Thanks to the help of the Wise Family Foundation, UHN has shown again that never been done is what we do. Through a $2 million gift, the Wise Family Chair in Colorectal Surgical Innovation – the first Chair of its kind in Canada – was established at the Sprott Department of Surgery in July 2023.
In November 2023, venerated surgeon and clinician-scientist Dr. Sami Chadi was announced as Chairholder for a five-year term.
“I am very grateful to the Wise Family Foundation for this prestigious opportunity,” says Dr. Chadi. “This unique Chair will provide invaluable support to the Colorectal Cancer Program at the Sprott Department of Surgery by advancing surgical innovation, and also ensure the expansion of educational initiatives that will further improve the patient experience.”
National leaders
Home to Dr. Chadi and other national leaders in surgical education, the Colorectal Cancer Program at the Sprott Department of Surgery offers the most diverse options of colorectal surgical approaches in the country and treats the most complex patients – resulting in some of the best surgical outcomes in North America.
Upcoming objectives of the colorectal team include providing learning opportunities for other gastrointestinal surgeons, and further establishing its research program through innovations in gastrointestinal surgery.
Dr. Sami Chadi
Dr. Sami Chadi is the Section Head of Colorectal Surgery in the Division of General Surgery at UHN. He is also an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and the Lead for Luminal Gastrointestinal malignancies for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Along with enhancing the patient surgical experience, his research interests include optimizing the schedule of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies in colon and rectal cancer. While neoadjuvant chemotherapy is delivered before surgery in order to shrink tumours or stop the spread of cancer – thus making surgery less invasive and more effective – adjuvant chemotherapy is administered after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells and reduce the chance of recurrence.
Dr. Chadi and his team have recently initiated a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal Oncology with a focus on robotic abdominal and natural orifice techniques. He is also the Program Chair of the Canadian Colorectal and Surgical Oncology Symposium (COLOSOS).
Invested in the future
Supporting excellence in the community through investments in patient care, leading research and education, the Wise Family Foundation – overseen by Directors Steven Wise and Susan Zikman Wise – continue to work tirelessly towards bettering the future of children, youth and their families.
Impressed by the dedication, surgical acumen, and exciting developments at the Sprott Department of Surgery, their support of colorectal surgery at UHN now promises to propel our understanding and better outcomes for benign and oncologic patients.
“We are honoured to have the opportunity to help UHN researchers develop and practice surgical strategies to save lives and continue to be prepared for any patient in need,” says Susan Zikman Wise. “We are also thrilled with the appointment of Dr. Chadi, and the potential to properly mobilize and respond to the needs of patients requiring colorectal surgery, while furthering education, the patient experience and surgical approaches.”
