Siblings Dr. Daniel C. Andreae and Patricia Holt Hornsby have extended their rich history of philanthropy at UHN with an eye to the future of surgery. Their most recent gift of $1 million has put cutting-edge robotic surgical technologies into our operating rooms today while enabling education for the leaders of tomorrow.
Together, they established the Dr. Dan Andreae and Patricia Holt Hornsby Robotic Surgery Fund to support UHN’s Sprott Department of Surgery‘s acquisition of three next-generation robotic surgical systems, expanding access to robotic surgery for patients and enhancing UHN’s national and global leadership in robotic surgery.
“Robotic surgical tools are already having an enormous impact,” says Dr. Andreae. “This will only continue to grow as more surgeons and trainees get access to these cutting-edge tools and develop new best practices and techniques. We saw this as an opportunity to provide these tools to the exceptional teams at UHN and to help drive the field of robotic surgery forward.”
Expanding access to enhanced surgical care
“Robotic surgery provides enormous benefits to our patients,” says Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku, an international pioneer in robotic surgery and Head, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Robotic Surgery Program within UHN’s Sprott Department of Surgery, F.G. Pearson – R.J. Ginsberg Chair in Thoracic Surgery and William Coco Chair in Surgical Innovation for Lung Cancer. “In general, patients have faster recoveries, experience less pain, return home sooner and enjoy better overall outcomes. As new techniques are developed that utilize these technologies, surgical robotics will only continue to grow in importance in the years ahead.”
Thanks to this gift, Dr. Yasufuku made history, performing Canada’s first robotic-assisted anatomical lung resection and robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, an important evolution in lung cancer treatment. Many other “firsts” across numerous subspecialties were made possible through Daniel and Patricia’s generous donation, with surgeons in the Divisions of Thoracic Surgery, Urology, Gynocologic Oncology, General Surgery benefitting from these new robotic surgical systems.
Transformative potential for education
In addition to bringing immediate benefits to patients, these surgical robots are bringing new educational opportunities for the surgical leaders of tomorrow. Surgical fellows and trainees at the Michener Institute of Education are benefitting enormously from the opportunity to train with these cutting-edge technologies.
Drs. Allan Okrainec, Director of the Temerty Advanced Surgical Education and Simulation Centre, Director of the Temerty / Chang Telesimulation Centre, and Surgical Lead of the new Toronto Western Hospital Patient Tower and Jason Lee, Surgical Lead of the Robotic Surgery Training Academy at the Michener Institute of Education point to the importance of these systems as UHN works to build one of the world’s leading educational centres in robotic surgery.
“This state-of-the-art equipment means our trainees can learn using the latest technologies and best tools,” says Dr. Lee. “UHN will be the first health care institution in Canada to provide a structured robotic-assisted surgery curriculum, filling an important gap in health care education.”
No one ever changed the world on their own but when the bright minds at UHN work together with donors we can redefine the world of health care together.
