Lorin M. Towle-Miller
Papers
4
Total Citations
50
H-Index
4
About
Dr. Lorin M. Towle-Miller is a leading health services researcher whose work critically examines the real-world adoption, outcomes, and economics of robotic surgery. Her research focuses on three key areas: the comparative effectiveness of robot-assisted versus traditional laparoscopic and open surgical techniques, the population-level impact of surgical innovation, and the influence of industry financial relationships on surgical practice. Dr. Towle-Miller’s landmark study on robot-assisted cholecystectomy in New York State (27 citations) provided early, population-based evidence that robotic approaches were associated with higher costs and no clear clinical benefit, challenging prevailing enthusiasm. She extended this work to complex procedures like pancreaticoduodenectomy (12 citations) and sleeve gastrectomy (7 citations), consistently demonstrating that while robotic surgery is increasingly utilized, its advantages over established minimally invasive techniques remain nuanced. Most notably, her 2025 study on industry payments (4 citations) is pioneering in linking surgical device payments directly to the volume and distribution of robot-assisted surgeries, raising critical questions about conflicts of interest. Dr. Towle-Miller’s rigorous, policy-relevant analyses have made her a trusted voice in evidence-based surgical decision-making, helping surgeons, hospitals, and regulators navigate the rapid adoption of costly new technologies.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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