The Science of Creativity

Whether it be problem-solving in the operating room, running a start-up team, or navigating a company through a difficult business environment, the ability to be creative is essential.

My research is focused on understanding the science of creativity, including what creativity is, what makes people creative, and how we can cultivate creativity in people of all ages and domains.

Publications

  1. Thabane, A., Heels-Ansdell, D., Zytaruk, N. et al. (2025). Coenrollment of critically ill patients in PROSPECT: characteristics and association with treatment efficacy and safety. Trials 26, 370.

  2. Thabane, A., McKechnie, T., Staibano, P., Calic, G., Arora, V., Webb, M.E., Busse, J.W., Parpia, S. and Bhandari, M., (2025). A Consensus Definition of Creativity in Surgery: A Focus Group and Modified Delphi Study. Creativity Research Journal, pp.1-16.

  3. Staibano, P., Au, M., Pasternak, J.D., Parpia, S., Zhang, H., Busse, J.W., Nguyen, N.T., Monteiro, E., Gupta, M.K., Choi, D.L. and Lewis, T., MeKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Ham, J., Young, JE., Bhandari, M. (2025). Intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring to guide surgery in renal hyperparathyroidism (PEREGRINE): a protocol for a randomised multiarm surgical pilot trial. BMJ open, 15(7), p.e098860.

  4. McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Staibano, P., Saddik, M., Kuszaj, O., Guez, M., Hong, D., Doumouras, A., Eskicioglu, C., Parpia, S., Bhandari, M.. (2025). PREscribing Preoperative weight loss prior to major non-bAriatric Surgery foR patients with Elevated weight: A National Provider Survey (PREPARE Provider Survey) Short Running Head: PREPARE Provider Survey. Frontiers in Surgery;12:1529116.

  5. McKechnie, T., Kazi, T., Wang, A., Zhang, S., Thabane, A., Nanji, K., Staibano, P., Park, LJ., Doumouras, A., Eskicioglu, C., Thabane, L., Parpia, S., Bhandari, M. (2025). Inconsistency Between Abstract and Main Text Reporting is Common in Pilot Randomized Controlled Trials of Surgical Interventions: A Methodological Survey. The American Journal of Surgery. Feb 13:116250.

  6. Thabane, A., Saleh, S., Pallapothu, S., McKechnie, T., Staibano, P., Busse, J.W., Calic, G., Sonnadara, R., Parpia, S. and Bhandari, M., 2025. Creativity research in medicine and nursing: A scoping review. PloS One, 20(1), p.e0317209.

  7. McKechnie, T., Kazi, T., Shi, V., Wang, A., Zhang, S., Thabane, A., Nanji, K., Staibano, P., Park, L.J., Doumouras, A. and Eskicioglu, C., 2025. Spin Reporting Is Common in Pilot Randomized Controlled Trials in Surgery: A Methodological Survey. Journal of Surgical Research, 306, pp.16-25.

  8. Staibano, P., Gupta, M.K., Alresaini, F., Au, M., Nanji, K., Oulousian, E., Senthilkumaran, M., Oulousian, S., Pasternak, J.D., McKechnie, T., Monteiro, E., Thabane, A., and Zhang, H. (2024). Adjuvant Radioactive Iodine Ablation in Tall Cell Subtype Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Surgical Research, 304, pp.136-146.

  9. Thabane, A., McKechnie, T., Staibano, P., Calic, G., Kruse, C., Busse, J.W., Parpia, S. and Bhandari, M., (2024). Characteristics of creative individuals: An umbrella review protocol. PloS One, 19(10), p.e0311851.

  10. Staibano, P., Au, M., Zhang, H., Yu, S., Liu, W., Pasternak, J.D., Xing, X., Seib, C.D., Orloff, L., Nguyen, N.T., Gupta, M.K., Monteiro, E., Parpia, S., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Young, J.E.M., Bhandari, M., 2024. Intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring criteria in primary hyperparathyroidism: a network meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.

  11. Thabane, A., McKechnie, T., Staibano, P., Arora, V., Calic, G., Busse, J.W., Parpia, S. and Bhandari, M., (2024). A consensus definition of creativity in surgery: A Delphi study protocol. PloS One, 19(12), p.e0314445.

  12. Staibano, P., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Xie, M., Zhang, H., Gupta, M.K., Au, M., Pasternak, J.D., Parpia, S., Young, J.E.M. and Bhandari, M., (2024). Trends in using intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring during parathyroidectomy: Protocol and rationale for a cross-sectional survey study of North American surgeons. PloS one, 19(7), p.e0301153.

  13. Thabane, A., McKechnie, T., Arora, V., Calic, G., Busse, J. W., Sonnadara, R., & Bhandari, M. (2024). Investigation of divergent thinking among surgeons and surgeon trainees in Canada (IDEAS): a mixed-methods study. BMJ open, 14(3), e081367.

  14. McKechnie, T., Kazi, T., Wang, A., Zhang, S., Thabane, A., Nanji, K., ... & Bhandari, M. (2024). REporting quality of PilOt randomised controlled trials in surgery (REPORTS): a methodological survey protocol. BMJ open, 14(4), e085293.

  15. McKechnie, T., Kazi, T., Wang, A., Zhang, S., Thabane, A., Nanji, K., Staibano, P., Park, L.J., Doumouras, A., Eskicioglu, C. and Thabane, L., (2024). Pilot and feasibility trials in surgery are incompletely reported according to the CONSORT checklist: a meta-research study. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, p.111335.

  16. Staibano, P., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Olteanu, D., Nanji, K., Zhang, H., Lunny, C., Au, M., Gupta, M.K., Pasternak, J.D. and Parpia, S., (2024). Methodological review to develop a list of bias items for adaptive clinical trials: Protocol and rationale. PloS one, 19(12), p.e0303315.

  17. Staibano, P., Oulousian, E., McKechnie, T., Thabane, A., Luo, S., Gupta, M.K., Zhang, H., Pasternak, J.D., Au, M., Parpia, S. and Young, J.E.M., (2024). Adaptive clinical trials in surgery: A scoping review of methodological and reporting quality. PloS one, 19(5), p.e0299494.

  18. Thabane, A., Busse, J.W., Sonnadara, R., Bhandari M. (2023). Investigating divergent thinking and creative ability in surgeons (IDEAS): a survey protocol. BMJ Open, 13, e069873.

  19. Thabane, A., Phillips, M. R., Wong, T. Y., Thabane, L., Bhandari, M., & Chaudhary, V. (2022). The clinician’s guide to randomized trials: interpretation. Eye, 36(3), 481-482.

  20. Monsalves, M. J., Bangdiwala, A. S., Thabane, A., & Bangdiwala, S. I. (2020). LEVEL (Logical Explanations & Visualizations of Estimates in Linear mixed models): recommendations for reporting multilevel data and analyses. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 20(1), 1-9.

  21. Wang, M., Jin, Y., Hu, Z. J., Thabane, A., Dennis, B., Gajic-Veljanoski, O., ... & Thabane, L. (2017). The reporting quality of abstracts of stepped wedge randomized trials is suboptimal: a systematic survey of the literature. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 8, 1-10.

  22. Thabane, A., Dennis, B. B., Gajic-Veljanoski, O., Paul, J., & Thabane, L. (2016). Reporting quality of stepped wedge design randomized trials: a systematic review protocol. Clinical Epidemiology, 8, 261.

You can see my full CV here.