Christopher MKL Yao, MD, FRCSC

Dr. Christopher Yao graduated from the University of Toronto medical school and completed his residency within the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. He then went on to complete a prestigious two-year fellowship in Advanced Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Texas with Drs. Randal Weber, Erich Sturgis, Peirong Yu, and Matthew Hanasono amongst many others. He then moved to Philadelphia where he worked with Dr. Drew Ridge, one of the foremost head and neck surgeons at Fox Chase Cancer Center before being recruited back to the University Health Network.

Dr. Yao has surgical expertise in Head & Neck Surgery, Reconstructive Microsurgery, Transoral Robotic Surgery, Sentinel Node, and has advanced American Head and Neck Surgery certification in Transoral Robotic surgery. Dr. Yao’s clinical focus and passion is in caring for patients with mucosal malignancies such as oral, oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancers, salivary gland tumors, thyroid and parathyroid disease and advanced skin malignancies including melanoma. His philosophy is that each patient is unique, and approaches treatment of head and neck cancers in a multidisciplinary team approach.

Dr. Yao’s academic focus will be in clinical trials and the application of AI in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Head and Neck Reconstruction. He is an active member of the American Head and Neck Society and is a regular reviewer for the following journals: JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Head and Neck, and Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

Sharon Tzelnick, MD, MPH

Research Interests
Clinical Trials, Head and Neck Oncology, Head & Neck Reconstruction, Microvascular and Free Tissue Transfer, Outcomes Research, Patient Satisfaction, Quality and Patient Safety, Quality of Life, Reconstructive Surgery

Clinical Interests
Clinical Research, Endocrine Surgery, Facial Nerve Paralysis, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Head & Neck Surgery, Head and Neck Oncology, Head and Neck Reconstruction, Melanoma, Microvascular Reconstruction, Parathyroid Disorders, Salivary Gland Disease, Scar Revision, Skin Cancer Surgery, Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Surgery, Upper Airway Disorders

John A Rutka, MD, FRCSC

Dr. John Rutka graduated from Queens’ University in Medicine. He completed his ENT residency training at the University of Toronto. He then underwent subspecialty fellowship training in Otology/Neurotology at Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto, and at Addenbrook’s Hospital, Cambridge, U.K. Upon returning to Toronto, he was awarded the Sir William Osler Scholarship from the Canadian Medical Association. Since 1986, Dr. Rutka has been on staff at the University of Toronto, UHN where he has an active interest in otological/neurotological medicine and surgery. Dr. Rutka has been a Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto since 2007.

Dr. Rutka’s clinical practice focuses on disorders of inner ear dysfunction. His chief research interests have been in the field of surgical management of benign positional vertigo, multidisciplinary evaluation of the dizzy patient, topical and systemic ototoxicity, conservative management of vestibular schwannomas, critical appraisal of treatment for Meniere’s disease, time trends in chronic ear disease, and post-traumatic dizziness. His scholarly work and creative professional activities demonstrate over 115 peer-reviewed publications, 8 textbooks and self-instructional packages (including a textbook in the Thai language), 20 book chapters, and 23 supplements. Dr. Rutka has been invited as a national and international speaker to over 125 meetings.

Dr. Rutka provides tertiary consultation care on his monthly visits to a special neurotology outreach clinic in Niagara Falls and takes part in the Underserviced Areas Program care where he regularly helps the Northern Ontario communities of Sioux Lookout and Dryden. He also has close working relationships with the Chulalongkorn University and the Rural Ear Nose and Throat Foundation in Thailand where Dr. Rutka and his team provide ear care to remote communities in Thailand and contiguous countries in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Rutka is the Assistant Director of the UHN Centre for Advanced Hearing and Balance Testing, and the Hertz Multidisciplinary Neurotology Clinic. He is the Chief Consultant for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) for the province of Ontario. He provides consultation services for the St. Michael’s Hospital Ambulatory Head Injury Clinic. For 20 years, he had been the chief mentor for the Thomas Wickham Jones Foundation Fellowship (U.K.) and currently is the chief mentor for the Peter and Melanie Munk Foundation Fellowship in Otology/Neurotology. He has trained over 50 fellows (both in Canada and internationally) and continues to teach medical and undergraduate trainees at the University of Toronto.

Jonathan Crawford Irish, MD, FRCSC, FACS, MSc

Dr. Jonathan Irish graduated with his M.D. degree from the University of Toronto. He then completed residency training at the University of California in Los Angeles and the University of Toronto. He completed his Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology at the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto where he studied the molecular biological characteristics of head and neck cancers. Dr. Irish completed the American Head and Neck Society Fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, and joined Toronto General Hospital and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in 1992.

Dr. Irish is currently a Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and the Head of the Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery Division at the University of Toronto. He is a head and neck surgical oncologist and reconstructive surgeon with particular expertise and interest in oral cancer, melanoma and skin cancer, thyroid cancer as well as salivary gland tumors and malignancies.

Dr. Irish served as the Chief of the Department of Surgical Oncology at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre from 2000 to 2016. Since 2004, he has been a major health policy advisor and responsible for access to care, quality improvement, and health care funding for the Surgical Oncology Program at Cancer Care Ontario. In 2004, he became the Clinical Lead for Access to Care and Strategic Funding Initiatives for the Surgical Oncology Program at Cancer Care Ontario and is responsible for the Cancer Surgery Wait Times portfolio. He was the Provincial Clinical Lead for Access to Services and Wait Times for the province of Ontario from 2008-2012. In 2008, Dr. Irish was appointed as the Provincial Head of the Surgical Oncology Program at Cancer Care Ontario where he has provided leadership and oversight linking volume funding to quality improvement.

Dr. Irish has served as the President of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) for 2017-2018. He is a double recipient of the American Head and Neck Society Presidential Citation with distinction. This is the highest honour bestowed by the AHNS recognizing contributions to the field of head and neck surgery in research, innovation, leadership, and education. He is a recipient of the Honorary Membership Award with distinction from the Israeli Society of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, and the Honour Award with distinction from the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery for his long-term contributions to otolaryngology – head and neck surgery in Canada. Dr. Irish has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Toronto, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery as one “who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the practice and teaching of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and whose professional and ethical standards have been of the highest order.”

As the Kevin and Sandra Sullivan Chair in Surgical Oncology at the University of Toronto, Dr. Irish leads a multidisciplinary program in Guided Therapeutics at UHN and is currently leading the Guided Therapeutics Core, and is the Director of Clinical Faculty for the Techna Institute at UHN. In that capacity, he leads a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, engineers, physicists, and nanoparticle biochemists in the development of novel nanomedicine-based contrast agents, which, in combination with near real-time navigation and tracking systems, can create innovative solutions for minimal-access surgical approaches in cancer therapy. In 2017, he and his co-investigators were awarded a $6.6M grant from The Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grant for “Porphysome nanoparticle-enabled image-guided cancer interventions.” His other research interests are in population-based outcomes in head and neck cancer, utilization of molecular biological techniques for prediction of clinical outcomes, and quality-of-life in head and neck cancer.

Patrick J Gullane, MB BCh, FACS, FRCSC

Dr. Patrick Gullane received his medical degree from the National University of Ireland (Galway). He was selected as the McLaughlin Fellow and then pursued advanced fellowship training in Head and Neck Oncology in Pittsburgh, and New York.

Dr. Gullane’s clinical focus is in major ablative head and neck surgery, and endocrine surgery. His research interests include the head and neck oncology, and head and neck reconstruction.

In 1978, Dr. Gullane was appointed to the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He was subsequently recruited to the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. He currently holds the Wharton Chair in Head and Neck Surgery at UHN and the University of Toronto. In 1989, he was appointed as the Otolaryngologist-in-Chief at UHN and in 2002 – as Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. In 2012, he concluded his twenty-four-year period as the Otolaryngologist-in-Chief at UHN and his second and final term as Chair at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Gullane is a member of numerous national and international Surgical Societies and has been invited as a Visiting Professor to over 85 countries lecturing on all aspects of Head and Neck Oncology, and has delivered over 835 invited and keynote presentations worldwide. He received the 2007 Medtronic Alumni Award from the National University of Ireland (Galway) for contributions to Health Care and Medical Science. He was one of the six International Faculty leaders who conducted the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS) Head and Neck World Tour Program in 2008. Dr. Gullane has published 357 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 95 chapters in textbooks. In addition, he has published 10 books on various aspects of Head and Neck Surgery. His textbook Head & Neck Surgery and Oncology was awarded the George Davey Howells Prize from the University of London, cited as the best published book in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in the preceding five years. Currently, Dr. Gullane is a member of the Editorial Board of 10 Journals.

Dr. Gullane has served as the President of the American Head & Neck Society, The North American Skull Base Society, President of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and, Vice President of the Triological Society. In recognition of his distinguished achievements, Dr. Gullane was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2006, Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2010, and an Honorary Fellowship in the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in 2012. He was elected to Fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2011 and in 2010 was appointed as a Member to the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada, cited for his inspiration of young surgeons and his contributions to the field of Head and Neck Surgery. In 2014, in recognition of his outstanding contributions an endowed Chair was named in his honour at UHN, the University of the Toronto. In February 2015, Dr. Gullane was appointed as a Member to the Order of Ontario by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario for his achievements in the field of Head and Neck Surgery. Finally, he has facilitated the establishment of four University-Hospital Chairs: Head & Neck Surgery, Reconstruction, Radiation Oncology, and Basic Science, from private funding donations in excess of $15.5 M., with continual funding up to the present time.

David Paul Goldstein, MD, FRCSC, MSc

Dr David Goldstein completed his residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. Following residency he completed a 1-year American Head and Neck Society Advanced Training in Oncologic Head and Neck Surgery and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Iowa. Subsequently he completed a two year clinical and research fellowship in head and neck oncology at the University Health Network, University of Toronto followed by a Master’s Degree in clinical epidemiology at the University of Toronto. Dr Goldstein is currently a surgeon-investigator at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network in Toronto and an Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. He is the Wharton Chair in Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Goldstein treats most malignant and benign tumours of the head and neck with a particular clinical focus in thyroid and paraythyroid disease, melanoma and advanced skin malignancies of the head and neck and reconstructive microvascular surgery. His research focus is in clinical outcomes studies and clinical trials. . He is involved in several local, national, and international committees and organizations in the areas of head and neck surgery. He has peer-reviewed funding from national and local sources.

Ralph W Gilbert, MD, FRCSC

Dr Ralph Gilbert is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and completed his postgraduate training in Otolaryngology/H&N Surgery at the University of Toronto. Dr Gilbert completed two advanced training fellowships in Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto and Reconstructive Microsurgery at the University of Linkoping in Sweden.

Dr Gilbert currently serves as the Head of the Department of Otolaryngology/H&N Surgery and the Gullane/O’Neil Chair in Otolaryngology/H&N Surgery at the University Health Network and is a Full Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology/H&N Surgery at the University of Toronto. Dr Gilbert has previously served in a number of administrative and leadership roles including, the Head of Surgical Oncology at The Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto, Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at the University Health Network and President of The International Academy of Oral Oncology.

Dr. Gilbert has had a longstanding interest in the use and development of reconstructive techniques for patients treated for H&N Cancer. His practice is focused on the management of patients with H&N Cancer and has a particular expertise in complex reconstruction of the upper and lower jaws and the voice-box and airway. Dr Gilbert is an established International Expert in the use of Reconstructive Microsurgery for complex H&N Reconstruction

Dr Gilbert’s research interest is focused on the development and evaluation of H&N reconstructive procedures to restore and maintain function. In addition, he has published extensively on the evaluation of different treatment approaches for H&N Cancer of all sites.

Dale H Brown, MB BCh, BM BCh, FRCSC

Dr. Dale Brown completed his medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, followed by residency at the University of Western Ontario. He then went on to complete two fellowships: in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, England, and in Head & Neck Surgical Oncology and Cancer Research at the Free University Hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Dr. Brown’s clinical work focuses on the head and neck surgical oncology, including laser and airway surgery. His clinical research is in head and neck cancer, and laser surgery of the head and neck, specifically hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and Arteriovenous (AV) malformations.

Dr. Brown is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto and a member of the Cancer Clinical Research Unit at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. From 1988 to 2006, Dr. Brown served as the Head of Otolaryngology at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He was the President of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery for 2011. Dr. Brown also served on the Executive Council of the International Federation of ORL Societies (IFOS) between 2002 and 2010.

John de Almeida, MD, FRCSC, MSc

Dr. John de Almeida completed his residency in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto. He then went on to complete two advanced training fellowships. He trained in Head and Neck Oncologic and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where he also received training in Transoral Robotic Surgery. He then completed his second fellowship in Cranial Base Surgery with exposure to both open and endoscopic techniques at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania, U.S.

Dr. de Almeida has a clinical focus in head and neck surgery for both malignant and benign tumours. He manages cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx, nasopharyx, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, parotid gland, and advanced skin cancer. He has expertise in both ablative and microvascular reconstructive surgical techniques. Dr. de Almeida has special expertise in treating oropharyngeal tumours with transoral robotic surgery and managing disease of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses with endoscopic cranial base techniques.

Dr. de Almeida’s research focuses on clinical trials, health technology assessment and cost-effectiveness research, as well as outcomes research and quality of life. He has a Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology and has appointments at the Institute for Health Policy Management and Evaluation and the Techna Institute at UHN where he actively participates in research. Dr. de Almeida is the Head of Research at the Division of Head and Neck Oncologic and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Toronto. He is the co-coordinator of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Journal Club at the University of Toronto. He is involved in several local, national, and international committees and organizations in the areas of head and neck surgery, skull base surgery, and value-based care. He is either actively or was in the past a member of research committees at the American Head and Neck Society, and the North American Skull Base Society. He is a member of the Value-based Care Committee for the North American Skull Base Society and the Cost, Quality and Outcomes Committee at UHN.

He is the Principal Investigator for a clinical trial that investigates the role of transoral robotic surgery in the diagnosis and management of unknown primary cancers as well as a multi-institutional quality-of-life study for skull base surgery. He is actively involved in trials through the Cancer Clinical Research Unit of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, as well as the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and other international collaborative trials groups. He has a number of ongoing research studies in cost-effectiveness research investigating the role of various surgical, and head and neck cancer-related technologies.

He has peer-reviewed funding from national and provincial sources (e.g. the Alternate Funding Innovation Fund) to support his research as a well as a number of local grants such as the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Surgical Oncology Innovation Fund.

Dr. de Almeida has received a number of awards for teaching, research, and clinical activity. He has multiple Teacher of the Year awards from the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto, Icahn School of Medicine as well as the Wightman-Berris Academy at the University of Toronto. He is the recipient of the Poliquin Resident Research Award from the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology; the joint Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CSCI/CIHR) Research Award; the Physician Services Incorporated Research Award; and the Percy Ireland Day Resident Research Award for best overall paper. In addition, he has mentored numerous students who have received prestigious research awards such as the American Head and Neck Society Byers Award and the Best Paper at the Percy Ireland Annual Research Day.