Our Projects

This study is a prospective longitudinal survey
assessment of financial toxicity after surgical
trauma care in India at three different major
hospitals. Survey data is collected at 1-, 3-, and
6 months post-discharge. The aim of the study
is to identify and describe the risk factors for
postoperative catastrophic health expenditure in
this context. This research will help guide targeted
interventions to reduce CHE in trauma patients.

Over 23 million people in the US struggle with
medical debt. Granular data on this population
is lacking. We are conducting an analysis of the
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to better
quantify the epidemiological burden of
postoperative CHE in the United States and
identify risk factors for CHE in surgical patients.

Quantitative metrics of financial toxicity are
beginning to gain traction. However, subjective
metrics of financial toxicity must be developed,
validated, and employed to place the quantitative
analyses in context. The aim of this work is to
report and validate patient-reported outcomes
of financial toxicity to guide further research.

Gender inequality can present as subtle differential treatments based on gender. We are conducting a study on paging behavior differences between male and female surgeons to assess implicit gender biases within the culture of hospital communications.

Parental leave policies in the US are seldom
advertised for residency programs. Equitable cultural
expectations of child-rearing require parental leave
policies that include paternity as well as maternity
leave. We aim to describe the current state of
these policies. We are also working on a survey
study of children of women surgeons regarding
beliefs and attitudes toward their parent’s work

Gender-affirming surgery has significant health benefits for patients. We are conducting a study on the risk of financial toxicity after gender-affirming surgery using a standardized assessment tool.