Teodor Grantcharov on
Metabolic Surgery
Teodor Grantcharov was trained in Copenhagen, completed
his minimally invasive surgery fellowship in
Pittsburgh, and then joined the University of Toronto
faculty with an academic interest in surgical education
and a clinical interest in minimally invasive foregut
surgery (http://www.surgicalspotlight.ca/Shared/PDF/Winter07.pdf). His research on surgical training is conducted
with surgical scientists at the Skills Centre in the
Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and with Oleg Safir
at the Mount Sinai Skills Centre. A major theme of the
research is the development of training curricula and
testing their effectiveness, as described nearby in Teodor's
Peters Prize lecture.
Teodor and Ori Rotstein provide surgical treatment
for obesity at St. Michael's Hospital. Their team performs
about 130 bariatric procedures per year, in addition
to other minimal access and open general surgical
procedures. "We enjoy the bariatric patients' new lease
on life. It is amazing to see them coming in without
their oxygen, without their wheelchair, without their
cane. They arrive in shorts and are extremely happy and
gratifying for us to see."
How does it happen?
"It's hormonal. The surgery reduces hunger, cures
diabetes and other components of the metabolic
syndrome. The mechanism is still mysterious, but
becoming clearer. We get patients from othopaedics
because of arthritis, respirology because of apnea,
endocrinology because of diabetes and family practice
for all of these indications. The patients are cured in a
limited sense. It is a forcing function to modify their
behaviour, but they must comply to avoid regaining
weight after one year."
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Teodor and his family love Toronto. They have been
here for 5 and a half years. His children were born in
Denmark, spent 2 years in the United States during
training. Ori and Richard Reznick recruited him. "Our
family adopts all the teams, no matter how bad they are
– Raptors, Leafs and Jays. You can choose your friends,
but you can't choose your relatives or your home teams."
What are you reading?
"Nothing, because the family is learning golf together. It
takes all our time. 13 year old Phillip, 16 year old Peter
and wife Tania go out and golf with every spare minute.
Tania is an economist, a writer and an equestrian who
keeps her horses on a farm near Stouffville.
Teodor Grantcharov with his wife Tania, their 2 children Phillip and Peter,
and Bautista
M.M.
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