Guadagno
Fabio Botelho
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
Using Artificial Intelligence to Label Free-Text Operative and Ultrasound Reports for Grading Pediatric Appendicitis.
Waseem Abu-Ashour
Sister Mary Emil
Sherif Emil
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
Using Artificial Intelligence to Label Free-Text Operative and Ultrasound Reports for Grading Pediatric Appendicitis.
Waseem Abu-Ashour
Sherif Emil
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
Using Artificial Intelligence to Label Free-Text Operative and Ultrasound Reports for Grading Pediatric Appendicitis.
Waseem Abu-Ashour
Sherif Emil
Dan Poenaru
2024-02-01
Journal of Pediatric Surgery (published)
doi.org
Exploring the digital divide: results of a survey informing mobile application development
Maira Corinne Claudio
Zachary Rehany
Katerina Stachtari
Elena Guadagno
Esli Osmanlliu
Dan Poenaru
Introduction Mobile health apps risk widening health disparities if they overlook digital inclusion. The digital divide, encompassing access… (see more), familiarity, and readiness, poses a significant barrier to medical interventions. Existing literature lacks exploration of the digital divide's contributing factors. Hence, data are needed to comprehend the challenges in developing inclusive health apps. Methods We created a survey to gauge internet and smartphone access, smartphone familiarity, and readiness for using mobile health apps among caregivers of pediatric patients in tertiary care. Open-ended questions solicited feedback and suggestions on mobile health applications. Responses were categorized by similarity and compared. Developed with patient partners, the survey underwent cognitive testing and piloting for accuracy. Results Data from 209 respondents showed that 23% were affected by the digital divide, mainly due to unfamiliarity with digital skills. Among 49 short text responses about health app concerns, 31 mentioned security and confidentiality, with 7 mentioning the impersonal nature of such apps. Desired features included messaging healthcare providers, scheduling, task reminders, and simplicity. Conclusions This study underscores a digital divide among caregivers of pediatric patients, with nearly a quarter affected primarily due to a lack of digital comfort. Respondents emphasized user-friendliness and online security for health apps. Future apps should prioritize digital inclusion by addressing the significant barriers and carefully considering patient and family concerns.
2024-01-01
Frontiers Digit. Health (published)
doi.org
The evidence mismatch in pediatric surgical practice
Marina Broomfield
Zena Agabani
Elena Guadagno
Dan Poenaru
Robert Baird
2023-11-18
Pediatric surgery international (Print) (published)
doi.org
Defining Feasibility as a Criterion for Essential Surgery: A Qualitative Study with Global Children’s Surgery Experts
Alizeh Abbas
Henry E. Rice
Dan Poenaru
Lubna Samad
2023-10-14
World Journal of Surgery (published)
doi.org
Leveraging ChatGPT to Democratize and Decolonize Global Surgery: Large Language Models for Small Healthcare Budgets
Fabio Botelho
Jean Marie Tshimula
Dan Poenaru
2023-09-10
World Journal of Surgery (published)
doi.org