December 2014

Volume 4, Issue 4
 

As this calendar year draws to a close, I should like to underscore some appointments and events which lie ahead over the next few months.  First, we will have a new Dean in the Faculty of Medicine as Professor Trevor Young, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, takes over this prestigious post from Professor Catharine Whiteside who has served admirably and very capably in this position since 2006.  We look forward to Professor Young’s many contributions beginning in the New Year 2015.  Ben Alman, Chair of Orthopaedics at Duke University, will provide a lecture entitled “49” at Departmental Research Rounds, Friday January 9, 2015, at the Auditorium in the Toronto Western Hospital.   Chair of Research, Michael Fehlings, has organized a research retreat for faculty members, residents and fellows within the Department of Surgery on Friday January 23 at the Chestnut Residence.  On Friday February 6, 2015, the Kergin Lecture will be delivered by the “Skeptical Scalpel”, a surgeon who has been blogging and tweeting for the past 4 years on subjects relating to the fallibility of medicine and surgery.  In advance, you can visit the Skeptical Scalpel’s website at:  skepticalscalpel.blogspot.com/.  We will be conducting reviews of the Divisions of Cardiac Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, and Neurosurgery.  Faculty promotions documents will be completed in January 2015, and special thanks are given to Sender Herschorn and Howard Clarke for their efforts preparing the essential Departmental promotions letters.  As we bid goodbye to 2014, please allow me to wish you and your families all the best for the holiday season, and I look forward to seeing all of you in the New Year 2015. 
 

Sincerely,  


James T. Rutka, MD, PhD, FRCSC
RS McLaughlin Chair
 

In Memoriam – Dr. Peter Allen (Surgery Alumnus) passed away on November 17, 2014 at the age of 92.  Dr. Allen graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1946, and completed a fellowship in General Surgery in 1953 at the University of Toronto, and a fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Brompton Hospital, London, England. He also completed a year of study in internal medicine in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He was a Professor in the UBC Faculty of Medicine and practiced at the Vancouver General Hospital as a cardiac surgeon for 36 years. He performed the first open heart procedure in British Columbia on October 29, 1957. Dr. Allen retired from surgical practice in 1993 as an Emeritus Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine.  He recently visited the Department of Surgery in the Stewart Building and was the subject of an article written on the Janes’ Society in the last issue of the “Spotlight”.
 
Appointment of Professor Liu as Director, Institute of Medical Science
Professor Mingyao Liu has been appointed as Director, Institute of Medical Science beginning January 1, 2015. Professor Liu has been serving as Interim Director since July 1, 2014.  Dr. Mingyao Liu is a Professor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, with cross-appointments in the Departments of Medicine and Physiology. He is a full member of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist at the University Health Network, Toronto General Research Institute.  Please help me congratulate Mingyao in attaining this key position in the Faculty of Medicine.
 
Fayez Quereshy (General Surgery) recently had two press releases showcasing his research which examines the operational efficiencies in the Bariatric Program at the University of Toronto. These releases were timed with the ACS meeting this fall and were hi-lighted as innovative contributions to the literature and surgical community.
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/22/us-bariatric-dropouts-idUSKBN0GM1PL20140822
 
https://www.facs.org/media/press-releases/jacs/quereshy1103
 
Natalie Coburn (General Surgery) 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 Chairholder of the Hanna Chair.  Congratulations Natalie!
 
Shady Ashamalla (General Surgery) will become the interim Division Head, General Surgery when Dr. Coburn steps down at the beginning of January 2015.  Shady has implemented the Colorectal Cancer Diagnostic Assessment Program for patients, Torso Tech for practicing surgeons, and advocacy for colorectal cancer screening by reaching out directly to the public.  
 
Faculty Promotions
The following faculty members in the Department were recently promoted from Lecturer to Assistant Professor.

Dr. Carmine Simone (Thoracic Surgery) is Surgeon-in-Chief and Co-Program Director for the Surgery Health Service at Toronto East General Hospital.  He specializes in all diseases in Thoracic Surgery, but has particular interest in thymoma and other mediastinal tumours, chest wall tumours, lung cancer, esophageal cancer and metastatic cancers to the lung (such as colon cancer and breast cancer). His interests in critical care include postoperative care, infections of the chest and pleural space and prevention of arrhythmias after major surgery.

Dr. Shahriar Shahrokhi (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) is a faculty member at the Ross Tilley Burn Centre (RTBC) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.  Dr. Shahrokhi is the Coordinator of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education at the RTBC, and Chair of the Quality Improvement Committee at RTBC.  He received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa and did his general surgery residency at McGill University followed by a fellowship in The Complete Care of the Burn Patient at University of Toronto and then a faculty appointment at the RTBC. 

Dr. Michael Weinberg (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) is Division Head of Plastic Surgery at Trillium Health Centre. He is actively involved in teaching and research and the founder of the Mississauga Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Clinic.  

New Faculty Recruits

Mark Camp joined the Division of Orthopaedics at The Hospital for Sick Children as an Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto July 1, 2014.  He received his MD from Queen’s University and did his orthopaedic residency at U. of T.  This was followed by a Clinical Fellowship in Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.  Mark is the recipient of several academic awards.  His main interest is in bioethics and paediatric orthopedics with a focus on cerebral palsy.


Tim Dwyer is an Assistant Professor, U. of T. and is a faculty member in the Division Orthopaedics at Women’s College Hospital.  He received his MD and completed his residency at the University of Queensland, Australia.  This was followed by a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the University of Toronto.  Tim’s clinical practice is centred on arthroscopic surgery of the knee and shoulder with a focus on sports medicine.  His research involves Biomechanical studies and clinical outcomes following knee and shoulder surgery.
 
Elisa Greco has joined the Division of Vascular Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto.  Dr. Greco obtained her medical degree from the University of Ottawa and trained in General Surgery at the University of Toronto.  During this time, she also completed a Master’s Degree in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She then enrolled in the Clinician Investigator Program at the University of Toronto and the same year received her Certificate in the Teaching Program from the Centre for Faculty Development, Department of Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital & University of Toronto. She then pursued specialty training in Vascular Surgery.
 
Patrick Henry has joined the Division of Orthopaedics at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre as a faculty member and Assististant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto.  He obtained his medical degree from the University of Sydney, Australia and trained in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, US followed by a fellowship in Trauma/Upper Extremity Reconstruction at the University of Toronto and another fellowship on Shoulder Arthroscopy/Arthoplasty at the University of Toronto.  He is currently working towards his PhD at the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto.   
 
Adena Scheer has been appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and as a faculty member in General Surgery, St. Michael’s Hospital.  Dr. Scheer obtained her medical degree from the University of Toronto and trained in General Surgery at the University of Ottawa while completing her Master’s Degree in Epidemiology .  She then did a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Toronto with an elective in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery in Paris, France.  Dr. Scheer has presented her research at numerous scientific meetings and published a number of articles in peer reviewed journals.  Her clinical practice focuses on knowledge translation to enhance personalized medicine and to empower patients to partake in shared decision making.
 
David Wasserstein has been appointed as an Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and faculty member in the Division of Orthopaedics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.  He received his medical degree and did his Orthopaedic Surgery residency from the University of Toronto.  This was followed by a fellowship in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine at the University of Toronto, and a Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery Clinical Fellowship at Vanderbilt.  He is currently enrolled at the University of Waterloo on a part time basis, where he is completing his Masters in Public health (MHP) and Health Promotion.
 
Continuing Appointment Review (CAR)
The following Continuing Appointment Review (CAR) took place in December under the leadership of Ori Rotstein, Associate Chair, Department of Surgery.  
 
Marcelo Cypel joined the Division of Thoracic  Surgery at UHN as an Assistant Professor in May 2009.  He received his MD in 1999 and completed his general surgery and thoracic surgery residency program in 2004. This was followed by a fellowship at the Latner Thoracic Surgery Laboratory and he earned a Masters’ degree at the Institute of Medical Science/University of Toronto. During this time, he developed a new method of lung preservation and donor lung repair called Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP). This method is now used clinically in Toronto and in many other centers, and has significantly increased the number of transplantable lungs.  He then did a 3 year fellowship in thoracic oncology, cardiac surgery, and lung transplantation at the University of Toronto. main clinical interests are minimal invasive thoracic surgery for lung cancer, treatment of pulmonary metastases, artificial lung devices and lung transplantation.  
 

 

Dec 27
Congratulations to Shaf Keshavjee and Laurence Klotz who were both inducted into the Order of Canada!
 

Dec 14
Department of Surgery hockey tournament Saturday night at Varsity Arena!
 · 
Dec 12
Great times had by all who braved the snowstorm to attend the ‪@UofTSurgery's holiday party at the Bata Shoe Museum!
 
Dec 9
Exciting Key Features for 2015 Update in General Surgery ‪http://eepurl.com/-iNN9  ‪#meded ‪#surgeons ‪@UofTSurgery
  
Dec 5
Greg Borschel and Laurence Klotz presented as Peter-Armstrong and Lister Prize winners this am at UofT surgery rds.
 
Dec 4
U of. T university rounds friday at sick kids, 7:30 am.  George Armstrong peters and lister prize winners.  Drs borschel and klotz.
 
Dec 1
“‪@ColonCancerCDA: Check out photos from our ‪#T2B Toronto wrap party here: ‪http://ow.ly/FavDz ” ‪@UofTSurgery ‪@andysmith1966 ‪@JamesRutka
 
Dec 1
‪@UofTSurgery's Oleh Antonyshyn & team have returned from mission in Ukraine. Video: ‪http://bit.ly/12jXCsX  ‪#globalsurgery ‪#torontosurgery

HIGH IMPACT PAPERS HOT OFF THE PRESS

 Albert GW, Ibrahim GM, Otsubo H, Ochi A, Go CY, Snead OC 3rd, Drake JM, Rutka JT. Magnetoencephalography-guided resection of epileptogenic foci in children. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2014 Nov;14(5):532-7.
 
Apel PJ, Howard A.  Evaluation and Treatment of Childhood Musculoskeletal Injury in the Office.  Pediatr Clin North Am. 2014 Dec;61(6):1207-1222.
 
Balogun JA, Halliday W, Bouffet E, Kulkarni AV. Spinal clear cell meningioma in a 3-year-old: a case report. Pediatr Neurosurg. 2013;49(5):311-5.
 
Baltzer H, Novak CB, McCabe SJ.  A scoping review of disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand scores for hand and wrist conditions.  J Hand Surg Am. 2014 Dec;39(12):2472-80.
 
Basha D, Dostrovsky JO, Lopez Rios AL, Hodaie M, Lozano AM, Hutchison WD. Beta oscillatory neurons in the motor thalamus of movement disorder and pain patients. Exp Neurol. 2014 Nov;261:782-90.
 
Bashir J, Legare JF, Freed DH, Cheung A, Rao V, Toma M.  Multicentre Canadian Experience With the HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device: Concerns About Adverse Neurological Outcomes.  Can J Cardiol. 2014 Dec;30(12):1662-7.
 
Bhindi B, Mamdani M, Kulkarni GS, Finelli A, Hamilton RJ, Trachtenberg J, Zlotta AR, Evans A, van der Kwast TH, Toi A, Fleshner NE.  Impact of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations Against PSA Screening on Prostate Biopsy and Cancer Detection Rates.  J Urol. 2014 Dec 3. pii: S0022-5347(14)05037-X. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2014.11.096. [Epub ahead of print]
 
Blackstone EH, Weisel RD.  The conclusion of papers published in the Journal should be supported by an appropriate statistical analysis.  J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Dec;148(6):2479.
 
Burke MJ, Fralick M, Nejatbakhsh N, Tartaglia MC, Tator CH. In search of evidence-based treatment for concussion: characteristics of current clinical trials. Brain Inj. 2014 Nov 10:1-6.
 
Cypel M, Fan E.  Lung injury after abdominal and thoracic surgery.  Lancet Respir Med. 2014 Dec;2(12):949-50.
 
Czarnecka K, Yasufuku K.  The role of endobronchial ultrasound/esophageal ultrasound for evaluation of the mediastinum in lung cancer.  Expert Rev Respir Med. 2014 Dec;8(6):763-76.
 
Di Eusanio M, Trimarchi S, Peterson MD, Myrmel T, Hughes GC, Korach A, Sundt TM, Di Bartolomeo R, Greason K, Khoynezhad A, Appoo JJ, Folesani G, De Vincentiis C, Montgomery DG, Isselbacher EM, Eagle KA, Nienaber CA, Patel HJ.  Root replacement surgery versus more conservative management during type a acute aortic dissection repair.  Ann Thorac Surg. 2014 Dec;98(6):2078-84.
 
Djaiani G, Katznelson R, Ellard L, Wasowicz M, Ashworth A, Carroll J, Lindsay T.  Type of anesthesia and postoperative delirium after vascular surgery: reply.  J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2014 Dec;28(6):e62.
 
Emeriaud G, Larouche A, Ducharme-Crevier L, Massicotte E, Fléchelles O, Pellerin-Leblanc AA, Morneau S, Beck J, Jouvet P. Evolution of inspiratory diaphragm activity in children over the course of the PICU stay. Intensive Care Med. 2014 Nov;40(11):1718-26.
 
Fisher CG, Goldschlager T, Boriani S, Varga PP, Rhines LD, Fehlings MG, Luzzati A, Dekutoski MB, Reynolds JJ, Chou D, Berven SH, Williams RP, Quraishi NA, Bettegowda C, Gokaslan ZL. An evidence-based medicine model for rare and often neglected neoplastic conditions. J Neurosurg Spine. 2014 Nov;21(5):704-10.
 
Forgione N, Karadimas SK, Foltz WD, Satkunendrarajah K, Lip A, Fehlings MG. Bilateral contusion-compression model of incomplete traumatic cervical spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma. 2014 Nov 1;31(21):1776-88.
 
Gajjar A, Pfister SM, Taylor MD, Gilbertson RJ. Molecular insights into pediatric brain tumors have the potential to transform therapy. Clin Cancer Res. 2014 Nov 15;20(22):5630-40.
 
Gotlib Conn L, Young A, Rotstein OD, Schemitsch E.  "I've never asked one question." Understanding the barriers among orthopedic surgery residents to screening female patients for intimate partner violence.  Can J Surg. 2014 Dec;57(6):371-8.
 
Harrington J, Sochett E, Howard A.  Update on the Evaluation and Treatment of Osteogenesis Imperfecta.  Pediatr Clin North Am. 2014 Dec;61(6):1243-1257.
 
Ibrahim GM, Morgan BR, Lee W, Smith ML, Donner EJ, Wang F, Beers CA, Federico P, Taylor MJ, Doesburg SM, Rutka JT, Carter Snead O 3rd. Impaired development of intrinsic connectivity networks in children with medically intractable localization-related epilepsy. Hum Brain Mapp. 2014 Nov;35(11):5686-700.
 
Ilie G, Mann RE, Hamilton H, Adlaf EM, Boak A, Asbridge M, Rehm J, Cusimano MD.  Substance Use and Related Harms Among Adolescents With and Without Traumatic Brain Injury.  J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2014 Dec 2. [Epub ahead of print]
 
Jansen LA, Backstein RM, Brown MH.  Breast size and breast cancer: A systematic review.  J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2014 Dec;67(12):1615-1623.
 
Karkouti K, McCluskey SA, Callum J, Freedman J, Selby R, Timoumi T, Roy D, Rao V.  Evaluation of a Novel Transfusion Algorithm Employing Point-of-care Coagulation Assays in Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study with Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.  Anesthesiology. 2014 Dec 5. [Epub ahead of print]
 
Khambati A, Lau S, Gordon A, Jarvi KA.  OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) Nerve Blocks Provide Durable Pain Relief for Men with Chronic Scrotal Pain: A Pilot Open-Label Trial.  J Sex Med. 2014 Dec;11(12):3072-7.
 
Klotz L, Drachenberg D, Singal R, Aprikian A, Fradet Y, Kebabdjian M, Zarenda M, Chin J.  An open-label, phase 2 trial of bicalutamide dose escalation from 50 mg to 150 mg in men with CAB and castration resistance. A Canadian Urology Research Consortium Study.  Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2014 Dec;17(4):320-4.
 
Kopjar B, Tetreault L, Kalsi-Ryan S, Fehlings M. Psychometric properties of the Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scale in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2014 Oct 22.
 
Kotani Y, Chetan D, Saedi A, Zhu J, Grosse-Wortmann L, Coles JG, Caldarone CA, Van Arsdell GS, Honjo O.  Persistent fenestration may be a marker for physiologic intolerance after Fontan completion.  J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Dec;148(6):2532-8.
 
Lakovic K, Ai J, D'Abbondanza J, Tariq A, Sabri M, Alarfaj AK, Vasdev P, Macdonald RL. Bilirubin and its oxidation products damage brain white matter. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2014 Nov;34(11):1837-47.
 
Macdonald RL.  Editorial: Occlusion of the M2: confusion about reperfusion.  J Neurosurg. 2014 Dec;121(6):1351-3.
 
Mohanty C, Massicotte EM, Fehlings MG, Shamji MF. The association of preoperative cervical spine alignment with spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging hyperintensity and myelopathy severity: Analysis of a series of 124 cases. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2014 Oct 22.
 
Prescott IA, Liu LD, Dostrovsky JO, Hodaie M, Lozano AM, Hutchison WD. Lack of depotentiation at basal ganglia output neurons in PD patients with levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Neurobiol Dis. 2014 Nov;71:24-33.
 
Rusert JM, Wu X, Eberhart CG, Taylor MD, Wechsler-Reya RJ.  SnapShot: Medulloblastoma.  Cancer Cell. 2014 Dec 8;26(6):940-940.e1.
 
Rutka JT.  Editorial: The Journal of Neurosurgery at 70: the legacy continues.  J Neurosurg. 2014 Dec;121(6):1295-6.
 
Sacho RH, Saliou G, Kostynskyy A, Menezes R, Tymianski M, Krings T, Radovanovic I, Terbrugge K, Rinkel GJ, Willinsky R. Natural history and outcome after treatment of unruptured intradural fusiform aneurysms. Stroke. 2014 Nov;45(11):3251-6.
 
Soubeyrand M, Badner A, Vawda R, Chung YS, Fehlings MG. Very high resolution ultrasound imaging for real-time quantitative visualization of vascular disruption after spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma. 2014 Nov 1;31(21):1767-75.
 
Sun Y, Farzan F, Garcia Dominguez L, Barr MS, Giacobbe P, Lozano AM, Wong W, Daskalakis ZJ. A novel method for removal of deep brain stimulation artifact from electroencephalography. J Neurosci Methods. 2014 Nov 30;237:33-40.
 
Teschke K, Frendo T, Shen H, Harris MA, Reynolds CC, Cripton PA, Brubacher J, Cusimano MD, Friedman SM, Hunte G, Monro M, Vernich L, Babul S, Chipman M, Winters M. Bicycling crash circumstances vary by route type: a cross-sectional analysis. BMC Public Health. 2014 Nov 22;14(1):1205.
 
Thibault I, Al-Omair A, Masucci GL, Masson-Côté L, Lochray F, Korol R, Cheng L, Xu W, Yee A, Fehlings MG, Bjarnason GA, Sahgal A. Spine stereotactic body radiotherapy for renal cell cancer spinal metastases: analysis of outcomes and risk of vertebral compression fracture. J Neurosurg Spine. 2014 Nov;21(5):711-8.
 
Weisel RD, Nussmeier N, Newman MF, Pearl RG, Wechsler AS, Ambrosio G, Pitt B, Clare RM, Pieper KS, Mongero L, Reece TL, Yau TM, Fremes S, Menasché P, Lira A, Harrington RA, Ferguson TB; RED-CABG Executive and Steering Committees.  Predictors of contemporary coronary artery bypass grafting outcomes.  J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Dec;148(6):2720-2726.e2.
 
Wilson JR, Vaccaro AR, Fehlings MG. Methylprednisolone for acute traumatic spinal cord injury. Contemp Spine Surg. 2014 Oct;15(10):1-8.
 
Wong LM, Ferrara S, Alibhai SM, Evans A, Van der Kwast T, Trottier G, Timilshina N, Toi A, Kulkarni G, Hamilton R, Zlotta A, Fleshner N, Finelli A.  Diagnostic prostate biopsy performed in a non-academic center increases the risk of re-classification at confirmatory biopsy for men considering active surveillance for prostate cancer.  Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2014 Dec 9. doi: 10.1038/pcan.2014.48. [Epub ahead of print]
 
Xavier F, Komvilaisak P, Williams S, Kulkarni AV, deVeber G, Moharir MD. Anticoagulant therapy in head injury-associated cerebral sinovenous thrombosis in children. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2014 Nov;61(11):2037-42.
 
Zhu J, Ide H, Fu YY, Teichert AM, Kato H, Weisel RD, Maynes JT, Coles JG, Caldarone CA.  Losartan ameliorates "upstream" pulmonary vein vasculopathy in a piglet model of pulmonary vein stenosis.  J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Dec;148(6):2550-8.
 
Zuccato JA, Milburn C, Valiante TA. Balancing health literacy about epilepsy surgery in the community. Epilepsia. 2014 Nov;55(11):1754-62.
 

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