Wael Hanna

Wael Hanna is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences. His primary clinical and research focus is on thoracic surgery, particularly lung cancer surgery, robotic-assisted procedures, and minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Hanna has established himself as a leading researcher with over 150 publications spanning from 1988 to 2025, with significant recent output demonstrating ongoing active scholarship.

His research interests encompass multiple critical areas in modern thoracic surgery:

• Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery and healthcare system implementation
• Lung cancer diagnostics using endobronchial ultrasound and AI augmentation
• Surgical outcomes research with population-based analyses
• Preoperative optimization programs for surgical patients
• Environmental impact of surgical technologies
• Cost-effectiveness of emerging surgical techniques

Dr. Hanna's recent scholarly output reveals important trends in thoracic surgery, with increasing emphasis on integrating artificial intelligence with traditional surgical approaches, evaluating the real-world implementation of robotic surgery, and developing patient-centered optimization protocols. His work consistently addresses both technical surgical questions and broader healthcare system implications, with publications appearing in high-impact journals across surgery, oncology, and healthcare policy domains. The research demonstrates methodological diversity including randomized trials, systematic reviews, population-based analyses, and technical innovation studies.

His scholarly impact is evident through significant engagement metrics, with numerous publications shared across academic platforms, social media, and cited in clinical guidelines. Dr. Hanna maintains an extensive collaborative network, with 63 publications alongside Yaron Shargall, 51 with Christian John Finley, and 46 with John Agzarian, indicating strong institutional partnerships at McMaster.

Dr. Hanna contributes to medical education through teaching activities including 'Independent Study in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Research Methods' (HTHRSM 705). His research has practical clinical applications, particularly in establishing evidence for robotic surgery techniques, developing diagnostic algorithms for lung cancer staging, and creating prehabilitation protocols to improve surgical recovery.