Dr. Nicola Lahoud

Nicola Lahoud is a clinical researcher in surgical sciences, associated with the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre and academic collaborators in South Africa. Her work spans colorectal surgery, perioperative medicine, and surgical oncology, with contributions to international collaborative studies published in leading journals. She is engaged in improving surgical outcomes through evidence-based evaluation and translational research.

Her research prominently addresses postoperative pulmonary complications, including validation of prognostic risk models and analysis of surgical mortality during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Through large international cohort studies, she has contributed to refining risk stratification in major abdominal and oncologic surgery, highlighting gaps in existing prediction tools and the need for improved perioperative safety frameworks.

Another key focus is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, particularly the development of combined inflammatory cytokine and biomarker panels to enhance diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in diverse populations. Her work integrates clinical data with laboratory biomarkers, strengthening precision approaches in surgical oncology and advancing context-specific cancer research in the South African setting.