Professional Designation Surgeon
Department Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery
Organization of Employment Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Degrees MD

Profile

Dr. Khaitan is an American board-certified general and thoracic surgeon currently practicing at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE. She specializes in non-cardiac chest surgeries, focusing on lung cancer, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, chest wall masses, and mediastinal masses. She also treats patients with benign chest wall, foregut and diaphragmatic pathologies.

Dr. Khaitan earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas followed by a general surgery residency at Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia and a two-year NIH research fellowship at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas finally completing her cardiothoracic training at Harvard Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

After working in US for over a decade and rising through the ranks to a Professor, she moved to Abu Dhabi in 2022. Since then, she has developed a robust uniportal minimally invasive and robotic program at her institution along with multiple residency programs and research team. She is also the Founder and President of the Emirates International Thoracic Surgery Congress.

Dr. Khaitan is well published with over 100 publications, holds a global presence in the field, is an active reviewer for reputed international thoracic journals, has received numerous honors and awards, and serves on a number of committees in national and international professional societies. She is an associate editor for Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery and serves on the Editorial Board of Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. Dr. Khaitan is a committed research scientist who is also a leading pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence and precision medicine.

Recent & Current Appointments and Committee Memberships

  • Founder and President, Emirates International Thoracic Surgery Congress.
  • Board of Directors, Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) Foundation
  • ESTS Robotic Surgery Working Group Committee
  • ESTS Thymic Working Group Committee
  • Society of University Surgeons, Member
  • Vice-Chair, SSAT Research Committee
  • Vice-Chair, SSAT Esophageal Program Subcommittee
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

Research Interests

Early-stage lung cancer. Early-stage esophageal cancer and response to neoadjuvant therapy. Precision medicine. Hiatal hernia repair. Artificial intelligence and its application in oncology and surgery

  • SSAT Grand Round Professorship Award, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, April 2023
  • AAMC Mid-Career Faculty Leadership Development Award, Georgetown Chapter, 2022
  • Top Doctor/ Top Thoracic Surgeon in Washington DC, 2022
  • Northern Virginia Magazine's 2022 Top Doctor, 2022
  • Top Doctor in Washington DC, 2020
  • Top Doctor in Washington DC, International Association of HealthCare Professionals, 2019
  • Leading Physician of the World and Top Doctor in Washington DC, International Association of HealthCare Professionals, 2018
  • America's Top Surgeons, 2018
  • Houston Methodist Faculty Award of Excellence, 2016
  • Fondren-Brown OR Nursing Staff Award, 2016
  • Mentored Clinical Research Training Program Award, 2015
  • Leading Physician of the World and Top Surgeon in Houston, International Association of HealthCare Professionals, 2014

  • Tustumi F, Bolm L, Edelmuth RCL, Maegawa FAB, Andraus W, Herman P, McKenchie T, Tsung A, Samreen S, Merkow R, D'Souza N, Zafar SN, Shimoda GM, Wolosker N, Kawaguchi Y, Tsoulfas G, Montalvo-Jave EE, Dudeja V, Khaitan PG, Khan S. Global strategies for the diffusion of robotic surgery. Archives of Brazilian Digestive Surgery. 2025 Nov. doi: 10.1590/0102-67202025000039e1908.
  • Khaitan PG, Bukasa LL, Rathinavelu B. Editorial commentary on Predicting pathological response to neoadjuvant therapy in esophageal cancer. Annals of Esophagus. 2025 Mar. doi: 10.21037/aoe-24-33.
  • Khaitan PG. Invited commentary on Optimal Radiation Dose Intensity: Low- vs. High-Dose in the Neo-Adjuvant Treatment of Locally Advanced Esophageal Adenocarcinoma. J Gastrointest Surg. 2025 Jan 29(1): 101887. doi: 10/1016/j.gassur.2024.101887. PMID 39542414.
  • Al Khadem MG, Krishnamurthy, Khaitan PG. Operative management of a difficult problem: Cervical esophagogastric anastomotic stricture. Operative techniques in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery: A comparative atlas. 2024, Oct 30. doi.org/10.1053/j.optechstcvs.2024.06.002.
  • Khaitan PG, Ponnusamy S. Invited commentary on Comparison of the treatment outcomes of different neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy regimens for resectable locally advanced esophageal cancer. J Gastrointest Surg. 2024 Sept 11: S1091-255X(24)00624-3. doi: 10/1016/j.gassur.2024.09.008. PMID 39271000.
  • Cheney SM, Gaur D, Khaitan PG. Frailty and Sarcopenia: Low Utilization of Frailty Scales in Thoracic Surgery and the Potential Impact of Prehabilitation. Clinics in Surgery, 2024 May; 9(3702).