Congratulations to Dr. Anthony Perruccio, a Senior Scientist at UHN's Schroeder Arthritis Institute, for having his work recognized as one of the Top 10 Arthritis Research Advances of 2023 by the Arthritis Society of Canada.
Dr. Perruccio, who is also an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, focuses his research on identifying distinct subgroups in osteoarthritis in both clinical and population-based samples, with particular focus on multijoint involvement, comorbidity, systemic inflammation and sex differences. The work is intended to spur a new approach to how we view, study and clinically approach osteoarthritis.
The ultimate goal of Dr. Perruccio's research is improved epidemiological and clinical profiling of osteoarthritis to contribute to enhanced and targeted treatment modalities, prevention strategies, and identification of novel therapeutic targets to reduce the health and economic burden of osteoarthritis pain and disability on individuals and society.
Dr. Jennifer Chung, an aortic surgeon, has been appointed as holder of the Melanie Munk Professorship in Aortic Biomechanical Research within UHN's Peter Munk Cardiac Centre for a five-year term, effective November 1, 2023.
The Melanie Munk Professorship in Aortic Biomechanical Research was established in 2023 thanks to the visionary leadership and generous support of The Peter and Melanie Munk Charitable Foundation to support a clinician investigator within the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Sprott Department of Surgery at UHN who will advance research and improve patient outcomes in aortic disease, with focus on both open and endovascular repair of aneurysms of the aortic root, arch and thoracoabdominal aorta. The academic focus of the chair is aortic disease with a focus on aortic biomechanics.
The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre places a significant emphasis on the importance and value of aortic biomechanics. By comparing the mechanical properties of aneurysmal aortic tissue with normal and dissected aortic tissue, a spectrum of at-risk patients can be identified, which consequently results in greater impact and better patient outcomes.
Dr. Chung studied engineering science at University of Toronto (U of T) and medicine at Queen's University. She then completed her residency in cardiac surgery at McGill University, during which she completed a MSc. studying aortic biomechanics.
Following her completion of a fellowship in advanced aortic surgery at U of T, Dr. Chung joined the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Sprott Department of Surgery in 2018. She is a highly skilled aortic surgeon who chose the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre because the opportunities it afforded were most in line with her goals.
Dr. Chung is one of five female surgeons within the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, the only centre in Canada with that number.
Congratulations to Dr. Chung on this prestigious appointment.
Dr. Gonzalo Sapisochin has been appointed as the holder of the LeGresley Chair in Transplant Oncology at UHN. A joint hospital-university named chair between UHN and the University of Toronto (U of T), it is effective Feb. 1, 2024 for a five-year term.
The LeGresley Chair in Transplant Oncology was established in June 2023 thanks to the generous support of Anne and David LeGresley through The LeGresley Family Foundation. The chair is to be held by a surgeon investigator or surgeon scientist with an appointment to UHN's Ajmera Transplant Centre, UHN's Sprott Department of Surgery and the Division of General Surgery at UHN. The focus of the chair is to advance a comprehensive research program in transplant oncology, with an emphasis on the interface among liver transplantation, liver and biliary cancers and liver metastases.
Dr. Sapisochin is a staff surgeon in the Division of General Surgery within the Sprott Department of Surgery and surgical oncologist at UHN's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. He received his medical diploma in 2005 from the
Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain and went on to complete his general surgery residency training in 2011 at the University Hospital of Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, where he successfully defended his doctoral thesis, “Optimization of Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma," to receive his PhD.
Dr. Sapisochin completed his clinical fellowship in abdominal transplant and HPB surgical oncology with the U of T and was subsequently recruited to Toronto General Hospital within the Ajmera Transplant Centre and Sprott Department of Surgery. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Surgery at U of T.
Dr. Sapisochin's main research interest is the “interface" between liver transplantation and cancer. He has been one of the drivers of the concept of transplant oncology on the world-stage and in 2019 chaired the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS) Consensus Conference in this topic. Earlier this year, he chaired the joint International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) and ILTS consensus conference on liver transplantation for liver cancer.
Dr. Sapisochin has focused his research in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and colorectal liver metastases. He has published more than 200 original manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals such as
Journal of Hepatology,
Hepatology, JAMA Surgery and
Annals of Surgery. He currently leads several clinical trials in patients with hepatobiliary malignancies at UHN.
Congratulations to Dr. Sapisochin and thank you to Anne and David LeGresley and The LeGresley Family Foundation for making this chair possible through their generous gift to UHN Foundation.
