Research Committee Members

Terms of Reference
RESEARCH COMMITTEE

The Research Committee of the Department of Surgery shall represent the research interests of all members of the Department of Surgery across the Health Sciences Complex (HSC) of the University of Toronto. The Chair of the Committee will be selected by the Departmental Chair of Surgery and will function as the Vice Chair Research for the Department. The Chair of the Department in consultation with the Vice Chair Research and the Senior Advisory Committee of the Department will select members of the Committee. A Department Research Coordinator will be assigned to the Committee to manage its activities.

The major functions of the Research Committee are:

  • to develop general research policies for the Departmental members across the HSC
  • to harmonize the broad-based research interests of the Department across the HSC
  • to facilitate communication regarding research matters within the Department
  • to oversee the activities of the Surgeon Scientist Program and Gallie-Bateman Research Resident Competition
  • to make recommendations to the Chair of the Department regarding research awards, research grants, visiting professors, structure of research events
  • to develop retreats and symposia which augment quality and quantity of Research in the Department
  • to monitor the progress of new faculty in the Department

The Research Office of the Department will work closely with the Research Committee to co-ordinate Research activities. The main functions of the Research Office are:

  • to maintain the Departmental database of grants and awards and communicate this information as required to the University, Hospitals and Departmental members
  • to manage the Surgeon Scientist Program, including maintenance of a database, co-ordinating of the admission process, interacting with University Graduate Departments, regarding student admission, co-ordination with Royal College Clinician Investigator Program, and communication with individual Surgeon Scientist trainees
  • to disseminate information regarding funding opportunities to students and Faculty
  • to promote Summer Student research opportunities in the Department

View our Research Committee member profiles below:

Research Committee Members Chart

Michael Fehlings

Email: michael.fehlings@uhn.ca
Affiliation: Vice Chair Research, Dept of Surgery; Prof of Neurosurgery, Gerald & Tootsie Halbert Chair in Neural Repair & Regenerat’n, Director Neuroscience Progr, Co-Chairman Spinal Program, U of T - Medical Director, Krembil Neuroscience Ctre, TWH-UHN, 399 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8
Research Interests: spinal cord injury, CNS injury, neural repair, neuroprotection, regeneration, stem cells, clinical trials, imaging, electrophysiology, translational neuroscience research.
PubMed Linkhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=PureSearch&term=(Fehlings M[au] OR 9168289[uid])

Val Cabral

Email: valdemira.cabral@utoronto.ca; valfumo@gmail.com 
Affiliation: Department of Surgery Research Office, University of Toronto, 149 College St., Room 503J, Toronto, ON
Keywords: Surgeon Scientist Training Program; Gallie Day; Research Grants/Contracts Database
Weblink: http://www.surgery.utoronto.ca/research

Marcelo Cypel

Email: marcelo.cypel@uhn.ca
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto; Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network; CRC in Lung Transplantation (Tier 2), 200 Elizabeth Street, 9N-969, Toronto ON
Research Interests: Lung Transplantation, Ischemia Reperfusion Injury, Ex vivo Lung Perfusion, In vivo Lung Perfusion, Acute Lung Injury, ECMO, Novel Treatments of Pulmonary Metastases.
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=the+university+of+toronto+AND+marcelo+cypel

Kristen Davidge

Email: kristen.davidge@sickkids.ca
Affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Ste 5420, Hill Wing, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON
Research Interests: Patient Reported Outcomes, Knowledge Translation, Pain
PubMed Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=kristen+Davidge

Charles de Mestral

Emailcharles.demestral@unityhealth.to

Affiliations: Surgeon-Scientist in the Department of Surgery, Adjunct Scientist with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, an Assistant Professor with the Institute for Health Policy Management and Evaluation and a Scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital

Research Interests: (1) Amputation prevention in peripheral artery disease and diabetes, (2) The provision, quality and cost of surgical care

PubMed Link: Pubmed

Peter Dirks

Email: peter.dirks@sickkids.ca
Affiliation: Professor, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto; Division of Neurosurgery, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, PGCRL 16-9-708, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON  
Research Interests: vascular & neoplastic diseases of the nervous system, stem cells & cell cycle pathways
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=the+university+of+toronto+AND+peter+dirks

Malak Elbatarny

Emailm.elbatarny@mail.utoronto.ca
Affiliation:  Division of Cardiac Surgery.  PhD Affiliations: Department of Physiology, UHN-TGH

Research Interests: Bioinformatics/Multi-omics, Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm/Dissection, Congenital Cardiac Disease, Root and Great Vessel Surgery
PubMed Linkhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=elbatarny%2C+M&sort=date 

Rebecca Gladdy

Email; gladdy@lunenfeld.carebecca.gladdy@sinaihealthsystem.ca
Affiliation:  Division of GeneralSurgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, Ste 1225, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, ON 
Research Interests: Soft tissue sarcoma, cancer genetics, drug development, translational research,functional genomics, clinical outcomes
PubMedLink: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/rebecca.gladdy.1/bibliography/48070023/public/?sort=date&direction=descending

Laureen Hachem

Email: laureen.hachem@mail.utoronto.ca 
Affiliation: PhD Candidate, Surgeon Scientist Training Program, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto; Neurosurgery Resident, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto; and Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Michael G. Fehlings, Co-Supervisor: Dr. Charles H. Tator 
Research Interests: Spinal cord injury, glutamate signaling, neural stem cells, regeneration 
PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=laureen+hachem&sort=date

Andras Kapus

EmailAndras.kapus@unityhealth.to
Affiliation: Associate Vice Chair Research, Department of Surgery, U of Toronto; General Surgery, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute; Platform Director, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital, 209 Victoria Street, Room 621, Toronto, ON
Research Interests: Basic cell physiology and cell (patho) biology in the context of cellular stress signaling, volume regulation, cytoskeleton remodeling, epithelial-mesenechymal transition and organ fibrosis.
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Kapus+A

Paul Karanicolas

Email:  Paul.Karanicolas@sunnybrook.ca
Affiliations: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Research Institute; and Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation,University of Toronto, Toronto, ON 
Research Interests: Clinical Trials, Outcomes,Quality of Life, Surgical Oncology, Hepatopancreaticobiliary Surgery 
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=karanicolas%20p%5BAuthor%5D

Girish Kulkarni

Email: girish.kulkarni@uhn.ca
Affiliation: Div of Urology, Dept of Surg, PMH-UHN, 610 University Ave, Ste 3-130, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9
Research Interests: Comparative effectiveness research, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, health services research, decision modelling, cost-effectiveness research, clinical trials, cancer quality of life research, cancer survivorship, urologic oncology
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=kulkarni+g+urology

Ren-Ke Li

Email: renkeli@uhnresearch.ca
Affiliation: TGRI - Cardiovascular Research Group, U of T, TMDT, Rm 3-702, 101 College St., Toronto, ON M5G 1L7
Research Interests: Translational research to apply new insights discovered through basic science research to clinical applications for heart repair, regeneration and rejuvenation after myocardial infarction using gene therapy, cell transplantation and tissue engineering techniques to restore heart function.
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=the+university+of+toronto+AND+ren-ke+li

Andrea McCart

Email: Andrea.McCart@sinaihealthsystem.ca
Affiliation: General Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, Ste 1225, 600 University Av, Toronto ON Research Interests: oncolytic viruses as cancer therapeutics, peritoneal malignancies.
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=the+university+of+toronto+AND+andrea+mccart

Renata Musa

Emailrenata.musa@utoronto.ca; Tel: 416-978-8909
Affiliation: Research Program Coordinator, Department of Surgery Research Office, University of Toronto, 149 College St., Room 503J, Toronto, ON
Keywords: Surgeon Scientist Training Program; Gallie Day; Research Grants/Contracts Database
Weblink: http://www.surgery.utoronto.ca/research

Giuseppe Papia

Emailgiuseppe.papia@sunnybrook.ca

J. Ross and Patricia Quigley Chair in Limb Preservation

Associate Professor & Chair, Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Toronto

Sovereign Military Order of Malta SMOM

Hong-Shuo Sun

Email:  hss.sun@utoronto.ca
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, 1 King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON Canada
Research Interests: Role of ion channels in neuroprotection and drug development for stroke and hypoxia.
PubMed Linkhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Sun

Albert Yee

Email: Albert.Yee@sunnybrook.ca
Affiliation:  Program Chief and Division Head, Division of Orthopaedics, Holland MSK Program, and Orthopaedics Vice Chair Research, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Consultant Surgical Oncology Odette Cancer Centre;Associate Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON 
Research Interests: cancer metastases to bone, translational vertebral metastasis research, spine surgery education
PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=YeeAJ[Author]&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=25648441