AWARDS/HONOURS/ ACHIEVEMENTS
Barbara (Dee) Ballyk (Anat) has been chosen as the
2015 W.T. Aikins Award co- recipient in the category of
Excellence in Course/Program Development.
RJ Cusimano (CardSurg) has been appointed as Interim
Program Director for the Division of Cardiac Surgery,
University of Toronto, replacing Gideon Cohen who has
led the residency training program for nearly five years.
Stephen Fremes (CardSurg) is the 2015 recipient of the
Charles H. Tator Surgeon-Scientist Mentoring Award,
which recognizes individuals supervising participants
in the SSP who emulate Professor Tator’s excellence in
Research, commitment to SSP mentoring, and dedication
to promotion of Surgeon-Scientists.
Laura Eve Mantella (CardSurg, PhD trainee), mentored
by Subodh Verma has received a fellowship from the
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Laura’s
research revolves around lncRNA and its role in aneurysms.
Subodh Verma (CardSurg) has been invited to serve
on the primary panel of the Canadian Cardiovascular
Society (CCS) Guidelines on Atrial Fibrillation. He will
continue to serve on the primary and secondary panels
of the CCS antiplatelet and lipid guidelines respectively.
Jonathan W Yau (CardSurg, Postdoctoral Fellow),
mentored by Subodh Verma has received a Canadian
Institutes of Health Research Fellowships Award.
Jonathan was ranked within the top 10% of the applicants
and will be evaluating the role of autophagy in
atherothrombosis.
Daniel Abramowitz (GenSurg, PGY4) received the Leo
Mahoney Resident Teaching Award, which is offered to
a surgical resident who exhibits excellence as a teacher,
commitment to the undergraduate student experience in
surgery and compassion for patients.
Nancy Baxter (GenSurg) was named the Provincial
Clinical GI Endoscopy Lead for Cancer Care Ontario.
Nancy is also the Principal Investigator for a 2015-
2019 grant from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
for “What comes next: Real world health services utilization,
outcomes and cost-effectiveness after BRCA1 and
BRCA2 testing in Canada”. PI: Baxter NN, Co-PI
Lerner-Ellis J. Collaborators: Metcalfe K, Sutradhar
R, Eisen A, Meschino W, Hoch J, Chun K, Finch A,
Isaranuwatchai W.
Nancy is the co-winner of the 2014-2015 CIHR
Institute of Health Services and Policy Research Article
of the Year Award.
James Byrne (GenSurg, PGY4) received a CIHR MSc
Scholarship for his work “Impact of Pre-hospital Care
and EMS Performance on Trauma Patient Mortality and
Trauma Center Outcome Measures”.
Natalie Coburn (GenSurg) has been named as the new
Chairholder of the Hanna Family Chair in Surgical
Oncology Research. The mandate of the Hanna Family
Chair, generously endowed by Dr. Sherif Hanna in 2008
has been to support surgical investigators in advancing
the field of surgical oncology. Calvin Law was the inaugural
holder of the Hanna Chair.
Andrea Covelli (GenSurg, PGY3) (supervisor Nancy
Baxter) received the ASCO Quality of Care Merit
Award for her work entitled Examining Health-Beliefs:
Understanding Why Mastectomies Are on the Rise.
Andrea also received a CIHR Travel Grant for the
same work.
Karen Devon (GenSurg) received a grant from the
Gold Foundation for her work “Transformative Learning
Impact of Surgical Ethics Quality of Care Rounds”.
Maryam Elmi (GenSurg, PGY 4) received the 1st prize
poster presentation at the 38th Annual Assembly of
General Surgeons & Residents for “Predictors for positive
resection margins in gastric adenocarcinoma: A populationbased
analysis” (Supervisor: Natalie Coburn); Authors:
Maryam Elmi, Daniel Kagedan, Juan Camilo Correa,
Abraham El-Sedfy, Matt Dixon, Alyson Mahar, Calvin
Law, Natalie Coburn)
Ralph George (GenSurg) received the “Cause Leadership
Award” from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Teodor Grantcharov (GenSurg) has been awarded a Tier 2
Canada Research Chair in Simulation and Surgical Safety
to address the high-risk nature of surgery. Teodor’s Canada
Research Chair was one of the 150 new and renewed chairs
announced by the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of
State Science and Technology on April 9, 2015.
Usmaan Hameed (GenSurg) received the Zane Cohen
Clinical Fellowship Achievement Award, which recognizes
significant accomplishments made by a clinical
fellow in clinical research, basic science research, publications,
presentations, medical education/teaching,
medical administrative systems, delivery of medical care,
medical related community service.
Timothy Jackson (GenSurg) is the 2013-2014 recipient
of Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of
Medicine’s David Fear Fellowship. This award recognizes
and promotes the importance of innovative programs in
continuing education for health professionals.
Shiva Jayaraman (GenSurg) received a Special
Commendation – Integrated Medical Education
Awards for Excellence in Community-Based Teaching
(Community Hospital Setting). Shiva was nominated by
senior surgical residents whom he has mentored, working
with them to ensure their ongoing success.
Karineh Kazazian (GenSurg, PGY3) won first prize of
the Laidlaw Prize for her oral talk for the IMS Scientific
Day 2015 “The Protrusional Protein Polo-Like Kinase 4
(Plk4) Enhances Cancer Invasion” (Karineh Kazazian,
Roland Xu, Hannah Wu, Christopher Go, Olga
Brashavitskaya, James Dennis and Carol J. Swallow).
IMS Scientific Day prizes are given to the most outstanding
presentations and scientific manuscripts received.
Bernard Langer (GenSurg, Surgical Alumnus) was
inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. The
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame contributes to a vibrant
health care system by engaging Canada’s health leaders
in educational programs that encourage youth to pursue
careers in health sciences.
Calvin Law (GenSurg) received the 2014 Cancer
Quality Council of Ontario Quality Award.
John Marshall (GenSurg) received the 2015 Squires-
Hyland Trust Teaching Award. John is also the Principal
Investigator of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research
(CIHR), Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health
grant supporting the International Forum for Acute Care
Trialists.
Agostino Pierro (GenSurg), Head of General and
Thoracic Surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children
(SickKids), has been named Officer of The Most
Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). The prestigious
title is awarded by the Queen to individuals with
a distinguished role in their respective field, through
continued achievement or service to the community
Agostino is among 1,671 Canadians (military and civilian)
who have been recognized as Officers of The Order
of the British Empire, and one of only 599 civilians.
Agostino Pierro has also been awarded the 2015 ICCO
(Italian Chamber of Commerce Ontario) Arts, Science
and Culture Award, recognizing his contributions to the
cultural and intellectual life of Canada through groundbreaking
and innovative work in academia.
PI Ori Rotstein & Co-PI Sandro Rizoli (GenSurg)
received a 2 year award from PSI for their work on
“Effect of remote ischemic conditioning on neutrophil function
and the immune-inflammatory and coagulation profiles
in trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock”.
Ori Rotstein (GenSurg) received the Donald J Currie
Undergraduate Teaching Award which recognizes excellence
in education. The recipient “will be someone who
spends time with students, stimulates their curiosity in
the field and serves as a role model.”
Elke Ruttenstock (GenSurg) received 2nd prize poster
presentation at the 38th Annual Assembly of General
Surgeons & Residents for “Intestinal epithelial cell injury
is reversed by administration of activated amniotic fluid
stem cells” (Supervisor: Agostino Pierro). Authors: Elke
Ruttenstock, Bo Li, Carol Lee, Augusto Zani, Agostino
Pierro
Andy Smith (GenSurg) was inducted into the American
Surgical Association on April 23, 2015.
Lloyd Smith (GenSurg) received a Special
Commendation for Excellence in Community-Based
Teaching (Community Hospital setting).
Homer Tien (GenSurg) received the Bruce Tovee Award
for Postgraduate Education, which honours an academic
staff member of the Department of Surgery who has
made the greatest contribution to the educational activities
of the Department, as exemplified by Dr. E. Bruce
Tovee during his outstanding career.
David Urbach
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Nancy Baxter
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David Urbach and Nancy
Baxter (GenSurg) have
received the 2014-15 CIHR
Institute of Health Services
and Policy Research (CIHRIHSPR)
Article of the Year
Award. This award recognizes
published research that
has significantly contributed
to the advancement of the
field of health services and
policy research in Canada. The CIHR-IHSPR Article
of the Year Review Committee
selected Drs. Urbach and
Baxter’s article, “Introduction
of Surgical Safety Checklists in
Ontario, Canada “ for its relevance
to health services and
policy research, as well as for
the extent to which they contribute
to the advancement of
this field of research in Canada
and have an impact on policy.
Ryan Alkins (PGY6) and Teresa Purzner (PGY4)
(NeurSurg) were co-winners of the 2015 K.G.McKenzie
Prize in Basic Neuroscience Research. Ryan’s work is
entitled “Early treatment of HER2-amplified brain tumors
with targeted NK-92 cells and focused ultrasound improves
survival in a rodent brain tumour model” and Teresa’s
work “Developmental Phospho-proteomics reveals Casein
Kinase 2 as a therapeutic target in medulloblastoma”
David Chen (NeurSurg), a PhD candidate in Mojgan
Hodaie’s lab, won the MS Society Doctoral award for his
work on Neuroimaging correlates of pain in MS.
Michael Cusimano (NeurSurg) is the recipient of the
Jameel Ali Continuing Education Award. The award this
year recognizes exceptional contributions to education
beyond the walls of St. Michael’s Hospital. Michael’s
outreach in head injury prevention is broadly recognized
by the lay press for its impact on the community.
Jetan Badhiwala, Alireza Mansouri, Farshad Nassiri
and Christopher Witiw (NeurSurg) were the winners
of Neurosurgery’s latest Journal Club competition. Their
entry was titled “Journal Club: C2 Nerve Root Transection
During C1 Lateral Mass Screw Fixation: Does It Affect
Functionality and Quality of Life?”.
Michael Dan, a former neurosurgeon and philanthropist,
has been inducted to the Order of Ontario—the
Province’s highest honour—for his contributions and
support for Ontario hospitals, local charities, and First
Nations health and human rights initiatives. Dr. Dan
and his wife Amira are longstanding supporters of our
Division, most recently establishing the Dan Fellowships
in Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and our
city-wide Brain Tumor Bank, for which we are very
grateful.
Sunit Das (NeurSurg) passed his oral board examination
and is now a Diplomate of the American Board of
Neurological Surgery.
Karen Davis (NeurSurg) was elected to the position
of Vice-Chair of the Institute Advisory Board of the
Canadian Institutes for Health Research—Institute of
Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHRINMHA).
Karen is also the Co-PI on a two-year grant from the
MSH-UHN AHSC AFP Innovation Fund for the project
entitled “Ketamine infusion for refractory neuropathic
pain - prediction and correlation of clinical outcomes with
functional magnetic resonance imaging.” (PI: Bhatia,
Anuj; Co-I’s: Davis KD, Venkatraghavan L and Peng P;
Collaborator: Mikulis D.)
Peter Dirks (NeurSurg) has been endowed as the second
Garron Family Chair in Childhood Cancer Research
2014-15 Michael & Amira Dan Fellows in Neurosurgery Dinner
(Back row, left to right: Mari Rutka, James Rutka, Marie Slegr, Amira Dan,
Michael Dan, Andres Lozano. Front row, left to right: Darina Landa, Erin
Dyer, Christian Dorfer.)
Erin Dyer and Christian Dorfer (NeurSurg) were honored
as recipients of the Amira and Michael Dan Fellows
in the Division of Neurosurgery. They were invited to
discuss how the Fellowships have impacted their training
goals and career aspirations.
Michael Fehlings (NeurSurg) was awarded a 2-year
grant from the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)
Research Foundation for his project entitled “Alterations
in spinal respiratory networks after cervical SCI”.
Michael Fehlings received a NeuroDevNet Research
Award (2015-16) for the project “Testing Neural
Precursors as Mediators and Facilitators of Constraint
Induced Movement Therapy in Cerebral Palsy".
Julia Furlan (NeurSurg), a postdoctoral research fellow
working with Michael Fehlings, and colleagues received
the 2015 Andre Barbeau Memorial Prize awarded by the
Canadian Neurology Society for their study “Age as a key
determinant of inflammatory response, glial and axonal
survival after traumatic spinal cord injury”.
Fred Gentili (NeurSurg) was honoured at the Pioneers
in Excellence Tribute Event held at the Liberty Grand in
honour of his contributions to the advancement of skull
base surgery. Funds raised from the evening will support
establishment of a Chair in Skull Base Neurosurgery at
Toronto Western Hospital and will also support the Villa
Colombo Vaughan Di Poce Centre.
Deep Guha (NeurSurg, PGY3) won the 2015 K.G.
McKenzie Prize in Clinical Neuroscience Research for
his work entitled “Timing of resumption of antithrombotic
agents following surgical evacuation of chronic subdural
hematomas: a retrospective cohort study”.
Deep was also awarded a 1 year NSERC Alexander G.
Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s (supervisor:
Victor Yang).
Mojgan Hodaie, together with residents David Cadotte,
George Ibrahim, Alireza Mansouri and Anick Nater
(NeurSurg) and medical students Elie Sader and Philip
Yee have launched the first fully online neurosurgery
curriculum for the neurosurgery residents at the Preah
Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This
three year venture is done in partnership with the
NEURONproject, and local partners including Dr. Kee
Park and Dr. Iv Vycheth, President of the Cambodian
Neurosurgical Society. The first block is “Fundamentals
of Neurosurgical Care”.
left to right: Narihito Nagoshi, Michael Fehlings and Ahmed Ibrahim at the 2014
Annual Meeting of the Cervical Spine Research Society in Orlando, Florida
Spine Fellow Ahmed Ibrahim (NeurSurg) (supervisor:
Michael Fehlings) won the top resident/fellow award at
the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS), for his presentation
entitled “Geographical variations in presentation
and outcome of management of cervical spine spondylosis:
results of a prospective CSM-I international study of 479”.
Sukhvinder Kalsi-Ryan (NeurSurg) won the AO Spine
North America Young Investigator Award.
Paul Kongkham (NeurSurg) has been awarded as
PI a 2-year Innovations Grant from the Canadian
Cancer Society Research Institute for the project entitled
“Genome-Wide Profiling of DNA Cytosine Methylation
and Hydroxymethylation Patterns Contributing to Normal
Astrocyte Differentiation and Gliomagensis”.
Andres Lozano (NeurSurg) was awarded a 2-year grant
from the Weston Brain Institute for the project “Deep
Brain Stimulation of the Fornix in Alzheimer’s Disease:
Investigations into Clinical and Imaging Biomarkers and
Dose Optimization”.
Al Martin (NeurSurg, PGY4), Michael Fehlings
and Andres Lozano (NeurSurg) and Alfonso Fasano
(Neurology) have been awarded a 2-year grant from
the Rick Hansen Institute for the project entitled “Deep
Brain Stimulation of the Pedunculopontine Nucleus to
Improve Walking after Spinal Cord Injury.”
Alireza Mansouri (NeurSurg , PGY4) received a 2015
PARO Trust Resident Teaching Award, which is awarded
to the top two resident teachers among all departments
at the University of Toronto.
Alireza also received 3rd place for Best Resident
Research Paper at the North American Skull Base
Society for the paper entitled “Surgically Resected Skull
Base Meningiomas Demonstrate a Divergent Postoperative
Recurrence Pattern Compared with Superficial
Meningiomas” (supervisor: Gelareh Zadeh).
Anick Nater (NeurSurg, PGY4) (supervisor: Michael
Fehlings) was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II/William
Kerr Scholarship in Science and Technology.
Teresa Purzner (NeurSurg, PGY4) was named a Stanford
SPARK Scholar, a program that mentors outstanding
research trainees in translating academic drug discoveries
to the commercial sector. Teresa is pursuing a PhD degree
with a project focused on the use of mass spectrometrybased
proteomics to study developmental signaling pathways
in pediatric brain tumors. Her work is supported by
SPARK funding and by a 2014 NREF fellowship.
Teresa also received the Louise Eisenhardt Travel
Scholarship at the 83rd AANS Annual Scientific Meeting.
Teresa was also a co-winner of the KG McKenzie prize.
James Rutka (NeurSurg) received a 1-year grant from
Meagan’s Walk for the project entitled “Developing an
Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumour Preclinical Model”.
James T. Rutka is the co-recipient of the Canadian
Cancer Society Robert L. Noble Prize, which is given
annually to honour distinguished investigators whose
contributions have led to significant accomplishments
in a body of work in basic biomedical cancer research.
Bernard Schacter (NeurSurg, Professor Emeritus)
received the Meritorious Member Award from the
AANS & CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine
and Peripheral Nerves at the 2015 Annual Meeting in
Phoenix in recognition of his tremendous contributions
to neurosurgery.
Mohammed F. Shamji (NeurSurg) won the Debbie
Scarlett Overall Best Paper Award at the Canadian Spine
Society annual meeting for his clinical research investigating
neuropathic pain clinical predictors of failed back
surgery syndrome in lumbar radiculopathy patients.
Mohammed was also awarded the CNS Ronald R.
Tasker Young Investigator Award for his work on the
cellular/molecular disc-herniation neuropathy and pain.
The Award recognizes the best presentation at the CNS
Annual Meeting by an investigator within 5 years of
completion of residency training.
Mohammed was also appointed to the Awards
Committee of the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of
the Spine and Peripheral Nerve.
Julian Spears (NeurSurg) has been endowed the Term
Chair in Cerebrovascular and Brain Tumour Surgery
Charles Tator (NeurSurg) has received the 2014 Medal of
Honour from the Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical
Companies (Rx&D) Health Research Foundation. The
Medal is awarded to individuals who have made pivotal
contributions to research and development, gaining recognition
on an international level. Dr. Tator donated
the $20,000 prize to his laboratory at Toronto Western
Hospital to further advance spinal cord research.
Charles Tator was honoured for his lifetime commitment
to both injury prevention and treatment of brain
and spinal cord injuries at the Parachute Gala held on
May 20 in Toronto. Dr. Tator is one of the founding
board members of Parachute, aimed at raising awareness
about preventable injuries.
Minister Rona Ambrose and Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor (NeurSurg) was awarded one of four
brain cancer research grants announced by Minister
Rona Ambrose on World Cancer Day.
Michael also received the Canadian Cancer Society
William E. Rawls Prize, which honours distinguished
young investigators who have made outstanding contributions
to research that has the potential to lead to, or
has already led to, new advances in cancer control.
Michael Taylor is the recipient of a 5-year grant from
the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute for the
project entitled “Molecular heterogeneity drives the clinical
behavior of childhood medulloblastoma”. The grant was
co-funded by Brain Canada.
Lindsay Tetreault (NeurSurg), a student of Michael
Fehlings, received the Canadian Spine Society 2015
Fellow’s Best Paper Award for her work entitled “The
Minimal Clinically Important Difference of the modified
Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scale in Patients with
Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy undergoing Surgical
Intervention”.
Michael Tymianski (NeurSurg) received a 4-year grant
from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the
project entitled “Development of a next-generation PSD95
inhibitor for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke”.
Taufik Valiante (NeurSurg) is the recipient of a 5
year NSERC Discovery Grant (Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council of Canada) for his work
on “Probabilistic maps of spiking and connectivity in
human and mouse cortex”.
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Jefferson Wilson (NeurSurg) received the Shafie S. Fazel
Outstanding Resident Surgeon and Investigator Award.
The award is presented annually to an individual who
has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments during
their residency both as a surgeon and as an investigator.
Christopher Witiw (NeurSurg, PGY3) received a
Fellowship Award from the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research valued at $60 000.
Gelareh Zadeh (NeurSurg) received the Ross Fleming
Surgical Educator Award from the Department of
Surgery, University of Toronto.
Gelareh is also the recipient of the American Brain
Tumor Association Young Investigator Award from the
American Association of Neurological Surgeons. This
award is given in recoginition of demonstrated outstanding
potential for basic science research in the field of
neuro-oncology.
Gelareh Zadeh has been appointed as the Wilkins
Family Chair in Neurosurgical Brain Tumour Research
at University Health Network.
Gelareh was also invited to be the Society of Neuro-
Oncology (SNO) representative and Co-Chair of
SCIDOT (Symposium on Therapeutic Delivery for
Brain Tumors) 2015 with Chair Michael Vogelbaum
(Cleveland Clinic).
Gelareh Zadeh was invited to serve on the scientific
committee of the North American Skull Base Society
for 2016.
Earl Bogoch (OrthoSurg) was awarded the Squires-
Hyland Trust Teaching Award, which celebrates doctors
who continue to teach new generations of physicians in
the pursuit of medical excellence.
Marissa Bonyun (OrthoSurg, PGY-1) was selected as
recipient of a 2015 Esther and Saul Baker Award. This
award is given by the Division of Geriatrics and Marissa
was selected as the top off-service resident who has
rotated through the service in this academic year. This is
the first year that our residents have spent some time in
geriatric medicine as part of their medical consult rotation
and Marissa (along with all of our PGY-1 residents)
have left our geriatrics colleagues with a great impression
of the work ethic and dedication of our trainees.
Amr Elmaraghy (OrthoSurg) received a Special
Commendation for the Integrated Medical Education
(IME) Sustained Excellence in Community-Based
Clinical Teaching Award.
Amr has also received the Excellence in Clinical
Teaching Award - Postgraduate Category at St. Joseph’s
Health Centre’s 4th Annual Academic Achievement Day.
Peter Ferguson (OrthoSurg) has won the Royal College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada 2015 AMS
Donald R. Wilson Award. Recipients of the award are
recognized for helping integrate CanMEDS roles into a
Royal College or other health-related training program.
Rajiv Gandhi (OrthoSurg) was selected as one of the
two recipients of the “2015 ABC Travelling Fellowship”,
which is awarded every two years to two surgeons who
have made significant contributions to their field.
Jeremy Hall (OrthoSurg) has been named the 2015
Surgical Skills Centre Distinguished Educator Award at
the Gallie Day dinner. This is a great achievement and
a testament to Jeremy’s tireless efforts and dedication to
teaching surgical skills to our trainees.
Simon Kelley (OrthoSurg) won a McMurrich Prize for
his oral presentation at Gallie Day. Simon is completing
his PhD under the supervision of Ben Alman and is
working on molecular mechanisms of fracture healing.
Simon has also won the Laidlaw Prize from the Institute
of Medical Science Scientific Day for his oral presentation
of his PhD research.
Frank Mastrogiacomo (OrthoSurg) received a Special
Commendation for Excellence in Community-Based
Teaching (Community Hospital setting).
Michael MacKechnie (OrthoSurg, PGY 4) was one of
the recipients of the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation’s
2015 Bones and Phones Legacy Scholarship for his role
in the Development of a contextually appropriate orthopedic
surgery training program in Botswana.
Michael McKee (OrthoSurg) has been selected as the
winner of the William Horsey Postgraduate Education
Award. This award recognizes excellent TES scores and
commitment of time and effort to residents in surgery.
This is the second time Michael has won this award over
the past 10 years.
Emil Schemitsch (OrthoSurg) received the 2015 Lister
Prize at the Gallie Day dinner. This prize is the highest
honour in the Department of Surgery and is awarded to
an investigator who has shown outstanding and continuing
productivity of international stature as evidenced by
research publications, grants held, students trained and
other evidence of stature of the work produced.
Jørgen Utvoll, Homan Cheng and Jamil Ahmed in front of the Treasury in
Petra. This was where Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed.
Jamil Ahmed and Homan Cheng (PlasSurg) travelled to
Amman, Jordan with ISAPS-LEAP Surgical Relief Team
for a 1-week surgical mission to work at Al Maqased
with Syrian surgeons treating wounded Syrians displaced
by the ongoing war. They were accompanied by a plastic
surgeon from Oslo University Hospital, Jørgen Utvoll.
All of the cases were trauma related usually caused by
blast and shrapnel and the team performed debridements,
skin grafts and flaps.
Jamil was also invited by the Iranian Society of Plastic
Surgeons to speak at the 8th International Congress of
Advanced Rhinoplasty and Facial Plastic Surgery including
live surgery sessions.
Jamil has also been appointed to the Board of
Directors as Parliamentarian for ASAPS for 2015-2016.
Kimit Rai, Oleh Antonyshyn, patient Rayisa Hontscharuk, Steve McCabe, Siba
Haykal, and Tara Lynn Stewart.
Oleh Antonyshyn and Steve McCabe (PlasSurg) completed
a surgical mission to the Ukraine with residents
Siba Haykal and Rayisa Hontscharuk and former
Sunnybrook fellow, Tara Lynn Stewart. This effort
garnered significant press attention as funding from
the mission came from “United for Ukraine”, a fundraiser
organized by the Canada Ukraine Foundation in
September, attended by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
and Wayne Gretzky and raised upwards of $200,000.
Katie Armstrong (PlasSurg, PGY 3) (Supervisor
Dr. John Semple) was awarded the Michael Decter
Scholarship for Health Leadership and Policy Studies.
This award is given annually by St. Elizabeth (Canada’s
largest non-profit home health care provider) to a highperforming
research student entering a graduate health
leadership and/or policy program aspiring for a health
leadership, executive, or board role in the Canadian
Health Care system. Katie continues to do excellent
work in her graduate studies and represents a new growing
area of leadership in medicine that uses technology
to provide solutions in healthcare.
Greg Borschel (PlasSurg) ran a highly successful meeting
as the Program Chair for the ASPN held in the
Bahamas in January.
Greg Borschel, Joseph Catapano and Nash Naam (President, ASPN)
Joseph Catapano (PlasSurg, PGY3) (Supervisor Dr.
Greg Borschel) was awarded the Best Clinical Science
Presentation at the 2015 American Society of Peripheral
Nerve (ASPN) meeting in the Bahamas last January for
“Corneal neurotization: a minimally invasive approach”
(co-authors Bains RD, Elbaz U, Zuker RM, Ali A,
Borschel GH).
Howard Clarke (PlasSurg) will be taking over the role
of President of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons
at this year’s meeting in Victoria, BC.
David M. Fisher (PlasSurg) was recognized by Plastic
& Reconstructive Surgery with a 38 article collection
composed of Craniofacial and Cleft Articles as chosen
by the PRS Editorial Board stating the best and most
educational articles published over the past 10 years. Of
those 38 articles, 5 of them were David’s, a remarkable
contribution!
Brent Graham (PlasSurg) has been named the new
Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Hand Surgery to commence
in January 2016.
Siba Haykal (PlasSurg) was selected as this year’s
recipient of the Women’s Microsurgery Group ViOptix
Travel Scholarship to attend the American Society
of Reconstructive Microsurgery annual meeting on
Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Gregory Borschel and
Siba Haykal
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Siba also received the Best Clinical Paper Award, Division
of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of
Toronto 2015 for: “The Effect of Ccl-2 on Mesenchymal
Stromal Cells Mediated T Cell Proliferation In Tracheal
Allografts” (Authors: Yingzhe Zhou, Andrea Day, Siba
Haykal, Armand Keating, Stefan OP Hofer, Thomas K.
Waddell; Supervisors: Stefan OP Hofer and Thomas K
Waddell)
Mike Hendry (PlasSurg, PGY5) was the co-winner
of the Mentor Canada, Johnson and Johnson Medical
Companies Prize for Best Clinical Paper Award, 2015
for “Side-to-Side Nerve Bridges Provide Evidence of Axon-
Mediated Schwann Cell Protection Within Chronically
Denervated Nerves and Influence Denervated Schwann
Cell Phenotype”. Authors: Hendry, JM, MC Alvarez-
Veronesi, A Snyder, T Gordon, G Borschel. Supervisor:
Greg Borschel
Joan Lipa (PlasSurg) is one a select group of plastic surgeons
that make up the 2014-2015 American Society of
Plastic Surgeons - The Plastic Surgery Foundation.
Frank Lista and Jamil Ahmad (PlasSurg) have been
named Section Editors for the Breast Section of the
Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Ralph Manktelow (PlasSurg), former Chair of the
Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery topped the
polls in the recent provincial election in the race for City
Councillor for the Mono Township. Ralph has done a
remarkable job of reinventing himself after an amazing
career as a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He now
resides on his farm in Mono and has taken up the cause
of championing the issues of his local constituents.
Blake Murphy (PlasSurg, PGY 5) was the co-winner
of the Mentor Canada, Johnson and Johnson Medical
Companies Prize for Best Clinical Paper Award, 2015
for “Validating the ACS-NSQIP Risk Calculator in
Alloplastic Breast Reconstruction”. Authors: Blake D.
Murphy, Shaghayegh Bagher, Marina Barandun, Stefan
O.P Hofer, Toni Zhong, Anne C. O’Neill. Supervisor:
Anne C. O’Neill
Christine Novak (PlasSurg) was the Program Chair at
the American Association of Hand Surgery.
Wally Peters (PlasSurg) was awarded “The Mentor
Prize” for 2015, for his presentation entitled “Update
on anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) in women with
breast implants”, at the CSAPS Meeting. This award is
given for the most outstanding presentation and publication
at the Annual Meeting of the CSAPS. It is a
prestigious award and is the 5th time that Wally has
received it.
Jennica Platt (PlasSurg) received the Best Basic
Science Award, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, University of Toronto 2015 for “Does Breast
Reconstruction after Mastectomy for Breast Cancer Affect
Overall Survival? Long-term follow-up of a retrospective
population-based cohort” (Authors: Platt J, Baxter N,
McLaughlan J, Semple J; Supervisor: John Semple)
Toni Zhong (PlasSurg) and co-investigators Nancy
Baxter, Brett Beber, Terry Cheng, Jeffrey Hoch, Stefan
Hofer, Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai, Jennifer Jones, Kelly
Metcalfe, Anne O’Neill, Tony Panzarella, Jennica Platt
received a 3 year grant from the Canadian Breast Cancer
Foundation for their project “Pre-consultation Educational
Group Intervention to Improve Shared Decision Making for
Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction”.
Nikki Woods (Research Education) has been appointed
as the Director of the (CACE), Faculty of Medicine,
University of Toronto at Women’s College Hospital for
a five year term. Nicole is an Assistant Professor and
Director of Education Evaluation in the Department
of Surgery. She is also currently the Interim Director of
The Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine at University
Health Network.
Dave Williams (Surg) has been appointed to the Order
of Ontario, the province’s highest official honour.
The Order recognizes current and former residents of
Ontario who have achieved excellence in any field. He is
a Professor in the Department of Surgery and President
and CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre. He
is an astronaut, scientist and physician. He conducted
some of the first surgeries in space, and holds a Canadian
record for space walks.
Marcelo Cypel (ThorSurg) received the George
Armstrong- Peters Award , which is awarded to a young
investigator who has shown outstanding productivity
during his/her initial period as an independent investigator
as evidenced by research publications in peer
reviewed journals, grants held, and students trained.
Marcelo Cypel was selected by the AATS Graham
Foundation to receive a year of funding as one of our
Cardiothoracic Surgical Investigators.
Shaf Keshavjee (ThorSurg) received the Order of
Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours,
recognizing outstanding achievement, dedication to
the community and service to the nation. Shaf received
this honour for his innovative contributions to thoracic
surgery, notably in the development of a process that has
improved lung transplantation worldwide.
Andrew Pierre (ThorSurg) received the Bruce Tovee
Award for Undergraduate Education, which honours an
academic staff member of the Department of Surgery
who has made the greatest contribution to the educational
activities of the Department, as exemplified by Dr.
E. Bruce Tovee during his outstanding career.
Kazuhiro Yasufuku (ThorSurg) received the 2015
Wightman-Berris Individual Teaching Award for
Postgraduate Teaching.
Ethan Grober (Urol) received a grant from the
WCHAMSG Innovation Fund for his project entitled
“Development and Validation of a Competency-Based
Program of Education and Assessment of the Fundamentals
of Micro Surgery (FMS).”
John Honey (Urol) has been selected as this year’s winner
of the James Waddell Mentoring Award in recognition
of his excellent mentoring of junior Faculty in the
Division of Urology at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Michael Jewett (Urol) is the recipient of an award from
the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
for his project “Determining the Research Priorities
of Canadian Kidney Cancer Patients, Caregivers and
Clinicians: A Priority Setting Partnership for Kidney
Cancer”. This award was ranked #1 in the entire competition.
Ahmed Kayssi (Vasc Surg, PGY1) received the 2014
Resident Teacher Award at St. Michael’s Hospital. This
award recognizes excellence in teaching of junior residents,
clinical clerks and medical students.
Laurence Klotz (Urol) received the Order of Canada,
one of our country’s highest civilian honours, recognizing
outstanding achievement, dedication to the community
and service to the nation. He received this honour
for his contributions to the treatment of prostate cancer,
notably for leading the adoption of active surveillance as
a standard aspect of patient care.
Laurence Klotz also received the Canadian Cancer
Sociery O. Harold Warwick Prize which is given annually
to honour distinguished investigators who have
undertaken studies in Canada that have led to significant
advances in cancer control.
Girish Kulkarni (Urol) received the 2015 Bernard
Langer Surgeon Scientist Award, which is awarded to an
outstanding graduate of the Surgeon Scientist Program
in the Department of Surgery, who shows the greatest
promise for a career in academic surgery.
Ken Pace (Urol) was awarded the 2015 St. Michael’s
Hospital Complete Physician Award at the annual hospital
Educational Achievement Day.
Hanmu Yan
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Hanmu Yan (Urol, PGY 4) received the 2015 D.R.
Wilson Award for Teaching. This award is given to the
surgical resident who is rated by undergraduate students
as being an outstanding teacher. The resident will demonstrate
both a positive attitude toward teaching and
will be considered a good surgical role model for undergraduate
medical students
Al Lossing (VascSurg) was awarded the Champion of
Telemedicine Award by the Ontario Telenmedicine
Network. Al is being honoured for his leadership in the
Central LHIN and his “dedication and committement
to integrating telemedicine solutions that have enhanced
outcomes and access to care”.
Al also received the 2014 Squires-Hyland Trust James
Waddell Mentoring Award at St. Michael’s Hospital. This award “pays tribute to those individuals who have
made extraordinary efforts to support young staff during the
early years of their career”.
George Oreopoulos (VascSurg) has been appointed as
the new Director of Postgraduate Education in Surgery
for University Health Network.
Trisha Roy (VascSurg, PGY3) received the George
Louridas Award for Best Resident Presentation 2015
Winnipeg Vascular & Endovascular Symposium “Does
endovascular repair in claudicants lead to worse outcomes?”
2015 CANADIAN
CANCER SOCIETY
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
GRANT AWARD
RECIPIENTS
I am pleased to announce the most recent CCSRI Grant
recipients from the Department of Surgery, University of
Toronto. Please join me in congratulating them on their
tremendous success!
Paul Kongkham. Genome-wide profiling of DNA
cytosine methylation and hydroxymethylation patterns
contributing to normal astrocyte differentiation and
gliomagenesis. 2 years; $175,899
Michael D. Taylor. Molecular heterogeneity drives
the clinical behavior of childhood medulloblastoma.
Co-funded by Brain Canada. 5 years; $1,249,880.
Kazuhiro Yasufuku. Image-guided localization platform
for minimally invasive lung surgery. 2 years; $200,000
James Rutka, RS McLaughlin Professor and Chair
Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
PROMOTIONS
Lecturer to Assistant:
Jason LEE (U/S, SMH)
Frank LISTA W (Int’l Surg)
Shahriar SHAHROKHI (P/S, SHSC)
Carmine SIMONE (T/S, TEGH)
Jory SIMPSON (G/S, SMH)
Khalid SYED (O/S, UHN)
Michael WEINBERG (P/S, THP)
Assistant Professor to Associate Professor:
Leo DA COSTA (N/S, SHSC)
Amr ELMARAGHY (O/S, SJHC)
Rajiv GANDHI (O/S, UHN)
Sevan HOPYAN (O/S, HSC)
Mark PETERSON (C/S, SMH)
Oleg SAFIR (O/S, MSH)
Tom SCHWEIZER (N/S, SMH)
Markus SELZNER (G/S, UHN)
Sun Hong-Shuo Sun (Anat)
Christiane WERNECK (V/S, THP)
Associate Professor to Professor:
Nancy BAXTER (G/S, SMH)
Timothy DANIELS (O/S, SMH)
Teodor GRANTCHAROV (G/S, SMH)
Andrew HOWARD (O/S, HSC)
William HUTCHISON (N/S, UHN)
Wolfgang KUEBLER (G/S, SMH)
David LATTER (C/S, SMH)
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