NEW STAFF
 Shady Ashamalla
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We are delighted to welcome
Shady Ashamalla to the
University of Toronto, Division
of General Surgery. Shady grew
up in Toronto playing hockey and
lacrosse on the streets of Leaside,
just south of Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre. He has now
been appointed as a minimally
invasive surgical oncologist at Sunnybrook in the Division
of General Surgery in the Odette Cancer Program.
Shady did his undergraduate studies at the University
of Guelph in biomedical sciences while simultaneously
playing professional and varsity lacrosse. Following that he
went to Kingston to complete a Masters of Science degree
in Physiology. Shady then returned home to Toronto to
attend medical school, General Surgery residency, and
fellowship training in Minimally Invasive Surgery and
Surgical Oncology at the University of Toronto.
His clinical focus will be in the management of
advanced lower intestinal oncology. He is expected to be
a game changer due to his great skill and focus on minimally
invasive techniques. Shady has been appointed
as an Assistant Professor and Surgeon Teacher. He has
particular academic interest in Surgical Simulation,
competency-based training and knowledge translation.
Shady and his wife Alison, a family physician who
inspires him on a daily basis, and their children Dylan,
3, and Kristen, 1, are excited to join the U of T family.
Andy Smith, Bernard & Ryna Langer Chair
Division of General Surgery
 Jaskarndip
Chahal
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The Division of Orthopaedics at
Women's College Hospital would
like to welcome Jaskarndip
Chahal, Orthopaedic Surgeon.
His practice is focused on treating
patients with orthopaedic
sports medicine disorders with a
special interest in biologics and
cartilage restoration. He
completed
his Bachelor's in Science at the University of
Toronto followed by medical school at the University
of Manitoba. In 2005, he moved back to Toronto for
orthopaedic residency training, admission in to the
Surgeon-Scientist Program, and graduate training in
Clinical Epidemiology. His subsequent fellowship training
in sports medicine has allowed him to work with
Drs. Daniel Whelan and Paul Marks in 2010-2011
followed by a year long fellowship at Rush University
Medical Center in Chicago where he developed and was
exposed to cutting edge cartilage restoration and joint
preservation procedures. His research will focus on cartilage
regeneration, clinical measurement and conducting
translation outcomes research of novel cartilage repair
techniques. Dr. Chahal looks forward to contributing to
the Department of Surgery, collaborating with his peers
at the University, and improving the care and quality of
life of patients, as well as returning injured athletes of all
levels and abilities back to their activities!
Jas may be contacted by phone: 416-603-5630 ext 3213
fax: 416-603-3437 or via email: jchahal@utoronto.ca
John L Semple, Surgeon in Chief,
Women's College Hospital
 Sandra de Montbrun
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Sandra de Montbrun has joined
the Division of General Surgery
at St. Michael's Hospital with
a clinical interest in colorectal
oncology, and has been
appointed to the University of
Toronto as an Assistant Professor
and Surgeon Scientist. Sandra
obtained her Honours Bachelor
of Science degree from the
University of Waterloo followed by her MD at the
University of Toronto. She completed her residency in
General Surgery at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Following this, she returned to Toronto to complete
a clinical fellowship in colorectal surgery and an MSc
from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at
the University of Toronto. Her research interests and
academic focus lie in the assessment of technical competence
and the evaluation of advanced technical skills. Dr.
de Montbrun has been working with both the American
Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the American
Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery to develop an objective
structured assessment of technical skill for colorectal
graduates.
Andy Smith, Bernard & Ryna Langer Chair
Division of General Surgery
 Karen Devon
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The Division of General
Surgery at Women's College
Hospital welcomes Karen
Devon, an Endocrine and
Thyroid Surgeon with an
interest in Medical Ethics
and Education. After receiving
her MDCM at McGill
University Dr. Devon entered
the General Surgery Training
Programme and the Surgeon
Scientist Programme here at
the University of Toronto.
She was awarded her MSc in
Clinical Epidemiology in 2008
and her FRCSC in General
Surgery in 2010. Karen then completed 6 months of
postgraduate training in Breast Surgical Oncology at
UHN, followed by a Clinical Fellowship in Endocrine
Surgery at the University of Chicago. This Fellowship
included one month in the Philippines studying the surgical
treatment of goitre. Additionally, Karen completed
a Surgical Ethics Fellowship at the MacLean Center for
Clinical Ethics at the University of Chicago. Presently,
Karen is enrolled in the Education Scholar Programme
at the Centre for Faculty Development and Education at
the University of Toronto. Karen has a primary appointment
at Women's College Hospital and an Associate
Staff Appointment at UHN, where she will also have a
clinical presence.
Karen may be reached at Women's College Hospital,
2nd Floor Room 264G, Tel: 416-323-6400 ext. 7352
Fax: 416-323-6308 or via email: karen.devon@wchospital.ca
John L Semple, Surgeon in Chief,
Women's College Hospital
 Dr. Robert Hamilton
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The Department of Surgical
Oncology, Division of Urology
is pleased to welcome Robert
Hamilton to the University
Health Network, Princess
Margaret Hospital. He completed
medical school and urology
residency at the University
of Toronto. During residency,
he earned a Masters of Public
Health (MPH) from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill and completed a research fellowship at
Duke University. Before joining the Faculty, he completed
a fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
His clinical practice encompasses all genitourinary
malignancies, with special interest in prostate and testis
cancer. His research interests focus on epidemiology and
biomarkers in predicting risk and progression of these
cancers. He has helped characterize the role of statin
medications in prostate cancer primary and secondary
prevention. He is working towards understanding
mechanisms of prevention, and personalizing prevention
using genetic markers.
Robert is married to Catherine Varner, a staff physician
in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Mt. Sinai
Hospital. Robert and Catherine are expecting their first
child in the spring.
Neil Fleshner,
Chair, Division of Urology
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Paul Kongkham with his wife Dini Hui, and their daughters, Natalie and Naomi
The Division of Neurosurgery is pleased to welcome
Paul Kongkham to the Department of Surgery. Paul
obtained his MD at the University of Toronto in 2001,
following which he entered the Neurosurgical residency
program here at the University of Toronto.
During residency Paul enrolled in the Surgeon
Scientist Programme, completing his PhD in the laboratory
of Dr. James Rutka. After obtaining his Royal
College Certificate in 2011, Paul traveled to Houston for
a one-year clinical fellowship in Neurosurgical Oncology
at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Paul returns to Toronto, joining the faculty within
the Division of Neurosurgery at the University Health
Network as a Surgeon-Scientist. His clinical interest lies in
the treatment of adult patients with primary and secondary
intra-axial brain tumours, awake craniotomy, and imageguided
surgery. His research will be focused on the study of
epigenetic factors involved in the pathogenesis of primary
glial tumours as well as CNS metastatic disease.
Paul is married to Dr. Dini Hui (Obstetrics,
Sunnybrook), and together they have two daughters,
Natalie (6) and Naomi (3).
 Steven J McCabe
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Stefan Hofer is extremely happy to
welcome Steven J McCabe, MD,
MSc as Director of the Hand
Program at the Toronto Western
Hospital effective August 1st,
2012. Steven graduated from The
University of Toronto Medical
School in 1980, received his Master of Science degree from McMaster University, and trained in
Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery in London, Ontario. He worked with Dr. James
Murray as a hand surgery fellow at Sunnybrook Health
Science Center and the Workers' Compensation Board
of Ontario. He further trained in hand and microsurgery
at the Kleinert Institute in Louisville Kentucky for two
years before coming back to work at Sunnybrook. While
in Toronto he studied in the Clinical Epidemiology program
at McMaster University finishing with a Master's of
Science degree.
Dr. McCabe moved back to Kentucky to join the faculty
at the University of Louisville and the Kleinert Institute.
He has been the President of the American Society for
Peripheral Nerve and the American Association for Hand
Surgery. In Louisville Dr. McCabe finished a certificate program
in health professions education and had an appointment
in the Department of Surgery and as a senior faculty
member at the School of Public Health in the Department
of Biostatistics where he taught research methodology and
decision analysis to graduate students, clinical fellows,
and young faculty. He earned the Distinguished Teaching
Professor Award for this contribution.
Dr. McCabe's research interests include elucidation
of the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, clinical research
on the diagnosis and management of carpal tunnel syndrome,
and decision modeling as applied to the upper
extremity. His clinical interests lie in upper extremity
trauma, nerve compression, and arthritis. He has just
returned from a Fulbright scholarship in Italy where he
taught research methodology at the University of Siena.
As Director of the Hand Program, his goals are to
transform the Program into a University wide collaborative
group, to develop a program in hand transplantation,
and to invigorate the academic activities of the
Program. Dr. McCabe is married and has three children
and is located on 2 East at the Toronto Western.
Stefan Hofer,
Division of Plastic Surgery
 Fayez Quereshy
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The Division of General Surgery
is pleased to announce the
recruitment of Fayez Quereshy,
a graduate of the University
of Toronto Medical School
and General Surgery Training
Program. During his General
Surgery training Fayez entered
the Surgeon Scientist Program
and was awarded a Masters of
Business Administration (MBA) from the Joseph L.
Rotman School of Management at the University of
Toronto. He became a Fellow of the Royal College
of Surgeons in 2010. Fayez subsequently completed
Fellowship training in Surgical Oncology at the University
of Toronto and Robotic Surgery Training in Hong Kong.
His clinical practice is centered on minimally invasive
surgery and colorectal surgical oncology. Fayez's research
will focus on Operations Management and Process-level
Evaluation and Optimization of Outcomes.
Dr. Quereshy is based at Toronto Western Hospital: 8 Main
Pavilion, Room 320, and he can be reached at 13-5553.
Lorne E. Rotstein,
Peter Crossgrove Chair in General Surgery
Tom Willett with his wife, Leah, and their children, Josie and Sam
The Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and Mount Sinai
Hospital are pleased to welcome Thomas Willett as
assistant professor and research scientist/engineer. Tom
trained in mechanical engineering at Queen's University,
receiving his BSc and MSc before pursuing a PhD in
biomedical engineering at Dalhousie University. His
research interests span biomechanics and mechanics of
biomaterials in orthopaedics and the musculoskeletal
system including: (a) improving materials and methods
for intercalary defect reconstruction of long bones, (b)
developing methods to produce irradiation-sterilized
allograft bone with improved strength and toughness in
order to avoid graft fracture in load-bearing applications,
(c) developing a better understanding of the mechanisms
that lead to pathologic fractures, especially in oncology
patients who have received radiotherapy, (d) studying
the effects of bone collagen modifications occurring in
ageing and disease on the mechanical behaviour and
fracture susceptibility of cortical bone and (e) mechanical
testing of various orthopaedic implants and reconstruction
techniques.
Ben Alman
Chair, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery
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