Dr. Michael A. Baker
CM, O.Ont., MD
Dr Michael Baker is the Rose Family Chair in Medicine at University Health Network and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Royal College of Physicians of Canada.
His career interests have included cancer research, medical administration, leadership in patient safety, and a consulting practice in hematology and complex medical care.
Dr Baker's research has focussed on the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia and aspects of cancer control, leading to more than 100 publications in this field. He has Chaired several national and provincial cancer research committees, and served as President of the National Cancer Institute of Canada for three years. He has been elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Dr. Robert S. Bell
President and CEO, University Health Network
Dr. Robert Bell was appointed as President and CEO of University Health Network (UHN) in June 2005. An internationally recognized Orthopaedic surgeon, health care executive, clinician-scientist, and educator, Dr. Bell brings more than 20 years of experience in academic health care to leadership of Canada's largest research hospital. From 2000 to 2005, he served as Chief Operating Officer of UHN's Princess Margaret Hospital where he was responsible for leading Canada's largest comprehensive cancer centre. From 2003 to 2005, he served as Regional Vice President and Chair of the Clinical Council of Cancer Care Ontario.
Dr. Bell earned a Doctor of Medicine from McGill University in 1975 and a Masters of Science from the University of Toronto in 1981. He completed a Fellowship in Orthopaedic Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University in 1985. During his career as a clinician-scientist at the University of Toronto, he received more than five million dollars in peer reviewed funding and published more than 170 peer-reviewed papers. He participated in the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2005. Dr. Bell is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Dr. Simon Carette
Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Education, University Health Network
Dr Carette graduated from Laval University in 1975 and he completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Laval and McGill Universities. He trained in rheumatology at the University of Toronto and did post-graduate work at the National Institutes of Health. He was affiliated with Laval University from 1983 until 1998 where he was successively head of the division of rheumatology and Physician in Chief of le Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval. In 1997, he completed a sabbatical year at the University of Cambridge, UK following which he moved to the University of Toronto in 1998 as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Rheumatology at the University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital. Since July 2009, he is Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Education at UHN/MSH.
Dr. Edward Cole
Physician-in-Chief, University Health Network
Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Edward Cole received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of Toronto in 1972 and 1973, respectively, and his MD from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1975. Following four years of post-graduate training in internal medicine and nephrology at the University of Toronto, he received a Medical Research Council of Canada Fellowship for work in the laboratory of Dr. Curtis Wilson at the Research Institute of the Scripps Clinic that focused on glomerular immunopathology. He has been a member of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto since 1981, having worked at the Wellesley Hospital until 1984, St. Michael's Hospital until 1992, and is presently a staff nephrologist in the Renal Transplantation Program at the Toronto General Hospital.
In 2001 he was appointed as Director, Division of Nephrology, University Health Network & Mount Sinai Hospital and in 2007 became the Amgen Professor of Nephrology. He is currently Professor of Medicine and, from 1996-2006; he was the Director of the Division of Nephrology, University of Toronto. He is founder and Chair of The Canadian Transplantation Society Kidney Working Group and Chair of the Steering Committee for National Kidney Registries. Dr. Cole was appointed Physician-in-Chief, University Health Network and Dr Charles H. Hollenberg Chair in Medicine in May, 2010. His major research interests are in immunosuppressive drugs and clinical trials in renal transplantation with over 130 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Tirone E. David
Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Toronto General Hospital
Doctor Tirone E. David is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Toronto General Hospital, and the holder of the Melanie Munk Chair at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Doctor David has published close to 300 scientific papers, 45 chapters in medical textbooks as well as 5 surgical textbooks. He has developed numerous operative procedures to treat patients with heart valve disease, complications of myocardial infarction, and thoracic aneurysms. He has been a member of the editorial board of several medical journals. Doctor David is a member of numerous surgical and medical societies and honorary member of the European Cardio-Thoracic Association, the Brazilian Cardiovascular Society, the Italian Society for Cardiac Surgery, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular, and the Society of Cardiac Surgeons. He was President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in 2004-2005, the most prestigious professional organization of cardiac and thoracic surgeons. He received the Order of Ontario in 1993 and the Order of Canada in 1996. He was elected University Professor in 2004, the highest honor the University of Toronto bestows to its professors.
Dr. Michael G. Fehlings
MD PhD FRCSC FACS; Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto; Krembil Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration; McLaughlin Scholar in Molecular Medicine; Director, University of Toronto Neuroscience Program; Co-Director, University of Toronto Spinal Program; Medical Director, Krembil Neuroscience Center; Head, Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Program; Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Dr. Fehlings is the Medical Director of the Krembil Neuroscience Center and heads the Spinal Program at the Toronto Western Hospital. Dr. Fehlings is a Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, holds the Krembil Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration, a Scientist at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and a McLaughlin Scholar in Molecular Medicine. In the fall of 2008, Dr. Fehlings was appointed the inaugural Director of the University of Toronto Neuroscience Program and Co-Director of the newly formed University of Toronto Spinal Program.
Dr. Fehlings combines an active clinical practice in complex spinal surgery with a translationally oriented research program focused on discovering novel treatments for spinal cord injury. This is reflected by the publication of over 300 peer-reviewed articles chiefly in the area of spinal cord injury and complex spinal surgery. Dr. Fehlings leads a multi-disciplinary team of researchers which is examining the application of stem cells, nanotechnology and tissue engineering for spinal cord repair and regeneration. He is also a principal investigator in the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation North American Clinical Trials Network, is co-chair of the internationally renowned Spine Trauma Study Group and leads several international clinical research efforts through AOSpine.
Dr. Norman Iscove
Investigator, McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network
Senior Scientist, Ontario Cancer Institute
Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
Dr. Norman Iscove is an Investigator at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Senior Scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute. He is also a Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Iscove’s research is concerned with the genes and mechanisms that specify self-renewal and differentiation in normal and leukemic hematopoietic stem cells. Dr. Norman Iscove has made significant and pioneering contributions to hemopoietic stem cell research that advanced the field in both methodology and concept.
Dr. Johnny Lau
MD, MSc, FRCSC
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
Dr. Johnny Lau is an Orthopaedic Surgeon with subspecialty training in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. He completed his medical and surgical training at the University of Toronto. He then completed subspecialty training in foot and ankle surgery in Baltimore, MD.
His research interest is in the treatment of foot and ankle arthritis. He is studying joint replacements for foot and ankle arthritis and is involved in developing a new ankle replacement. He is involved in a national study evaluating ankle replacements, and is spear heading a study to evaluate toe replacements.
Dr. Andres Lozano
RR Tasker Professor and Chair in Functional Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and the Toronto Western Hospital
Dr. Lozano received his MD degree at the University of Ottawa and his neurosurgical training and PhD degree in Neurobiology at McGill. He received post-doctoral training in movement disorders at Queens Square, London, UK and in cell and molecular biology in Toronto. He is the Professor and Chairman of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto (as of Sept 1, 2010) and holds both the RR Tasker Chair in Functional Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and the Toronto Western Hospital and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience. He has an active laboratory dedicated to the study of neuronal degeneration and regeneration and Functional Neurosurgery.
Dr. Lozano has over 350 publications in neurosciences including publications in several prestigious journals. He serves on the executive board of several international organizations including the Michael J Fox Foundation and is on the international editorial board of 14 journals. A recognized international authority on the surgery and pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease, he has led over 400 invited lectures throughout the world. He has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has received the Order of Spain.
Dr. Nizar Mahomed
Head of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery; Medical Director, Arthritis Program; Senior Scientist, Division of Outcomes & Population Health, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network; Smith & Nephew Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery; Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto; Managing Director, Rehabilitation Solutions.
Dr. Nizar Mahomed is a leading orthopaedic surgeon at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. In addition to being Director of the Arthritis Program, he directs the Lower Extremity Arthritis Program. Dr. Mahomed graduated from the University of Toronto in 1988. His orthopaedic training and arthroplasty fellowship was at U of T. In 1999, Dr. Mahomed obtained a Doctor of Science in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Darrell Ogilvie-Harris
Dr. Ogilvie-Harris attended the University of Liverpool in England where he received a B.Sc. Honours degree in Biochemistry. He was awarded a Distinction in Medicine and in Surgery receiving his medical degree with Honours (M.B.,Ch.B. Hons.)
In Canada he did a Masters Degree in Medical Science researching on continuous passive motion. He received his specialist certification in Orthopedic Surgery after completing a residency in the University of Toronto. He has been a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Orthopaedic Surgery since 1981 (F.R..C.S).
Dr. Christopher J. Paige, PhD
Vice President, Research, UHN; Ronald Buick Chair in Cancer Research; Professor, Departments of Immunology and Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
Dr. Paige earned a Ph.D. in Immunology at the Sloan-Kettering Division of Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in 1979. He became a Member of the Basel Institute for Immunology in Switzerland where he worked from 1980-1987 before joining the Ontario Cancer Institute as a Senior Scientist in 1987. In 1990, Dr. Paige became the founding Director of the Arthritis and Autoimmunity Research Centre as well as Director of Research at The Wellesley Hospital. In 1998, Dr. Paige returned to the Ontario Cancer Institute to assume the role of Vice-President, Research and, subsequently, he assumed his current position of Vice-President, Research at the University Health Network which is comprised of the Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret Hospitals.
Dr. Harry Rakowski
Development Director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Imaging Centre
University Health Network
In 1972 Dr. Harry Rakowski graduated with an Honours MD from the University of Toronto. He did his postgraduate training in Toronto followed by a Research Fellowship at Stanford University.
A dedicated professor and practitioner, Dr. Rakowski has taught hundreds of cardiology residents. He has led an illustrious career of over 30 years at Toronto General Hospital. There he has served as Director of Clinical Cardiology and Deputy Director for the renowned Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. He has served as Chief Examiner in Cardiology, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Vivek Rao
Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Assistance
Toronto General Hospital
Dr. Vivek Rao is the Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Assistance at the Toronto General Hospital and the Alfredo and Teresa DeGasperis Chair in the Surgical Management of Heart Failure. Dr. Rao is a Full Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. Dr. Rao completed his medical and surgical training at the University of Toronto prior to completing a fellowship in cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at New York's Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Rao's research lab is currently investigating novel techniques of myocardial protection for cardiac transplantation and new therapeutic strategies to prevent transplant coronary artery disease.
Dr. Barry Rubin
BSc, MD CM, PhD, FACS, FRCSC
Dr. Barry Rubin is Medical Director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Center and Head of the Division of Vascular Surgery at University Health Network. He completed his undergraduate and medical education at McGill, and then obtained a PhD in Experimental Medicine and trained in General and Vascular Surgery at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Rubin leads a tertiary/quaternary care practice in vascular surgery and manages patients with thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms, carotid stenosis and impaired lower extremity circulation.
Dr. Bryce Taylor
Associate Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, and previous Surgeon-in-Chief & Director of Surgical Services, University Health Network; Medical Director, International Patients Program, University Health Network; Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
Dr. Bryce Taylor obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto (U of T) and completed postgraduate surgical training at U of T followed by research training in London, England.
He returned to Toronto Western Hospital where he practiced general surgery and endoscopy and was Coordinator of Undergraduate Education. Shortly thereafter, he moved to the Toronto General Hospital where he and his colleagues initiated a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery program including transplantation with clinical, educational, and research objectives.
Dr. Michael Tymianski
MD PhD FRCSC; Neurosurgeon and Senior Scientist, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network; Interim Head, Division of Neurosurgey, UHN
Dr. Michael Tymianski is the Medical Director of the Neurovascular Therapeutics Program of the University Health Network. Dr. Tymianski specializes in the neurosurgical treatment of patients with complex brain vascular disorders, including stroke. He graduated from Medical School at the University of Toronto in 1987 and began his Neurosurgery training, which he completed in 1995. During his training, he also obtained his PhD in neurosciences (1994). Afterwards, Dr. Tymianski undertook additional specialty training in cerebrovascular and skull base neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) in 1995 and at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona in 1996.
Dr. Tymianski joined TWH in 1997 and is a Professor of Surgery at U of T where he teaches medical students and clinical fellows. A Senior Scientist with Toronto Western Research Institute, he directs the Neuroprotection Laboratory where he explores the mechanism that causes brain cells to be damaged by stroke and other injuries such as epilepsy and trauma. Recently, he and his team developed a new drug that, in laboratory tests, immediately stops the brain damage of stroke. In 2003, Dr. Tymianski founded a biotechnology company in order to enable him to bring his new drug to clinical trials for the treatment of stroke patients. This drug is now being tested at several neuroscience hospitals accross canada, and has the potential to help patients afflicted with strokes and other brain injuries.
Dr. Christopher Wallace
Head, Division of Neurosurgery, University Health Network
Program Director, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto
Dr. Christopher Wallace has worked at the University Health network for over 20 years and is one of Canada's best known clinician scientists specializing in cerebrovascular disease. As Head of a Division of 11 neurosurgeons at the Toronto Western Hospital, he directs one of the most academic neurosurgery units in North America.
Dr. Wallace is a Professor at the University of Toronto and holds the Foundation Baxter et Alma Ricard Chair in Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery. He co-founded the University of Toronto Brain Vascular Malformation Study Group (1989), which has become a national referral centre for patients suffering cerebrovascular conditions and is known internationally for its clinical research. Patient education in these disease areas is available through the group's website www.brainavm.com.
Dr. Shaf Keshavjee
MD MSc FRCSC FACS; Surgeon-in-Chief; James Wallace McCutcheon Chair in Surgery; Director, Toronto Lung transplant Program; Director, Latner Thoracic Research Laboratories;
Scientist, McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine; Professor, Division of Thoracic Surgery & Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Shaf Keshavjee is the Surgeon-in-Chief at University Health Network. He is the Director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program - a University program spanning UHN and the Hospital for Sick Children. He is a Professor in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto. He is also Head of the Joint Division of Thoracic Surgery of UHN and St Joseph's Hospital, McMaster University.
Dr Keshavjee completed his medical training at the University of Toronto in 1985. He subsequently trained in General Surgery, Cardiac Surgery and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto followed by fellowship training at Harvard University and the University of London for airway surgery and heart-lung transplantation respectively. He joined the faculty at the University of Toronto in 1994.
Dr Keshavjee's clinical practice in Thoracic Surgery is based at TGH, he also leads a team of researchers in a well-established CIHR funded research program and is widely published in the field. His specific research interest is in lung injury related to transplantation. His current work involves the study of molecular diagnostics and gene therapeutic strategies to engineer better organs for lung transplantation..
Dr. Tom Waddell
Scientist, Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology,
Toronto General Research Institute; Thoracic Surgeon; University Health Network
With a Medical Degree from Ottawa and surgical training in Toronto, Dr. Tom Waddell first came to the University of Toronto in 1987. Within five years he achieved his Masters under the supervision of Dr. Alec Patterson, a founder of lung transplantation, and went on to complete his Doctorate with Dr. Greg Downey, Director of U of T's Division of Respirology. A post-doctoral fellowship followed in England, studying the transfer of tissues from one species to another (xenotransplantation). He became Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Division of Thoracic Surgery in 2010.
Dr. Waddell practices thoracic surgery at UHN and Mount Sinai Hospital and cardiothoracic surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Mansoor Husain
Director, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network
Director, Heart & Stroke Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence, University of Toronto
Dr. Husain is the Director of the Heart and Stroke Richard Lewar Centre for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research at the University of Toronto, a Career Investigator of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario. He is a Scientist in the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the incoming Director of the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute.
His basic research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of hypertension, atherosclerosis and heart failure, and has attracted funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO), and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Dr. Husain has been recognized by an Ontario Premier's Research Excellence Award.
Clinically, Dr. Husain works in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Nuclear Cardiology Laboratories of the University Health Network.
Dr. Heather Ross
Director of Cardiac Transplant, Toronto General Hospital
Heather Ross, MD, MHSc, FRCP (C), is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Director of the Cardiac Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital. She is the Ted Rogers and Family Chair in Heart Function. She is the Head of the MSH/UHN Heart Failure Program, Deputy Director of the Multi-Organ Transplant Program and the Director of Education for the University of Toronto Transplant Institute. She received her medical degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and completed her cardiology training at Dalhousie University, in Canada. Dr. Ross completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiac transplantation at Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California, and earned her Masters Degree in Bioethics from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Ross served as the President of the Canadian Society of Transplantation in 2005, and an executive member of the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation from 2002 through 2005 and Secretary Treasurer 2007-2010. Since 2002, she has been a Supervisor for the CIHR Training Program in Regenerative Medicine, the Course Director since 2007 and Program Advisory Committee Chair and Co-Investigator from 2008.
Dr. John Granton
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Granton is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is the Division Head of Respirology at the University Health Network, Mount Sinai Hospital and Women's College Hospitals. He is also the Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at the University Health Network. This program serves patients from across Ontario and the Eastern Provinces. For the past 12 years, the Pulmonary Hypertension Program has also acted as a resource for physicians and care providers and has been involved in research and training physicians to care for patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Dr. Granton is also the past Chair of the Ontario Thoracic Society and Chair of the Canadian Critical Care Society. His clinical and research interests include acute lung injury, heart lung interactions, pulmonary hypertension, and right heart failure.
Dr. Sidney Kennedy
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Sidney H. Kennedy is Psychiatrist-in-Chief at University Health Network and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. He is an internationally recognized researcher and educator in Mood Disorders.
Dr. Kennedy is the lead psychiatrist in the Deep Brain Stimulation Program at Toronto Western Hospital for patients with Treatment Resistant Depression. He has also led international programs on new drug development for several antidepressants and has pioneered the use of brain imaging techniques to compare depressed and other groups using functional brain imaging and Positron Emission Tomography. He is the Principal Investigator of a Canada wide initiative to identify Biomarkers for Depression and Bipolar Disorder. The goal of this project is to develop a personalized medicine approach to the treatment of Mood Disorders.
He is the author of more than 300 peer reviewed publications and11 books, including "Pocket Guide to Depression" with Philip Garwood, "Treating Depression Effectively: Applying Clinical Guidelines" with Raymond Lam, David Nutt and Michael Thase, now in its second edition and "Psychotropic Drugs Fast Facts" with Dr. Roger McIntyre now in its 4th edition and is on numerous editorial and advisory boards.
Dr. Charles Tator
Senior Scientist, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network
Dr. Charles Tator is a pioneer in the research and prevention of head and spinal cord injuries. For over 40 years this internationally recognized neurosurgeon, scientist and ambassador has done much to bring brain and spinal cord injury before the public eye in Canada.
Dr. Tator completed his residency at Toronto General Hospital in 1969 during which he focused on nervous system diseases for his Masters and PhD degrees from the U of T. Through the 1990s Dr. Tator lead the development of the neuroscience program at Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) and founded ThinkFirst, Canada's National Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Foundation. He directs the Canadian Paraplegic Association Spinal Cord Injury Research Laboratory at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre and was the chair of the Canadian Brain and Nerve Health Coalition. He was the inaugural Dan Family Chair in Neurosurgery and the inaugural Robert Campeau Family Foundation / Dr. C.H. Tator Chair in Research, and is the former Chair of Neurosurgery at U of T.
Dr. Wayne Marshall
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Arthritis Program, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Dr. Marshall has extensive clinical experience with osteoarthritis ranging from the earliest stages of cartilage injury and initial onset, to end-stage disease requiring joint replacement. Dr. Marshall has published over 100 basic research and clinical scientific papers and abstracts and has been a consultant to a number of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Dr. Marshalls' "bedside-to-bench-to-bedside" expertise provides a unique perspective that bridges the gap between discovery research and the identification and development of clinically relevant, commercially viable products.
Dr. Marshall received a B.Sc. from Michigan State University (1973), an M.D. from Wayne State University (1977), a Ph.D. in joint neurophysiology from the University of Toronto (1994), and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in 1984.
Dr. Gary Lewis
Professor, Departments of Medicine and Physiology; Director, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Toronto; Senior Scientist, Toronto General Research Institute; Drucker Family Chair in Diabetes Research
Dr. Gary Lewis completed his medical training in 1982 in South Africa, followed by specialty training in Internal Medicine and then Endocrinology at the University of Chicago. He joined the staff of the Toronto General Hospital in 1990, was appointed Head of the Division of Endocrinology at UHN and Mount Sinai Hospitals in 2001 and in 2008 he was appointed Director, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Toronto.
Almost 3 million Canadians are affected by diabetes. This staggering epidemic threatens to overwhelm our health care system and to adversely affect the Canadian economy. One of the factors responsible for the very high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes, circulation problems) in people who have diabetes is an abnormality of their blood fats and cholesterol. Dr. Lewis' research attempts to understand the mechanism of the blood fat abnormalities in diabetes. He and his colleagues have made a number of important discoveries and have contributed to the general understanding of this phenomenon.
Dr. Gary Levy
MD, FRCP (C)
Director of Transplantation Institute at University of Toronto
Dr. Levy graduated from medical school at the University of Toronto in 1973. He completed his training in hepatology at the University of Toronto in 1978 and undertook postdoctoral training in immunology at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation from 1978-81. He returned to the University of Toronto in 1981. In 1983 he received the William Goldie Price in Medicine. In 1988 he was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Dr. Levy founded and became the Medical Director of the Liver Transplant Unit at the Toronto General Hospital and University of Toronto in 1987. In 1990, he organized and co-founded their Multi Organ Transplant Unit. He has been the Director of the Multi Organ Transplant Program at the University Health Network since 1990. In 1997, Dr. Levy was the co-founder of Trillium Therapeutics, a biotechnology company and served as the Chief Scientific Officer until 2002. In 2001 he became an Honorary Professor at Wuhan University in the People's Republic of China and in 2002 received the Canadian Liver Foundation Commemorative Medal for the Queen's Jubilee for his outstanding contribution to the study of liver disease. In 2006 he received the Ivan T. Beck Lectureship from the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG). He served as the President of the CAG from 1997-98. In 2010 he received the Dr. Richard Hunt Outstanding Service Award from the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation of which he served as the President from 2000-06. In 2010 he also received the Williams Calne Lectureship for his outstanding contribution to the study of liver disease from the British Association for the Study of the Liver. In January 2011 he became a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association.
Dr. Allan Slomovic
Research Director of the Cornea/External Disease Service, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Dr. Allan Slomovic is Chairperson for Continuing Professional Development for the Canadian Ophthalmologic Society and the immediate past chairperson of the Canadian Cornea Society. He is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Slomovic received a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Montreal, before attending Medical School at Memorial University in St John's Newfoundland. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Montreal General Hospital, followed by a 3 year residency training program at the New York University School of Medicine in Manhattan, New York. Two separate Fellowship programs at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida followed, the first in Cornea/External Ocular Diseases and the second in Laser Microsurgery.
Dr. Yoga Raj Rampersaud, MD, FRCS(C)
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Arthritis Program, Toronto Western Hospital, UHN
South America-born Dr.Yoga Raja Rampersaud graduated in 1992 with his honors Medical Degree from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario and completed specialty training at UWO and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto. Two fellowships followed – in Orthopaedic Spine at UWO in 1997 and in Neurosurgical Spine in 1998 at University of Tennessee, Memphis. An Associate Professor in Surgery at University of Toronto, Dr. Rampersaud joined University Health Network's Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery as a consultant in 1999. Dr. Rampersaud is the leading surgeon in Canada currently performing and teaching (nationally and internationally) minimally invasive spinal surgery. These techniques dramatically reduce surgical invasiveness, post-operative pain and accelerates rehabilitation. His clinical research currently includes studies assess the outcome and safety of spinal surgery compared other well accepted orthopaedic surgeries. In addition he is actively involved in assessing and developing mechanisms to improve the delivery of primary spinal care to Canadians. Dr. Rampersaud has published in leading journals, presented lectures around the world and is an accomplished, awarded teacher. In addition, he has recently (2011) finished a two-year term as the president of the Canadian Spine Society.
Dr. Dante Morra
Medical Director, Centre for Innovation in Complex Care; Associate Director, Center for Inter-professional Education and Collaboration; Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto; Adjunct Professor- Rotman School of Management
Dante Morra completed his medical training in Toronto and served as Chief Medical Resident at UHN/MSH where he developed an interest in change management. This interest led him to complete his MBA at the Rotman School of Management while he worked as the Medical Director of Informatics at Mount Sinai Hospital from 2004-2006. During this time he was the clinical lead for the implementation of CPOE, clinical documentation and the redesign of the informatics program and was awarded the Karen McGibbon Award of excellence for his team's contribution. Dante took a full time academic position at the University Health Network heavily involved in the ED GIM project implementing process improvement and lean theory in the organization. The project was later awarded the 3M national award for healthcare quality improvement and has led to the creation of the Centre for Innovation in Complex Care, which Dante is a Co-founder and the current medical director. He has been a leader in system re-design and improvement in hospital communication. Dante spends his professional time trying to move forward change and innovation and occasionally walking into sharp objects.
Dr. Anil Chopra
Director of Emergency Medicine, University Health Network; Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Anil Chopra is the Head and Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at UHN and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. His medical interests include teaching undergraduate and postgraduate trainees at University of Toronto, lecturing at local and national conferences and research in thromboembolic disease. Dr. Chopra is the author of several publications in University press, medical journals and reference textbooks.
Dr. Kenneth Melvin
Cardiologist, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network; Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Dr. Kenneth Melvin graduated with his MD from the University of Toronto and completed his resident training in Toronto and three Fellowships – in Internal Medicine, and Cardiology, at the well-known Stanford University Medical Centre in California. In 1992, he was appointed to University of Toronto and began his career at UHN. Now an Associate Professor, he continues to make important contributions to cardiology research and province-wide regulation to get best practices into Ontario communities. He is the lead Peer Assessor for Cardiology at The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and is actively involved in developing a cardiac rehabilitation program in Ontario. From 1998 - 2010, as part of the provincial Health Services Restructuring Commission Directions, he directed the transfer of a community-based cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation program to Toronto Western Hospital. Dr. Melvin was the principal grant applicant for funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for a pilot project on Secondary Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation, as a model for Ontario. In 2005, the Ministry extended the initial pilot project and has used data from it for healthcare planning and funding of the Province's Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs. Dr. Melvin was Principle Investigator in Toronto for a US National Institute of Health international study on the effects of exercise cardiac rehabilitation in heart failure patients. HF ACTION was published to critical acclaim in 2010.