“When a Cavity Isn’t Just a Cavity” For most pulmonologists, the diagnosis of pulmonary aspergilloma is rarely the hard part. The harder question is when — or whether — to bring in a surgeon. Here’s how I think through that threshold. “A Small Ball With Big Implications” Simple vs. Complex: The Distinction That Drives Everything …
When a Chronic Cough Isn’t Just a Cough A thoracic surgeon’s guide to knowing when a lingering cough deserves a closer look We’ve all had “that cough” — the one that lingers after a viral fever, or the one we blame on Delhi’s air quality every winter. Most of the time, it’s nothing more than …
Professional Memberships
Research & Grants
Biography
After receiving a Bachelor of Science in BioEngineering from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lanuti received his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (where he received the I.S. Ravdin Award for excellence in surgery).
He completed his internship and residency in Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a two year research fellowship in a Thoracic Oncology Laboratory focusing on gene therapy for lung cancer. He continued with sub-specialty training, and finished a Cardiothoracic Fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was recruited in 2004 to the staff of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, and holds a parallel appointment as Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
He has been the Friedman-Lambert Scholar in Academic Thoracic Surgery at MGH/HMS since 2004. He is the Director of Thoracic Oncology for the Division of Thoracic Surgery.
Departments
Thoracic Surgery,
Department of Surgery
Secialities
Cancer Center
Transplant Center
Biography
Dr. Shaf Keshavjee is a Thoracic surgeon and Director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program. He is Surgeon-in-Chief, James Wallace McCutcheon Chair in Surgery at University Health Network in Toronto, and Professor Division of Thoracic Surgery and Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Keshavjee completed his medical training at the University of Toronto in 1985. He subsequently trained in General Surgery, Cardiac Surgery and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto followed by fellowship training at Harvard University and the University of London for airway surgery and heart-lung transplantation respectively. He joined the faculty at the University of Toronto in 1994 and was promoted to full professor in 2002. Dr. Keshavjee served as the Chair of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto from 2004 to 2010. He was also the inaugural holder of the Pearson-Ginsberg Chair in Thoracic Surgery.
Biography
Dr. Waddell is the Pearson-Ginsberg Chair, Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Toronto and Head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at University Health Network,including Toronto General Hospital. Dr. Waddell received his MD from the University of Ottawa in 1987, where he received the Gold Medal in Surgery. He completed surgical internship at St. Michael’s Hospital before joining the University of Toronto General Surgery Residency Program. He pursued basic laboratory training for 5 years as part of the Surgical Scientist Program, completing his MSc with Alec Patterson in 1992 and his PhD with Greg Downey in 1995.
He received numerous honours for his research work including the Governor General’s Gold Medal and the Royal College Prize for Resident Research. He completed General Surgery training in 1997 and his Thoracic Surgery fellowship in 1998. Following completion of clinical training he undertook an additional year of laboratory research as a McLaughlin Fellow at Imperial College in London, England. He was appointed as Assistant Professor in 2000, promoted to Associate Professor in 2004, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2010. He has earned numerous distinctions, including the Blalock Scholarship from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, a CIHR New investigator Award, a CFI New Opportunities Fund Award, the George Armstrong Peters Prize in the Department of Surgery, a Wightman-Berris Individual Teaching Award, and was recognized with the R. Fraser Elliott Chair in Transplantation Research in 2005and the Richard and Heather Thomson Chair in Translational Research in2010. In 2011, he received the highest research honour from the University of Toronto Department of Surgery, the Lister Prize.
Biography
Asst Prof John Tam is a Senior Consultant and the Head of Thoracic Surgery at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore. He is also an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Asst Prof Tam is an accomplished thoracic surgeon who performs the full spectrum of thoracic surgery, including diseases in the lung, mediastinum, pleura, chest wall, and diaphragm. Common conditions include lung cancer, mediastinal tumor, pneumothorax, empyema, pleural effusion, chest trauma, chest wall tumor, pectus excavatum.
Asst Prof Tam is specialized in performing minimally invasive keyhole surgery using advanced Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) techniques, and has pioneered new techniques in Uni-Port VATS (UP-VATS) or Single Incision Thoracoscopic Surgery (SITS) to perform lung and chest surgeries. These techniques are well-liked by patients as they gain faster recovery and less pain after surgery.
About
Degree in Medicine and Surgery by the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (1992-1998). Resident at the Thoracic Surgery Unit at Juan Canalejo hospital in La Coruna from 1999 to 2004. Medical doctor in Thoracic Surgery since July 2004, with medical practice at the Thoracic Surgery Unit at Complexo Hospitalario Universitario in Santiago de Compostela until April 2005 and from then in the Thoracic Surgery Unit at Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruna.
About
Steven R. DeMeester, MD, is a professor and clinical scholar in the department of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He has extensive experience in the field of advanced laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery for the treatment of reflux disease, and is an expert in the field of minimally invasive approaches for pulmonary and esophageal surgery. He has published numerous clinical articles and book chapters on thoracic surgery and advanced laparoscopic techniques and has spoken on GERD nationally.
Research Interests
Specialties:
Research & Grants
SWOG Molecular Epidemiology Case-Series Study of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Smoking and Non-Smoking Women and Men. (2006) Review of Anatomic Lung Resection for Environmental Mycobacterial Disease (2006) $72,000 – OSI Pharmacueticals A Multi-center, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo controlled, Phase 3 Study of Single-agent Tarceva (erlotinib) Following Complete Tumor Resection with or without Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Stage IB-IIIA Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma (2007) Outcomes for VATS biopsy patients to diagnose ILD (2007)
Biography
Dr. Mathisen is Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Visiting Surgeon at MGH, and Hermes Grillo Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
He received his MD from University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1974. He was a general surgery resident and cardiothoracic resident at the MGH from July, 1974-December, 1982. He spent 2 years in the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute of Health, Bethesda. He joined the MGH Surgery unit in 1984.
He is a past Director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, past President of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association, past Treasurer, past President of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Councilor of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery. He has published over 350 articles/book chapters.
At MGH he has been Chief of Thoracic Surgery since 1994, Chief of Cardiac Surgery 2007-2011, and Program Director in Cardiothoracic Surgery since 1995. He was a member of the Physicians Organization Executive Committee, Board of Directors and General Executive Committee. He has been Director or Co-Director of the Postgraduate Course in Thoracic Surgery since 1985. Dr. Mathisen received the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in 2014.
Biography
Assistant Professor Ooi Oon Cheong is presently a Consultant Surgeon with the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at National University Heart Centre, Singapore. He is also a Clinical Tutor in the Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Ling School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. In addition, he serves as a Board Member of the Chapter of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.
Dr Ooi Oon Cheong graduated MBBCh from University College Cork, National University of Ireland, in 1995. He then completed his training in General Surgery in Galway, Ireland. He underwent sub-specialty training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the National University Hospital, Singapore with further training at the London Chest Hospital, London, UK, and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA, before returning to Singapore in 2006.
Departments
Thoracic Surgery
Department of Surgery
Specialities
Cancer Center
About
Dr. Jeffrey A. Hagen, MD is Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Director of the General Surgery Residency Program at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He specializes in the field of General Thoracic Surgery, which encompasses benign and malignant diseases of the esophagus, lungs, mediastinum and pleura/chest wall. He has extensive experience in both complex open surgical procedures and in the field of minimally invasive surgery of the chest. The Division of Thoracic Surgery that he leads is nationally and internationally recognized for their experience in esophageal and foregut surgery, contributing hundreds of papers, review articles and book chapters to ourknowledge of the field.
He leads the team of surgeons at the Keck Hospital of USC in the rapidly expanding robotic thoracic surgery program using the Da Vinci system. This approach allows the surgeons to perform resections of the lungs (lobectomy) and tumors of the mediastinum
About
Dr. Oh specializes in general thoracic surgery, which includes benign and malignant diseases of the lung, pleura, esophagus, mediastinum, and chest wall. He has an interest in applying and expanding the role of minimally invasive and robotic technology in the diagnosis and treatment of the conditions afflicting his patients. Recognizing some of the limitations of standard thoracoscopic surgery or VATS (Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery), he currently utilizes robotic technology with the da Vinci system to perform surgery when appropriate. These techniques allow for operations to be performed through small incisions for less pain and a shorter recovery period.
Dr. Oh is also an integral part of the multidisciplinary USC/Norris Lung Cancer Program, one of the few programs in the country where patients with lung cancer can be evaluated simultaneously in one visit by physicians of different specialties, such as thoracic surgery, pulmonary medicine, medical oncology, and radiation oncology. This unique team approach allows patients to benefit from real time multidisciplinary discussion of their care to provide the most advanced and personalized care possible in a streamlined setting.
Biography
Assoc. Chief, Thoracic Surgery and Co-Director, Surgical Intensive Care; NSMC-Salem Hospital Chief, Thoracic Surgery, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Co-Director, Cardiothoracic Transplantation Lab, MGH/HMS Transplantation Biology Research Center
Dr. Allan is certified by both the Am. Board of Surgery and the Am. Board of Thoracic Surgery. He has a full-time faculty appointment at HMS. His clinical interests include the surgical management of benign and malignant diseases of the lungs and esophagus (including lung cancer and esophageal cancer) and palmar hyperhidrosis. Dr. Allan is also the Assoc. Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Co-Director of Surgical Intensive Care at NSMC-Salem Hospital, and the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.
Dr. Allan is an NIH-funded investigator in the area of lung transplantation, and has won numerous grants and awards for his research. His current efforts focus on developing strategies to promote the long-term acceptance of transplanted organs without the need for immunosuppression. He is extensively published in the fields of human physiology, thoracic surgery, and transplantation, with special expertise in the experimental use of large-animal models in cardiothoracic transplantation.
Biography
Dr Wright is a Visiting Surgeon in the Dept of Surgery and a Professor of Surgery at Harvard. He is the Associate Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and the Associate Program Director. He serves as the Chair of Quality for Surgery.
He is Board certified in both Surgery and Thoracic Surgery. Dr Wright is clinically very active and sees new patients weekly. His clinical focus is on thoracic oncology, airway surgery (tracheal surgery) and pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.
Dr Wright serves on several Boards and National Society committees, including the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, as a Director of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and as Chair of the General Thoracic Database.
Dr Wright has been elected to the Castle Connolly “Top Doctor” for the past 10 years and the “Best Doctors” in Boston Magazine for the past 6 years.
Dr Wright also has a keen interest in quality and patient safety in surgery and Chairs the MGH Department of Surgery Quality Assurance committee.
Biography
Dr. Marc de Perrot obtained his Medical Degree and completed his Surgical Residency at the University of Genevain Switzerland. In 2000, he began his Clinical and Research Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto and obtained his Masters degree in the Thoracic Surgery Laboratory in 2002. In 2004, Dr. de Perrot complemented his training by obtaining a Fellowship in Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at Hospital Marie-Lannelongue in Paris, France.
In 2005, he joined the Division ofThoracic Surgery as a staff surgeon and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. In 2009, he was appointed Associate Professor of Surgery based on his research and clinical work. Dr. de Perrot’s surgical expertise focuses on surgery for end-stage lung diseases such as lung and heart-lung transplantation as well as pulmonary endarterectomy for chronic thromboembolicpulmonary hypertension. He is also the Head of the Toronto Mesothelioma Program and is involved in basic science research, new treatment with immunotherapy and combined modality therapy.
Biography
Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Dr. Gaissert served his internship and residency in Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital and his fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
He led the Section of Thoracic Surgery at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital for 5 years before returning to MGH. Dr. Gaissert is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Chest Physicians. His clinical interests are lung cancer, esophageal cancer, tracheal disease and surgical reconstruction of complex swallowing disorders.
Biography
Dr. Andrew Pierre graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1993 and then trained in General Surgery, completing his requirements in 1999. During that time, he spent two years in the thoracic surgical research laboratories, obtaining his Masters degree in the area of lung injury and transplantation under the supervision of Dr. Shaf Keshavjee.
After completing General Surgery, he spent two years in the Thoracic Surgical Training Program at the University of Toronto from 1999-2001. Dr. Pierre spent the following year at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center training in advanced minimally invasive surgical procedures as they apply to the lung, esophagus and mediastinum. Dr. Pierre joined the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Toronto General Hospital in 2002.
Research Interests
Dr. Yasufuku is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto, Staff Thoracic Surgeon at the prestigious Division of Thoracic Surgery at the Toronto General Hospital with special interest in minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutics. He is the Director of the Interventional Thoracic Surgery Program at the University Health Network (UHN), which includes the Interventional Thoracic Surgery Animal Operating Room capable of high-end endoscopic development and the state-of-the-art Interventional Thoracic Surgery Suite at the Toronto General Hospital for clinical application of new developments. He is also the clinical lead of Thoracic Surgery within the Guided Therapeutics (GTx) program at UHN. He also leads the Thoracic Robotic Surgery Program at UHN. He is a Scientist at the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratory, Toronto General Research Institute, UHN.
His work includes development of new technology for early diagnosis and ultra-minimally invasive thoracic surgery, translational research in thoracic image guided therapeutics, nanotechnology-enabled image guided intervention for lung cancer, and molecular profiling of advanced stage lung cancer by minimally invasive procedures.
Biography
A/Prof Agasthian Thirugnanam is a Senior Consultant at the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, National University Hospital.
A/Prof Agasthian received his medical degree (MBBS) and Master’s in Surgery (MMed) from the National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) in 1989 and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1990. He completed General Thoracic Fellowship in Division of General Thoracic Surgery at Mayo Clinic and in Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation in Cleveland Clinic, United States of America. He performs the full range of thoracic procedures and has extensive experience in lung, pleura, esophageal, chest, airway and foregut surgeries.
