Hand, Wrist, and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Fellowship

Dr. Heather Baltzer is the Head of the Division of Plastic Surgery at UHN and Director of the Hand Program at Toronto Western Hospital. She is a Hand Surgeon and Clinical Investigator at the University Health Network. Clinical Interests: Peripheral Nerve and Hand Surgery. Dr. Baltzer completed her Master of Science in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Medical Residency with the Division of Plastic and Reconstruction Surgery, University of Toronto and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship. Her post-graduate degree is in Health Services Research in the Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.

Research

Health care utilization and population health economics among hand trauma populations & Translational Research Program focusing on basilar thumb arthritis.

Dr. Ryan Paul iis an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Fellowship Director of the Hand, Wrist, and Peripheral Nerve Fellowship at Toronto Western Hospital. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and practices within the Divisions of Orthopaedic and Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.

Dr. Paul completed his undergraduate studies at McMaster University and earned his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario. He completed his Orthopaedic Surgery residency at the University of Alberta, followed by advanced fellowship training in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery and Sports Medicine at the University of Toronto. He provides expert clinical care for complex wrist and hand trauma, post-traumatic reconstruction, and minimally invasive surgery, serving both general and elite athletic populations.

Research

• Clinical outcomes in wrist trauma (including distal radius fractures, minimally invasive surgical techniques and post-traumatic reconstruction)
• Quality improvement and system-level research
• Machine learning and AI-based clinical decision tools
• Co-founder of the Toronto Wrist Research Group, fostering multidisciplinary research and innovation

Dr. Jonathan Persitz is a dual fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hand and wrist surgery at Toronto Western Hospital. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and a Clinician Investigator at the Krembil Research Institute. Dr. Persitz completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center in Israel (Tel Aviv University), followed by a fellowship in upper extremity surgery at the same institution, and then advanced fellowship training in hand, wrist, and peripheral nerve surgery at the Toronto Western Hospital's Hand Program. His clinical interests include acute wrist trauma, wrist arthroscopy, complex reconstruction for distal radius malunions, scaphoid non-unions, and carpal instability, as well as the management of base of thumb arthritis and orthoplastic reconstruction for challenging hand and wrist injuries.

Research

• Optimizing clinical outcomes and quality of care in acute surgical management and post-traumatic reconstruction of hand and wrist conditions through the use of large administrative health data and prospective registries.
• Member of the Toronto Wrist Research Group™, collaborating with Dr. Ryan Paul and Dr. Andrea Chan to advance surgical care and innovation in hand and wrist surgery through multidisciplinary research.

Dr. Kevin Zuo is a trained Plastic Surgeon and Assistant Professor in The Hand Program at the Toronto Western Hospital who specializes in Hand Surgery, Microsurgery, Peripheral Nerve Injury and Trauma. Dr. Zuo completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta, his Medical Residency at the University of Toronto and completed a Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. Clinical Interest: Reconstruction of osseous non-union or avascular necrosis in the extremities with vascularized bone grafts and/or microsurgical techniques. Management of advanced wrist arthritis following ligamentous injuries or bony injuries such as scaphoid non-union. Kienböck's disease of the lunate and distal radius malunion. Improving functions in paralyzed upper extremities with nerve transfers and spastic upper extremities with hyper-selective neuroectomies. Treatment of facial paralysis and facial nerve dysfunction, such as after Bell's palsy or acoustic neuroma.

Research

Novel Methods of musculoskeletal imaging, peripheral nerve regeneration, vascularized composite allotransplantation, and patient-reported outcomes after hand surgery and facial paralysis surgery.

Dr. Paul Binhammer is an affiliate surgeon to the Hand Program at the University Health Network and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He completed his Medical school and Residency at the University of Toronto, Fellowships in Strasbourg, France and Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Binhammer is currently staffed at Sunnybrook Hospital. His subspecialties are Hand, Limb and Microsurgery.

Dr. Andrea Chan is an Orthopaedic Pediatric and Adult Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. A. Chan completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and her Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at the University of Toronto. She completed her Pediatric Hand and Upper Extremity Clinical Fellowship in Cincinnati, Ohio and Adult Hand and Upper Extremity Clinical Fellowship in London, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Jana Dengler is an affiliate surgeon to the Hand Program at the University Health Network. Her practice is currently located at the Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. Her specialty is Hand and Microvascular Surgery, complex peripheral nerve reconstruction, and upper and lower extremity surgery to improve upper limb function in cervical spinal cord injury (Tetraplegia). She completed her Medical School at the University of Toronto, Residency at the University of Toronto and Hand, Nerve and Microsurgery Fellowship at Washington University.

Dr. Jordan Farag is a Clinician Teacher in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), Department of Medicine, at the University of Toronto. He completed his residency in PMR at the University of British Columbia, followed by a fellowship in Interventional Physiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Farag is the director of the EMG Lab at Toronto Rehab and has a special interest in the management of peripheral nerve injuries and sport-related nerve conditions. Alongside Dr. Baltzer, he co-runs the Combined Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Clinic.

Dr. Alexandre McDougall is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with fellowship training in sports and spine medicine. He completed his medical school at Western University and his residency training at the University of Toronto. Dr. McDougall furthered his expertise with a fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery, the top hospital for orthopedic care in North America. During this fellowship, he acquired advanced skills in non-operative techniques for sports medicine injuries, ultrasound, and fluoroscopic-guided procedures. He runs a specialized sports medicine and electrodiagnostic medicine clinic at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. He works at the Toronto Western Hospital Hand and Wrist clinic.