Papers
4
Total Citations
113
H-Index
2
About
Craig McIlhenny is a surgical researcher whose work sits at the intersection of robotic surgery, skills assessment, and cognitive training. He has made significant contributions to the development of structured frameworks for evaluating both technical and non-technical skills (NTS) in robotic and minimally invasive surgery environments. His most influential work, the ICARS system (2017), established a validated tool for assessing non-technical skills in robotic surgery, accumulating 69 citations and providing the surgical education community with a much-needed standardized evaluation framework. Building on this foundation, McIlhenny led a randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of motor imagery as a cognitive training strategy for surgeons — an innovative approach that bridges sports psychology and surgical education. Conducted at the prestigious Vattikuti Institute of Robotic Surgery, this study garnered 40 citations and helped demonstrate that mental rehearsal techniques can meaningfully enhance both technical proficiency and situational awareness in robotic procedures. McIlhenny's body of work reflects a commitment to elevating surgical training standards, with particular emphasis on the often-overlooked cognitive and behavioral dimensions of operative performance that are critical to patient safety.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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