Dr. Richard Malthaner is a distinguished thoracic surgeon, Chair/Head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, and Director of the Thoracic Robotic Program at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, Ontario. He also holds professorships in Surgery, Oncology, and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, is a Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute, a founding member of Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR), and serves as the President of the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons.

His research translates advanced minimally invasive and robotic innovations into clinical care. A major focus is a novel robotic approach delivering therapeutic agents directly into lung tumors—an alternative to major surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. His team is developing the Minimally Invasive Robotic Ablation Therapy for Tumors (MIRATAT) system, a compact, cost-effective platform combining robotic arms, electromagnetic navigation, tactile imaging, and real-time ultrasound for precise probe placement.

Past innovations include:

A lung tumor model for ultrasound-guided surgery
3D minimally invasive surgical ultrasound for tumor imaging
An endoscopic palpation device for tumor localization
A robot-assisted brachytherapy seed insertion device
Electromagnetic needle guidance software

Future plans include constructing a full robotic system for lung cancer therapy and testing radiosensitizers, lasers, RFA, microwave therapy, cryotherapy, and gene therapy—leading toward the first clinical MIRATAT procedure.

Dr. Malthaner is a pioneer in Canadian surgery, having performed:

Canada’s first robotic lung cancer resection, apical bullectomy, and minimally invasive esophagectomy
The world’s first robot-assisted lung volume reduction for emphysema
The world’s only 3D ultrasound-guided thoracoscopic lung resections

His work has been supported by the Ontario Thoracic Society, LHSC, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Ontario R&D Challenge Fund, and CIHR.