Papers
10
Total Citations
612
H-Index
9
About
Stephanie Novak is a pioneering surgical oncologist whose research has fundamentally advanced the field of robotic pancreatic surgery. Her work centers on two critical areas: objectively measuring surgical skill and developing validated training curricula to improve patient outcomes. Her landmark 2016 study, cited 164 times, demonstrated that video-graded technical performance of the pancreaticojejunostomy independently predicts postoperative pancreatic fistula—a finding that shifted the paradigm from blaming patient factors to recognizing the surgeon’s role in complications. Novak also led the creation of a mastery-based virtual reality robotic simulation curriculum (123 citations) and a biotissue training program for surgical oncology fellows (108 citations), establishing the first evidence-based steps toward robotic proficiency. Her contributions extend to complex vascular resections during the Whipple procedure and innovative combined endoscopic-robotic techniques for difficult cholecystectomies. With over 600 total citations across her portfolio, Novak’s work has not only improved surgical safety and training standards but also expanded the indications for minimally invasive pancreatic surgery, making her a transformative figure in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 5Resident attitudes and compliance towards robotic surgical training33 citations · 2017
- 6Robotic vascular resections during Whipple procedure27 citations · 2018
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- 9Robotic central pancreatectomy23 citations · 2017
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