Dr. Kieran Murphy is Medical Director of UHN’s International Strategy and an interventional neuroradiologist at Toronto Western Hospital. A leader in the field of medical innovation, Dr. Murphy has filed 72 patents over the course of his career, developing and improving pioneering devices for spinal pain interventions. Each year, his devices are used in more than 60,000 vertebroplasty procedures around the globe. Dr. Murphy’s current research focuses on radiofrequency ablation of bone metastases in spine, ozone disk herniation, antioxidant use for reducing radiation injury, hydrocephalus detection and medical education.
Dr. Raj Rampersaud
Dr. Raj Rampersaud is a spine surgeon and clinician investigator at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Sprott Department of Surgery and J. Bernard Gosevitz Chair in Arthritis Research at UHN. Dr. Rampersaud is known for his advocacy in inter-professional models of care for spine and musculoskeletal disorders. He has developed the Inter-professional Spine Assessment and Education Clinic (ISAEC) program. He is the provincial clinical lead for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Low Back Pain Strategy and served as the co-chair for the Provincial Quality Based Pathway (QBP)-Spine as well as the Quality Standard for Low Back Pain. Dr. Rampersaud is a recognized leader and innovator in minimally invasive spinal surgery. His national and internationally recognized research focuses on comparative effectiveness as well as health services research aimed at improvements in the delivery of patient centered musculoskeletal and spine care.
Dr. Phyllis Billia
Dr. Phyllis Billia is Research Director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at UHN. Dr. Billia aspires to understand heart failure at a molecular level. Recently, her work has provided the first direct evidence that manipulation of tumour suppressor genes and metabolic factors can trigger cardiac regeneration. In Dr. Billia’s laboratory, her team is further exploring how to coax the heart back into proliferation. Dr. Billia’s promising new research may lead to the development of improved treatment options to prevent the development of heart failure.
Dr. Edward Cole
Dr. Edward Cole is former Physician-in-Chief of UHN and previously served on the Board of Directors of UHN Foundation. He is founder and past Chair of The Canadian Transplantation Society Kidney Working Group and Chair of the Steering Committee for National Kidney Registries. In 2012, he received the Canadian Transplantation Society Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Cole’s major research interests are in immunosuppressive drugs and clinical trials in renal transplantation.
Dr. Tirone David
Dr. Tirone David is a cardiovascular surgeon at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Sprott Department of Surgery and Melanie Munk Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at UHN. Dr. David has developed numerous operative procedures to treat patients with heart valve disease, complications of myocardial infarction, and thoracic aneurysms. One of these procedures is known as “David operation.” He is a two-time receipt of the Order of Canada, the highest honor given to civilians in Canada. In 2016, Dr. David received the Scientific Achievement Award from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
Dr. Michael Farkouh
Dr. Michael Farkouh is the Peter Munk Chair in Multinational Clinical Trials at UHN. Dr. Farkouh is internationally known for his work on the management of acute coronary syndromes in the emergency room. He has a special interest and expertise in the field of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. Dr. Farkouh chairs the numerous committees on diabetes and heart disease and is the founder of the Worldwide Network for Innovation in Clinical Research, an international trials consortium of 10 large academic institutions.
Dr. Thomas Forbes
Dr. Thomas Forbes is the Surgeon-in-Chief of the Sprott Department of Surgery and the James Wallace McCutcheon Chair in Surgery at UHN. Dr. Forbes is a vascular surgeon and has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, editorials and book chapters and has given more than 100 guest lectures and professorships. His commitment to surgical excellence and support for the whole of the perioperative team, the recognition of the essential role of all members of TeamUHN – especially in these trying times – are key attributes Dr. Forbes brings to this important leadership role at UHN.
Dr. Brian Hodges
Dr. Brian Hodges is Executive Vice President of Education and Chief Medical Officer at UHN. He is a practicing psychiatrist and teacher. Dr. Hodges’ research focuses on assessment, competence, compassion and the future of the health profession. Recently, Dr. Hodges was selected as the next President-Elect of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Jonathan Irish
Dr. Jonathan Irish is Head of the Division of Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery at UHN. His particular expertise and interest is in oral cancer, melanoma and skin cancer, thyroid cancer as well as salivary gland tumors and malignancies. Since 2004, Dr. Irish has been a major health policy advisor and responsible for access to care, quality improvement and health care funding for the Surgical Oncology Program at Cancer Care Ontario. Dr. Irish currently leads the multidisciplinary program in Guided Therapeutics Core at UHN and is the Director of Clinical Faculty for the TECHNA Institute at UHN.
Dr. Gordon Keller
Dr. Gordon Keller is Director of the McEwen Stem Cell Institute at UHN. A world-renowned stem cell scientist, Dr. Keller is the premier researcher, worldwide, in the application of developmental biology-guided principles to the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into therapeutically relevant cells, such as cardiomyocytes, hematopoietic cells and liver cells. In December 2016, Keller was named scientific co-founder of BlueRock Therapeutics, a next-generation regenerative medicine company.
Dr. Shaf Keshavjee
Dr. Shaf Keshavjee is the Chief of Clinical Innovation, as well as the Director of both the Toronto Lung Transplant Program and Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories at UHN. As Director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program, Dr. Keshavjee helped develop the world-leading Ex Vivo Organ Perfusion System to repair donor organs for transplant – significantly increasing the number of organs available for patients and saving more lives. He recently led the world-first transport of donor lungs for transplant by an aerial drone from Toronto Western Hospital to Toronto General Hospital. This flight was the first step towards transforming organ transportation systems and potential use of autonomous aircrafts to ensure life-saving organs arrive faster, improving transplant outcomes for patients.
Dr. Michael Laflamme
Dr. Michael Laflamme is a principal investigator and Robert R. McEwen Chair in Cardiac Regenerative Medicine at the McEwen Stell Cell Institue at UHN. Dr. Laflamme and his research team are developing cell transplants produced from stem cells that can regenerate damaged heart tissue. This will not only advance the efficacy of these transplants in preclinical models, but will shed light on their regeneration mechanisms, enabling future clinical trials.
Dr. Gary Lewis
Dr. Gary Lewis is the Drucker Family Chair in Diabetes Research and Sun Life Financial Chair in Diabetes at UHN. Dr. Lewis has made a number of important discoveries elucidating the mechanism of blood fat abnormalities in diabetes and prediabetic states. Dr. Lewis is a Principal Investigator of Diabetes Action Canada, one of the chronic disease networks funded through the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Initiative and undertakes translational research with active patient engagement.
Dr. Ian McGilvray
Dr. Ian McGilvray is Head of Liver and Pancreas Surgery in the Division of General Surgery in the Sprott Department of Surgery and Research Director of the Ajmera Transplant Centre at UHN. Dr. McGilvray is internationally recognized as a pioneer in complex surgery of the liver and pancreas. His laboratory currently focuses on translational research in liver physiology, transplantation and liver cancer. Over the last few years the laboratory has developed strong collaborations in nanomedicine, and is actively developing nanoparticle-based therapies for “reprogramming” liver grafts for liver transplantation, as well as for treating primary and secondary liver cancer.
Dr. Rosemary Martino
Dr. Rosemary Martino is the Director of the Swallowing Lab at Krembil Brain Institute at UHN. Dr. Martino’s research focuses on dysphagia in the adult patient, with a particular interest in early identification and treatment. Ultimately, Dr. Martino’s research strives to ensure faster and more complete recovery from dysphagia and to reduce the negative impact of dysphagia on health and quality of life. More recently, Dr. Martino and her team are conducting a large multi-site international trial that will identify the most effective dysphagia treatment for patients with head and neck cancer.
Dr. Kenneth R. Melvin
Dr. Kenneth Melvin is a cardiologist at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at UHN. Dr. Melvin is currently also the Cardiology Network Leader of the Peer Assessment Program for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. His research interests currently involve the UHN-Technion Israel Institute of Technology collaboration with the McEwen Stem Cell Institute and Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in an innovative project on cardiac stem cell research. This project promises to revolutionize cardiac care of heart failure and patients with severe heart attack damage. Additional areas of research in this project involve cardiac pacemaker stem cell transplants, which will hopefully someday replace the need for pacemaker implants. Dr. Melvin has been active at both Federal and Provincial levels in the fundraising and governmental participation activities.
Dr. Stephanie Protze
Dr. Stephanie Protze is a principal investigator and Chair in Cardiac Regenerative Medicine at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute at UHN. In her current research, Dr. Protze is applying the pluripotent stem cell model to identify the signals that govern atrioventricular node pacemaker lineage commitment with the ultimate goal to decipher a complete lineage tree of the cardiac conduction system.
Dr. Harry Rakowski
Dr. Harry Rakowski is Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at UHN. A dedicated professor and practitioner, Dr. Rakowski has taught hundreds of cardiology residents. His research interests include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy a heart muscle condition that is the leading cause of sudden death in young adults. He currently heads a world-class clinical and research program, which attracts patients from around the world for investigation and innovative management of this condition. Dr. Rakowski has been a pioneer in the development and clinical use of echocardiography, the most important non-invasive cardiac imaging test.
Dr. Vivek Rao
Dr. Vivek Rao is the Surgical Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Sprott Department of Surgery, and holds the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre Chair in Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics at UHN. Dr. Rao is a recognized expert in heart failure surgery and has won numerous awards during his surgical training, including being recognized as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” by Caldwell International and “Male Professional of the Year” by the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Barry Rubin
Dr. Barry Rubin is Medical Director and Chair of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, and was previously Head of the Division of Vascular Surgery at UHN. His research is focused on the way the heart responds to injury and the regulation of the immune response to infection, and he recently led research into the drivers of clinician burnout at UHN. Dr. Rubin is a member of the committee led by Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General and Victor Dzau, President of the US National Academy of Medicine, that published the US National Plan to Improve Health Workforce Wellbeing, and has been retained by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to develop a Canadian version of this plan. Dr. Rubin is co-lead for the implementation of Epic, UHN's new health information system, Chair of the Ontario New Technologies Planning Committee, which advises the Government of Ontario in regard to funding for new devices used in the management of patients with cardiovascular disease or stroke, and is the elected lead for 8,000 academic physicians in Ontario for negotiations with the Ministry of Health that relate to the $275M per year Academic Physicians Alternative Funding Plan.
Dr. Sam Sabbah
Dr. Sam Sabbah is Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at UHN. Dr. Sabbah’s main interests are in quality improvement and patient safety, leading the development and implementation of numerous evidence-based order sets to streamline care and ensure adherence to best practice. He has contributed to innovative models of care that have reduced hospital admission and improved patient experience. Recognized with the first UHN Local Impact Award, Dr. Sabbah has built strong collaborative partnerships across UHN and with other healthcare organizations. In December 2020, he helped launch UHN’s new virtual emergency department, making it possible for patients to get remotely assessed by emergency medical providers.
Dr. Allan Slomovic
Dr. Allan Slomovic is the Research Director of the Cornea/External Disease Service and Director of the Ocular Stem Cell Transplantation Program at the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute and holds the Owen & Marta Boris Chair in Stem Cell Vision Research at UHN. Dr. Slomovic started the first national Ocular Stem Cell Society in Canada. An ocular stem cell transplantation uses donor cells to return sight to legally blind patients, while alleviating debilitating pain. Dr. Slomovic has become an expert in a modified version of this procedure, which further improves patient outcomes.
Dr. Kevin Smith
Dr. Kevin Smith is President & CEO of University Health Network, Canada’s largest academic health sciences centre. Dr. Smith has spent his career at the interface of the university and research hospital and is passionately committed to the mission of education, research and exemplary clinical care. Dr. Smith is a pioneer in advancing integrated care models spanning the continuum of health and social services.
Dr. Bryce Taylor
Dr. Bryce Taylor is former Surgeon-in-Chief of UHN. Dr. Taylor has had a long and distinguished career in medicine. One of his major legacies was helping to develop a world-renowned program of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery and transplantation with clinical, educational and research goals. Dr. Taylor was one of the original surgical leaders consulted by the World Health Organization and the only Canadian site lead in a multi-centre clinical trial. He developed a checklist shown to reduce the rate of deaths and surgical complications by more than one-third across eight international hospital sites, including UHN. It is now the standard world-wide and a required organizational practice by Accreditation Canada. In 2018, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada for his impact on the teaching and practice of surgery in Canada.
Dr. Kathryn Tinckam
Dr. Kathryn Tinckam is Physician-in-Chief and the Dr. Charles H. Hollenberg Chair in Medicine at UHN. Her clinical, administrative and research activities focus on improving access to transplantation for patients who are difficult to match with donors, and increasing equitable access to transplantation at the regional and national level. In all her work, Dr. Tinckam focuses on a committed and rigorous approach to transparent quality assurance and improvement with an emphasis on thoughtful process design and implementation to drive system change.
Dr. Christian Veillette
Dr. Christian Veillette is Head of the Division of Orthopedic Surgery in the Sprott Department of Surgery and Schroeder Arthritis Institute and holds the Nicki & Bryce Douglas Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery at UHN. Dr. Veillette is an accomplished and internationally respected orthopaedic surgeon with extensive shoulder and elbow speciality experience. He is widely recognized for his leadership and innovation in applying artificial intelligence and data analytics to transform healthcare delivery.
Dr. Tom Waddell
Dr. Tom Waddell is a thoracic surgeon and scientist in the Sprott Department of Surgery and Ajmera Transplant Centre at UHN. His clinical interests include lung transplantation and lung volume reduction surgery, lung cancer and especially minimally invasive and robotic thoracic surgery. Dr. Waddell operates a laboratory which focuses on alternative approaches to the chronic shortage of donor lungs, especially stem cell and regenerative medicine approaches to lung disease.
Dr. Richard Wennberg
Dr. Richard Wennberg is Director of both the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory and Mitchell Goldhar Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Unit at Krembil Brain Institute at UHN. Some of his research has explored the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a treatment for epilepsy, the neurophysiological mechanisms linking brain function and behavior, and the biophysical bases of clinical neurophysiology.
Dr. Brad Wouters
Dr. Brad Wouters is Executive Vice President of Science and Research at UHN. Dr. Wouters is an internationally recognized leader and cancer researcher, focused on creating an environment that incentivizes, facilitates, and rewards excellence in basic, translational, and clinical research across all elements of UHN.
Dr. Camilla Zimmermann
Dr. Camilla Zimmermann is Head of the Division of Palliative Care and the Rose Family Chair in Palliative Medicine and Complex Care at UHN. Dr. Zimmermann serves on numerous international committees including the boards of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and the Lancet Oncology, she is a faculty member of the European Society for Medical Oncology and Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Oncology. In addition to founding and directing academic palliative care programs, Dr. Zimmermann has built a large internationally recognized research program focused on early integration of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer.
Dr. Gelareh Zadeh
Dr. Gelareh Zadeh is Medical Director of Krembil Brain Institute, Head of the Division of Neurosurgery in the Sprott Department of Surgery, the Dan Family Chair in Neurosurgery, and Wilkins Family Chair in Neurosurgical Brain Tumour Research at UHN. As the Wilkins Family Chair in Brain Tumor Research, Dr. Zadeh focuses on building surgical clinical trials for brain tumor patients. Her clinical practice focuses on skull base neuro-oncology, with dedicated general brain tumour clinic and many multidisciplinary clinics that she has established at UHN such as skull base, pituitary, brain metastases, gamma knife and neurofibromatosis clinic.
