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May 26, 2026

Scalpels & Strokes: A Q&A with Dr. John Semple

Dr. John Semple

Surgeons are often celebrated for their precision, skill and unwavering commitment to patient care—but only a few surgeons embody the intersection of science and art as fully as Dr. John Semple (BSc (AAM), MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS, HonDoc).

A distinguished plastic surgeon and esteemed educator, Dr. Semple is a Professor at the Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and previous Head of the Division of Plastic Surgery and Chief of Surgery at Women’s College Hospital. In addition to clinical excellence, his career spans groundbreaking research in his capacity as Senior Scientist at Women’s College Research Institute. He also holds several teaching roles across institutions including the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, the Massachusetts General Hospital (USA), and OCAD University.

Beyond the research sphere, the operating rooms and academic halls, Dr. Semple is also an accomplished visual artist.

In this Q&A, Dr. Semple reflects on the ways his art enriches his professional life, the messages he hopes to inspire his peers and mentees with, and what it means to him when he receives recognition (including his recent appointment to the Order of Ontario).

  1. Throughout your career, you’ve been recognized for both, your surgical excellence and your contributions to the arts. How do you think that impacts your professional and personal identity? And what advice would you offer to surgeons who want to integrate creative disciplines such as art, design, or storytelling into their surgical careers?

Everything I learned at OCAD University in drawing and painting, I use every day in the operating room and when I’m painting, I use a lot of the technique that I was taught as a surgeon. Medicine and art are just a training in observation. Whether you’re holding a scalpel or paintbrush, it’s all about how accurate your rendering is and how much control you have. In both art and in surgery there is always room for improvisation.

There are certain aspects of [art and medicine] that are quite distinct, but I think that creativity and improvisation are found in the overlap of both of these disciplines. If you can find those overlapping areas, it’s actually a very interesting space in which to spend time. That’s where you can find answers to questions or problems that you wouldn’t normally find in the core mainstream of those different disciplines. When I’m operating, I’m not thinking about art, but I’m always trying to be creative and think of ways of improving what we are doing for patients. Creativity and improvisation are core elements to both [art and medicine].

  1. You recently gave a presentation to the Canadian Association of Surgical Chairs about the “Creative Art for Surgeons” program that you have initiated here at the University of Toronto. What key message were you hoping to convey to them? Why do you recommend supporting the creative arts even in the face of fiscal restraints

Here in the Dept of Surgery at U of T, we are just completing our second year of a series of art courses at OCADU specifically designed for surgeons. It has been immensely popular and productive. Artistic practice—particularly drawing and painting—creates a parallel environment to surgical practice where outcomes are not fixed, mistakes are reversible, and exploration is encouraged. Art also slows time in a way surgery often cannot. In the art studio, surgeons can linger over form, colour, proportion, and spatial relationships, training the eye and hand to see more deliberately. This sustained observation sharpens pattern recognition and depth perception—skills that are directly transferable to surgical planning and intraoperative decision-making. Both artists and surgeons think with their hands and the tactile engagement with different material further reinforces hand–eye coordination and perhaps the opportunity for improvisation. We have been fortunate to have the tuition supported by Dr Swallow and the presentation to CASC was to see if this concept could be scaled to other centres and other provinces. In each city of the surgical teaching programs at different Universities across Canada there is an Art University or Art College that could provide a similar program.

  1. Congratulations on your recent appointment to the Order of Ontario! What an extraordinary honour. How has receiving this recognition influenced the way you reflect on your career, and what does it mean to you on a personal and professional level?”

Receiving the Order of Ontario is both an honour and quietly grounding. It creates a moment to step back from the pace of clinical work and reflect on a career that, in truth, has always been collective rather than individual.

On a personal level, it reinforces a sense of gratitude—for the people that I have worked with who shaped my thinking, colleagues who challenged and supported me, and patients who entrusted me with their care. It reminds me that whatever impact I’ve had has been built on those relationships.

Professionally, the recognition doesn’t feel like a culmination as much as a responsibility. It sharpens my awareness of the broader role we play as surgeons—not only in delivering excellent care, but in advancing equity, supporting teams, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for patients.

If anything, it shifts the lens forward. It’s less about looking back at what’s been done, and more about asking how I can continue to contribute meaningfully—to my patients, my colleagues, and the system we’re all working to improve.

  1. Can you share a defining moment or story from your surgical career that has stayed with you? Something that shaped your approach to surgery, creativity, or mentorship?

Prior to medical school I was enrolled in the Medical Illustrating Program (Art as Applied to Medicine) in the Faculty of Medicine at U of T. I was working with an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr David MacIntosh at the Toronto General Hospital constructing a series of drawings on his method of repairing the torn anterior cruciate ligament. That day in the OR he asked me to scrub in and hold retractors to assist him which is something you could not do these days. Being involved in that surgery, seeing the different tissues in the surgical field, the colours, the surgical instruments, and the remarkable skill he had with his hands had a profound effect on me. That feeling of being fascinated and wanting to be a surgeon from that day forward has never left me.

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