Matthew D. Burstein

University at Buffalo, State University of New York, University Hospitals of Cleveland

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About

Matthew D. Burstein is a leading surgical outcomes researcher whose work critically examines the real-world effectiveness and safety of robotic surgery. His primary research areas include minimally invasive surgery, health services research, and surgical health policy. Burstein’s major contributions center on large-scale, population-level analyses of robot-assisted procedures, particularly cholecystectomy and sleeve gastrectomy. His landmark study, "The Early (2009–2017) Experience With Robot-assisted Cholecystectomy in New York State" (27 citations), provided crucial insights into patterns of care and patient outcomes, revealing that despite technological advantages, robotic cholecystectomy was associated with higher procedural costs and no clear clinical benefit over laparoscopy. He further extended this work to bariatric surgery, comparing robot-assisted versus laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (7 citations). Notably, Burstein has also addressed critical issues of research integrity, investigating how undisclosed conflicts of interest can bias studies comparing robotic and laparoscopic techniques (6 citations). His work has significant implications for surgical practice, helping to ensure that the adoption of expensive new technologies is guided by rigorous, unbiased evidence rather than industry influence.