Surgeon Scientist Training Program Profiles 2024-2025
An alphabetical list of all residents enrolled in the Surgeon Scientist Training Program.
Kennedy Ayoo
Degree working towards: MSc (IMS)
Division: Vascular Surgery
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Drs. Thomas Lindsay, Jonathan Irish, Antoine Eskander
Research Focus: Investigating the risk of carotid atherosclerotic disease following radiation therapy for head and neck malignancy.
Asha Behdinan
Degree working towards: PhD (IHPME)
Division: Vascular Surgery
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisors: Drs. Prabhat Jha and Ahmed Kayssi
Research Focus: Evaluation of surgically-avertable vascular mortality in low- and middle- income countries.
Adom Bondzi-Simpson
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: General Surgery
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisor: Dr. Julie Hallet
Research Focus: Examining social disparities in surgical outcomes for gastrointestinal malignancies.
Karanbir Brar
Degree working towards: MSc (IMS)
Division: General Surgery
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Yeung
Research Focus: Using computational analysis of RNA sequencing data to delineate intra-tumor heterogeneity in esophageal adenocarcinoma, with the goal of identifying targets for new therapeutic intervention.
Caroline Cristofaro
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Orthopaedics
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Dr. Michael Zywiel and Dr. Raja Rampersaud
Research Focus: Ongoing postoperative neuropathic pain may have significant impact on patient reported and clinical outcomes after undergoing total knee arthroplasty. By utilizing the LEAP-OA Database, we aim to determine whether a patient's PainDETECT score preoperatively can predict likelihood of positive response to surgery.
Adriana Dekirmendjian
Degree working towards: MSc (IMS)
Division: General Surgery
The Hospital for Sick Children
Supervisor: Dr. Zani Augusto
Research Focus: Pediatric Surgery, specifically Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.
Mimi Deng
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Cardiac Surgery
The Hospital for Sick Children
Supervisor: Dr. Osami Honjo
Research Focus: Ex-vivo heart perfusion in porcine models for optimization of pediatric cardiac transplant. Specifically, exploring methods to improve preservation of donor hearts.
Jin Tong (Jenny) Du
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Orthopaedics
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Dr. Peter Coyte, Dr. Kuan Liu, and Dr. Raja Rampersaud
Research Focus: Evaluation of the clinical and health economic implications of surgical non-response in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Malak Elbatarny
Degree working towards: PhD (Physiol)
Division: Cardiac Surgery
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Dr. Anthony Gramolini and Dr. Maral Ouzounian
Research Focus: Multiomic and biomechanic characterization of thoracic aortic aneurysm: Towards personalized prognostication and surgical thresholds.
Yosef Ellenbogen
Chloe Gui
Division: Neurosurgery
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Gelareh Zadeh
Research Focus: We plan to perform CRISPR-Cas9-based high-throughput genetic screens to understand mechanisms of existing therapies, mechanisms of resistance to treatment, and identify novel exploitable target genes in GBM. This method may potentially enable the development of patient-specific therapies.
Sina Hadipour-Lakmehsari
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: General Surgery
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisor: Dr. Barbara Haas
Research Interests: Long term outcomes in patients and their families following severe traumatic injuries.
Stephanie Jiang
Degree working towards: MEd (OISE)
Division: General Surgery
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Carol-Anne Moulton
Research Focus: Exploring how surgical culture and the loss of identity contributes to the experience of the aging and retiring surgeon.
Vishwathsen Karthikeyan
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Neurosurgery
SMH - Unity Health
Supervisor: Dr. Jefferson Wilson
Research Focus: Utilizing clinical databases to generate predictive algorithms in traumatic and degenerative spinal cord injury.
Alexander Landry
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Neurosurgery
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Gelareh Zadeh
Research Focus: Computational tools use to better understand the molecular landscape of brain tumours, with a particular focus on meningioma.
Angela Young Ju Lee
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Vascular Surgery
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Dr. Thomas Lindsay and Dr. Maral Ouzounian
Research Focus: Spinal cord ischemia.
Ben Li
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Vascular Surgery
SMH, Unity Health
Supervisors: Dr. Mohammed Al-Omran and Dr. Charles de Mestral
Research Focus: Using machine learning to predict outcomes following major vascular surgery.
Tiange Li
Degree working towards: MSc (IMS)
Division: Urology
SMH - Unity Health
Supervisor: Dr. Monica Farcas
Research Focus: Development of novel surgical tools to improve urologic care.
Darby Little
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisors: Dr. Stephanie Mason and Dr. Barbara Haas
Research Focus: Long-term outcomes in burn injury patients.
Christopher Lozano
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Neurosurgery
SMH, Unity Health
Supervisor: Dr. Jefferson Wilson
Research Focus: Combining imaging characteristics and clinical variables to predict outcomes in patients with traumatic spine injuries.
Daniyal Mahmood
Degree working towards: MASc (BME)
Division: Vascular Surgery
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Dr. Thomas Lindsay and Dr. Sean Crawford
Research Focus: Investigating the impact of high-risk imaging features on aortic enlargement in patients with uncomplicated Type B Aortic Dissections through computational fluid dynamic models.
Armaan Malhotra
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Neurosurgery
SMH, Unity Health
Supervisors: Dr. Jefferson Wilson and Dr. Avery Nathens
Research Focus: An integrated approach to improved neurotrauma prognostication using machine learning methods applied to clinical and radiographic data.
Ann Mansur
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Neurosurgery
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Ivan Radovanovic
Research Focus: Understanding the safety and efficacy of targeted MEK inhibitors on the angioarchitecture, molecular biology and clinical progression of arteriovenous malformations through clinical trials. This is within a larger focus of exploring molecular and genetic alterations in neurovascular conditions.
Karim Mithani
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Neurosurgery
The Hospital for Sick Children and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisors: Dr. George Ibrahim and Dr. Nir Lipsman
Research Focus: The identification and validation of neuroimaging and electrophysiologic biomarkers to predict response to, and elucidate mechanisms of, neurosurgery for psychiatric disorders and epilepsy.
David-Dan Nguyen
Degree working towards: PhD (IHPME)
Division: Urology
PMCCRI- UHN
Supervisors: Dr. Girish Kulkarni and Dr. Laura Rosella
Research Focus: Enhancing equity and mitigating overdiagnosis of prostate cancer through the development and evaluation of machine learning-driven organized screening policies.
Karlo Pedro
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Neurosurgery
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Michael Fehlings
Research Focus: Realizing personalized approaches in spine surgery using multidimensional signatures and outcome trajectories.
Whitney Quong
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
The Hospital for Sick Children
Supervisor: Dr. Joel Fish
Research Focus: Outcomes of multimodal therapy for keloids and hypertrophic scarring.
Tayler Declan Ross
Degree working towards: MSc (IMS)
Division: Orthopaedics
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisor: Dr. Cari Whyne
Research Focus: Musculoskeletal health, specifically osteosarcopenia. Osteosarcopenia is the combination of decreased bone and muscle mass. This combination has significant impacts on patient outcomes and assessing frailty, but to date it is still poorly understood. I hope to evaluate how osteosarcopenia can be used to predict treatment response in the spine malignancy cohort.
Geoffrey Schemitsch
Degree working towards: PhD (CEHCR)
Division: Orthopaedics
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisor: Dr. Rob Fowler
Research Focus: Characterize population trends and evaluate clinical outcomes of temporizing and definitive treatment strategies in polytrauma patients with femoral shaft and unstable pelvis fractures.
Ajay Shah
Degree working towards: MSc (IMS)
Division: Orthopaedics
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisors: Dr. David Wasserstein, Dr. Bheeshma Ravi, Dr. Cari Whyne
Research Focus: Investigating the impact of human growth hormone (rHGH) on patellofemoral osteoarthritis.
Husain Shakil
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Neurosurgery
SMH, Unity Health
Supervisor: Dr. Jefferson Wilson
Research Focus: Impact of clinical frailty on outcomes in neurosurgery
Hrishikesh Suresh
Degree working towards: PhD (BME)
Division & Institution: Neurosurgery
The Hospital for Sick Children
Supervisors: Dr. George Ibrahim and Dr. James Drake
Research Focus: The application of focused ultrasound for the treatment of epilepsy.
Chloe Wong
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Dr. Heather Baltzer and Dr. David Urbach
Research Focus: Establishing a predictive model for repeated hand trauma.
Elliott Yee
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: General Surgery
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisor: Dr. Barbara Haas
Research Focus: The impact of marginalization and access to primary care on long-term health outcomes following severe traumatic injury.
Nicholas J.-S. Yee
Degree working towards: MASc (BME)
Division: Orthopaedics
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisors: Dr. Cari Whyne and Dr. Mansur Halai
Research Focus: Developing algorithms that can characterize clinically important long bone fracture patterns using software-augmented ultrasound imaging.
Leeor Yefet
Degree working towards: PhD (IMS)
Division: Neurosurgery
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisor: Dr. Gelareh Zadeh
Research Focus: Translational science within neuro-oncology, particularly in designing and conducting clinical trials to advance therapeutic strategies for patients with brain tumours.
Alice Zhu
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: General Surgery
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Supervisor: Dr. Natalie Coburn
Research Focus: Evaluating & improving patient-centered outcomes for gastrointestinal cancer care.
Anudari Zorigtbaatar
Degree working towards: MSc (IHPME)
Division: General Surgery
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network
Supervisors: Dr. Gonzalo Sapisochin and Dr. Anna Dare
Research Focus: Bridging the gap in disparities in diagnosis and access to treatment of HCC locally and globally.