Department of Surgery

Taufik Valiante recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

lanthierj — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 21:58:34 +0000

Taufik Valiante recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/29/2021 - 17:58

Faculty

Connaught Innovation Award

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Department of Surgery

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Taufik Valiante of the department of surgery in the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine has received a Connaught Innovation Award to support his work on a medical device to treat neurological disorders.

“The Connaught Innovation Award will help fund the development and commercial deployment of an implantable medical device which aims to revolutionize the treatment of neurological disorders affecting one billion people worldwide,” says Valiante, a physician and associate professor of neurosurgery.

The device, an adaptive neural implant for modulation and observation (ANIMO) will allow Valiante’s team to implant proprietary machine learning and neuromodulation technology within the nervous system.

“ANIMO is first being deployed to treat epilepsy in canines in North America through an industry collaboration with a leading veterinary hospital in Canada, which is a stepping stone to deploying our technology to treat neurological disorders in humans,” Valiante says. “It’s being commercialized through the foundation of NerveX Neurotechnologies.”

A startup accepted into the University of Toronto Early Stage Technology (UTEST) program, NerveX was recently awarded the 2021 RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (early stage).

A scientist with the Krembil Brain Institute, Valiante is also director, surgical epilepsy program and staff neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital and director, Center for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application (CRANIA).

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Shaf Keshavjee wins Governor General's Innovation Award

lanthierj — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:29:11 +0000

Shaf Keshavjee wins Governor General's Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

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lanthierj Fri, 08/07/2020 - 08:29

Department of Surgery

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(photo courtesy Shaf Keshavjee/UHN)

Dr. Shaf Keshavjee of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine has received the fifth annual Governor General’s Innovation Award – which celebrates transformative innovation that improves the lives of Canadians.

The award recognizes Keshavjee’s development of the Toronto Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) system. The EVLP allows doctors to recondition and repair injured donor lungs, significantly increasing the number of available donor lungs for transplantation. It is used by transplant surgeons around the world to assess donor lung function outside of the body, and determine whether to use a donor lung for transplant – saving the lives of hundreds of patients.

A professor in the department of surgery, Keshavjee was appointed surgeon-in-chief for University Health Network in 2010. He is the director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program and the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories – the largest lung transplant research centre in the world – and has served on the board of directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the Canadian Society of Transplantation and on the Governing Council of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has received the Lister Prize in Surgery among other honours.

Professor Charles Tator receives Order of Hockey

lanthierj — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 13:25:11 +0000

Professor Charles Tator receives Order of Hockey

Research & Innovation

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lanthierj Thu, 02/13/2020 - 08:25

Department of Surgery

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Dr. Charles Tator: "It became clear to me that the only uniformly effective treatment for major injuries is prevention" (photo by Keith Beaty/Getty Images)

For his “significant efforts to combat concussions and reduce spinal cord injuries,” the University of Toronto's Charles Tator is receiving the Order of Hockey.

Former players Ken Dryden and Sheldon Kennedy are also being recognized with the honour.

“This year’s group of honourees has made a tremendous impact on the game, one that extends beyond statistics and on-ice achievements,” Tom Renney, CEO of Hockey Canada, said in a statement. “Ken, Sheldon and Charles have made unique contributions to hockey both on and off the ice, and all three men are equally deserving of this honour."

A professor in the department of surgery, Dr. Tator is a world-renowned expert on concussion and spinal injuries in sports and a long-time advocate for safety in minor hockey in Canada. The director of the Canadian Sports Concussion Project at Toronto Western Hospital, he is also the founder of ThinkFirst Canada, which educates young people about reducing their risk for injury, and a board member of Parachute Canada, an injury-prevention charity. He is a member of the Order of Canada, the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

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Department of Surgery

Taufik Valiante recognized with Connaught Innovation Award

Shaf Keshavjee wins Governor General's Innovation Award

Read more about Keshavjee

Professor Charles Tator receives Order of Hockey

Read the Hockey Canada story