Ahmer Irfan

About

Dr. Ahmer Irfan is a rising surgical researcher whose work bridges the frontiers of robotic surgery, surgical education, and health services research. He is best known for his landmark 2020 study on perioperative outcomes of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy, which provided a rigorous, propensity-matched comparison to open and laparoscopic approaches—a paper that has garnered 78 citations and helped define best practices in minimally invasive pancreatic surgery. Dr. Irfan also applies innovative quantitative methods to surgical training, as demonstrated by his cumulative sum analysis of the learning curve for robotic abdominal wall reconstruction. Beyond the operating room, he is deeply engaged in shaping the next generation of surgeons. His extensive body of work in surgical education—presented at the C-CASE 2024 conference—covers a remarkable breadth of topics, from bibliometric analyses of Canadian plastic surgery research and the impact of extended reality simulators on ophthalmic training to the evaluation of digital scribes and generative AI in medical education. Through this prolific and diverse portfolio, Dr. Irfan is making significant contributions to evidence-based surgical practice and the future of surgical training.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Perioperative Outcomes of Robotic Pancreaticoduodenectomy: a Propensity-Matched Analysis to Open and Laparoscopic Pancreaticoduodenectomy

   78 citations · 2020
2. 2
   Towards identifying a learning curve for robotic abdominal wall reconstruction: a cumulative sum analysis

   5 citations · 2023
3. 3
   C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation01. A 25-year retrospective of Canadian plastic surgery research and its influence: a thorough bibliometric study02. Evaluating knowledge translation applications of a Canadian surgical education app among Saudi Arabian medical trainees03. An educational podcast for trainees to learn about plastic surgery training in Canada — “Doctority Canada: Plastic Surgery.”04. Educational landscape and perspectives on interventional neuroradiology training in residency: a scoping review05. Moving toward collaboration: introducing a pan-Canadian virtual patient initiative06. From classroom to the operating room: equipping medical students for surgical clerkship success through a skills-based workshop07. Participants’ initial reactions and appreciation of ExploreMD, a medical career exploration event in the region of Outaouais, Quebec08. Shoulder dislocation: Health care professionals produce higher-quality content on TikTok09. Weaving our narrative: perspectives from hijab-wearing learners in the operating room10. The impact of extended reality simulators on ophthalmic surgical training and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 623 eyes11. Impact of a new bilingual online career orientation tool on medical students12. Examining the utility of LearnENT in undergraduate medical education13. Evaluating the current teaching practices for robotic-assisted surgery training during residency in different surgical programs across Canada14. Early exposure to neurosurgery: assessment of perceptions, expectations, mentorship, representation, and competence on medical student interest in neurosurgery15. Digital scribes in medical education: balancing innovation with skill development across educational levels16. A blueprint for near-peer medical student anatomy tutoring17. Enhancing productivity in medical education research groups: a scoping review18. Generative artificial intelligence in plastic surgery medical education:

   1 citations · 2025

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links