Thoracic Surgery Clinic

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UHN's Thoracic Surgery Team: (Top row, from left) Dr. Kasia Czarnecka-Kujawa, Dr. Marcelo Cypel, Dr. Andrew Pierre, Dr. Thomas Waddell, Dr. Marc De Perrot, Dr. Keshavjee, Dr. Elliot Wakeam. (Bottom row, from left) Dr. Jonathan Yeung, Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku, Dr. Laura Donahoe.

Our thoracic surgeons are leaders in their field, creating new and groundbreaking surgical techniques to improve the treatment and care of our patients.

One of these revolutionary treatments is the Toronto XVIVO Lung Perfusion System developed by Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, Chief of Innovation at UHN. This technique repairs damaged donor lungs prior to transplantation and will quadruple the number of donor lungs available to patients awaiting a lung transplant.

Our surgeons are also leading the development of exceptional image-guided and minimally invasive surgical techniques, enabling them to perform life-saving procedures that were once considered impossible.

Our team is focused on new frontiers of discovery, including harnessing the power of stem cells and gene therapy to repair and regenerate damaged tissue, essentially allowing patients' bodies to heal themselves.

Chief of Innovation: Dr. Shaf Keshavjee

Division Head:  Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku

Residency Program Director: Dr. Andrew Pierre

Thoracic Surgeons:

• Dr. Marcelo Cypel
• Dr. Marc de Perrot
• Dr. Laura Donahoe
  
• Dr. Thomas Waddell
• Dr. Elliot Wakeam
• Dr. Jonathan Yeung

Interventional Pulmonologist: Dr. Kasia Czarnecka-Kujawa

Nurse Manager: Ina Cherepaha-Kantorovich

Nurse Navigator: Marco Cheung

Nurse Practitioners:

• Laura Litner
• Leslie Maiden
• Marijana Zubrinic

Physician Assistant: Yousra Hasnain

Referral Information for Physicians

For All Referrals

To submit a referral, please provide:

• A letter of referral
  
• Clinical notes
• Test reports (blood work, CT scan reports, PET scan reports, MRI reports, cardiology test reports)

If this information is not included, your referral may be returned as incomplete.

Fax your referral directly to the physician's office at the appropriate number below:

Some physicians' offices will send you a confirmation of receipt.

Someone from our office will call you with information about the patient's first appointment.

Your office is responsible for providing the patient with the appointment information, including time and location, and important documents, test results and imaging that they must bring.

It is extremely important to ensure that your patient brings the following as these will be required at their first appointment:

• Chest x-rays – on CD
• CT scans – on CD
• MRI scans – on CD
• PET scans – on CD

Urgent Referrals

If your patient needs immediate, urgent care, please:

• Fax a referral letter to 416 340 3353 and mark URGENT.

Referrals to Specialized Programs

Benign Esophageal Disease Program

Referrals may be directed to:

Dr. Andrew Pierre
Fax: 416 340 4556

Dr. Elliot Wakeam
Fax: 416 340 3660

Dr. Jonathan Yeung
Fax: 416 340 3660

• Go to the Benign Esophageal Disease Program

Interventional Thoracic Surgery Program

Please fax your referral to Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku at 416 340 3660.

• Go to the Interventional Thoracic Surgery Program

Mesothelioma Multidisciplinary Program

Please fax your referral and supporting documents to 416 340 3853.

• Go to the Mesothelioma Multidisciplinary Program

Lung Cancer Rapid Assessment & Management Program (LungRAMP)

Please complete our referral form and send to our dedicated fax line at 416 340 3353.

• Go to LungRAMP

Lung Metastasis Program

To complete the referral process, first download and complete the referral form .

Please fax your referral to our dedicated line: 416 340 3353. We will review the form to ensure that it is complete; if it is not complete, we will return the form to you.

In addition to the completed referral form, please make sure to include:

• All relevant clinical history and notes.
• CT reports and additional diagnostic screening reports.
• Any biopsy/pathology reports (including lung biopsies and past cancer biopsies).
• Important: If the patient's imaging is from outside UHN, Women's College Hospital or Mount Sinai Hospital, please send a CD with patient's imaging to:
  Toronto General Hospital – Lung Metastasis Clinic
  c/o Areej Waqar
  200 Elizabeth St., 9N-934
  Toronto, ON M5G 2C4

Rapid Assessment of Complex Pleural Effusions (RACE) Program

To complete the referral process, first download and complete the referral form .

The RACE fax is checked a few times throughout the day and we process referrals on a daily basis.

If a patient cannot wait to be seen within 3-4 business days, the referring MD should arrange drainage of effusion through the Procedure Clinic at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre or refer the patient to Emergency Department. All malignant effusion referrals are considered urgent referrals.

Please note that only physicians may send a referral. Please fax the referral form to RACE Program or directly to the physician. Please also include:

• Radiological imaging (CT scan, chest x-ray, MRI, PET scans)
• Past medical history (of importance Oncological history)
• Previous clinic notes related to RACE referral
• Medications
• Allergies

• Go to the Rapid Assessment of Complex Pleural Effusions (RACE) Program

Surgery for Emphysema Program

Referrals should come from pulmonary medicine specialists to ensure all other medical treatments have been optimized.

Please fax your referral to Dr. Thomas Waddell at 416 340 4556.

• Go to the Surgery for Emphysema Program

Toronto Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) Program

Please fax your referral to Dr. Marc de Perrot at 416 340 3478.

• Go to the Toronto Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) Program