Thoracic Surgery

Education

Our goal has been to excel in patient care, education and research. We strive to provide exemplary patient care of such a caliber to meet and exceed the needs of our community. Our goal includes our intent to practice contemporary evidence based thoracic surgery. We endeavor to develop a thoracic residency program rich in its breadth and depth, attracting the best graduates from around the world to join the program as trainees. We seek to make a meaningful contribution to the understanding of thoracic diseases and its treatment, both benign and malignant, through participation in and leading research activities.

Our postgraduate training program in thoracic surgery began in 2000 under the leadership of Dr. John Miller. Since then, the division has grown into one of the premiere training programs recognized by the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. We are one of eight centres in Canada qualified to train thoracic surgeons to practice thoracic surgery in Canada.

Research

Our clinical program serves southwest Ontario, an area with a population of 1.8 million. The thoracic division is a regional program situated at St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton campus. At full capacity, we are four active thoracic surgeons. More than 700 major thoracic cases and 900 endoscopies are performed each year. St. Joseph’s is one of the largest single institutions practicing tertiary thoracic surgery in the country. The program is supported by high-quality chest radiology and chest pathology. We enjoy a strong relationship with our respirology colleagues at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health.

Clinical

The division is productive academically and holds several hundred thousand dollars in both peer-review and industry research funding. It is also involved in research for both benign and malignant thoracic disease. Our division has played a central role in the Canadian lung reduction surgery trial, as well as the development bronchial thermoplasty for asthma. Our current research interests focus around surgical reporting, information collection, quality improvement, perioperative complications and resident education. We are a member of several inter-group studies and continue to contribute to these trials.