ALUMNI AND ADVANCEMENT CORNER:

Teaching Thoracic Surgery in the Tradition of Norman Bethune

Jean Deslauriers completed general surgery and cardiovascular and thoracic surgical training at the University of Toronto between 1969 and 1975.He has just completed a six week visiting scholarship at the Shanghai Fudan University Cancer Center where he taught residents, advised surgeons in the operating room, helped with the writing of scientific papers, reviewed research projects and contributed to improving the running of the thoracic surgical service. Six years ago, he spent a full year as an “International Consultant” at Jilin University in Northeast China, near the Mongolian border. There, he reorganized all educational activities, helped thoracic surgeons publish ten papers and book chapters in the North American literature, opened a thoracic surgical library, started a data base for lung cancer and founded the “Bethune Chest Center” which brought together thoracic surgeons, respirologists and thoracic oncologists.

Jean also operated on a daily basis, performing 175 major thoracic procedures without a single operative mortality. All of these visits to China were part of an exchange program between Laval and Jilin Universities, begun in 1987 when Chinese thoracic surgeons came to study in Quebec City. Jean has also done similar but shorter (6-8 weeks) visiting scholarships in countries such as Morocco (Casablanca, 2013) and Turkey (Istanbul, 2013). In Morocco he was involved in the reorganization of the care of lung cancer patients. He will be going back there to work with the Royal Family (Princess Laila Salma) to further improve investigation and management of such patients. Interestingly, 80%- 90% of thoracic surgery done in Morocco is for benign lung diseases such as tuberculosis and hydatidosis, as opposed to Canada where over 90% is done for lung cancer.

Bronze sculpture of thoracic surgeon Norman Bethune outside the Medical Sciences building

Jean Deslauriers (right) fishing with Bill Nelems (left) and Griff Pearson

Jean trained with outstanding Toronto thoracic surgeons such as Griff Pearson, Bob Ginsberg, Norman Delarue and Robert Henderson. He says “Those were magical moments in my development. I am so happy that my father advised me to go to Toronto for my surgical training as well as to “learn English”.

Jean Deslauriers has been the driving force behind the writing of a unique book entitled “Evolution of Thoracic Surgery in Canada” co-authored with Bill Nelems and FG Pearson. The book, which was released last September in Vancouver, details the numerous and outstanding contributions of Canadian thoracic surgeons to the evolution of the specialty over the past 100 years. It is a tribute to Canadian pioneers such as Edward Archibald from Montreal and Griff Pearson from Toronto who have established a worldwide recognized “School of thinking” in thoracic surgery. According to Toni Lerut, a well-known thoracic surgeon from Leuven, Belgium, “The book is a landmark publication and should be in the library of every surgeon who practices thoracic surgery in the world”. Of note, all proceeds from book sales are donated to a foundation to support and promote research and education in Canadian thoracic surgery*.

Jean will be featured at the annual American Association for Thoracic Surgery meeting next April in Seattle as the 2015 “Legend in Thoracic Surgery”. In 2010, he received the annual “Carrière en Enseignement” award from Laval University and more recently, he became member of the Order of Canada. He is now retired from active surgical practice but intends to still keep doing his work as a visiting scholar in different countries to help with the teaching of thoracic surgery.

Debbie and Jean Deslauriers

His wife and ally, Debbie, is a clinical research nurse who always travels with him on these visiting scholarships. She teaches about infection control and principles of clinical research.

M.M.

* The book can be ordered through the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons website at http://www.canadianthoracicsurgeons.ca/evolution-of-thoracic-surgery-in-canada/.