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.