faculty

CMHCC Co-Chairs

Laura Dawson MD, FRCPC, FASTRO

Professor, University of Toronto
Radiation Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Toronto, ON

Dr. Laura Dawson is a Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto, and a practicing radiation oncologist at the Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, in Toronto. She is the multi-disciplinary hepatobiliary cancer and pancreatic cancer site lead for the Princess Margaret Cancer Committee. She is an internationally recognized leader in hepatocellular carcinoma and in oligo-metastases stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). She is the principal investigator of two randomized phase III clinical trials investigating the use of radiation therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (RTOG1112 and CCTG HE1).

Rachel Goodwin, MSc, MD, FRCPC

Assistant Professor of Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Ottawa, ON

Dr. Rachel Goodwin graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor of Science and from the University of Guelph with a Masters of Nutritional Science.  She completed medical school and her internal medicine and medical oncology residency at the University of Ottawa.  Dr. Goodwin went on to complete a two-year Investigational New Drug Development Fellowship at NCIC Clinical Trial Group at Queen’s University, with a focus on Phase I/Phase II cancer clinical trials.
She is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.  Her clinical interests include gastrointestinal cancers, neuroendocrine cancers and new drug development.  Dr. Goodwin is an active member of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group where she is New Drug Development Liaison and co-chair for the Colon Disease Site Group.

Brandon Meyers, MSc, MD, FRCPC

Associate Professor, Oncology
McMaster University
Hamilton, ON

Dr. Meyers completed medical school at the University of Ottawa.  He then completed at McMaster University post-graduate training in Internal Medicine, and Medical Oncology followed by a fellowship in Gastrointestinal Malignancies. He is an Associate Professor and staff Medical Oncologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. His gastrointestinal clinical practice primarily focuses on hepatocellular carcinoma.  He recently helped develop the Cancer Care Ontario guidelines on the management of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, and is involved in phase I-III trials examining novel agents for liver cancer.  He also collaborates with basic scientists working with animal models of liver cancer.  He is a member of the Planning Committee of the Canadian Multidisciplinary HCC Conference.

Vincent Tam, MD, FRCPC

Associate Clinical Professor,
University of Calgary
Calgary, AB

Dr. Vincent Tam is Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Calgary and a staff medical oncologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. He specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies and particularly hepatobiliary cancer. His research interests include clinical trials in hepatobiliary cancer and real world outcomes of HCC patients treated with various systemic therapies.

Planning Committee 

Chaya Shwaartz, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Abdominal Transplant & HPB Surgical Oncology
Associate Director, Abdominal Transplant & HPB Fellowship
University Health Network
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON

Dr. Chaya Shwaartz is an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Surgery at UHN and the Department of Surgery. She graduated with her medical degree from Tel-Aviv University, Israel and then completed her general surgery residency at Sheba Medical Center, Israel and Mount Sinai Hospital, NY. She then completed a clinical fellowship year in HPB surgery at Sheba Medical Center. Her fellowship in Abdominal Transplant and HPB surgical oncology was done at U of T, Toronto General Hospital.

Dr. Shwaartz area of clinical expertise is minimally invasive HPB surgery. She is also appointed as the associate to the program director for the Abdominal Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery fellowship at the University of Toronto as one of her main interests is resident and fellow education. Chaya has won several awards in surgical education.

Faculty

Ghassan Abou-Alfa, MD

Professor
Attending Physician
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

Ghassan Abou-Alfa, MD is an attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Professor Abou-Alfa is the immediate previous Chair of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Hepatobiliary Task Force and is a member of the NCI AIDS Malignancy Consortium Steering Committee. He is a member of the International Affairs Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and serves as a member of its Steering Committee.

Professor Abou-Alfa is also the immediate part-President for the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology (ISGIO). Professor Abou-Alfa’s research focuses on incorporating small biological molecules and checkpoint inhibitors into standard cancer therapies for hepatobiliary cancers. He co-authored with Professor Ronald DeMatteo 100 Questions and Answers About Liver Cancer, now coming to its fourth edition, and with his dear wife and colleague Professor Eileen O’Reilly, also a medical oncologist at MSK, 100 Questions and Answers About Biliary Cancer now coming to its third edition.

Daniel Azoulay, MD, PhD

Prof of Surgery
Centre Hépato-Biliaire
Paul Brousse Hosp.
Villejuif, France

Education
PhD:1997, MD:1989, Université de Médecine, Paris, France

Surgical Training
1984-1989: Residency Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris
1989-1999: Fellowship and post-fellowship, HPB center, Brousse Hospital (Villejuif, France)

Staff Appointments:
Since 2021:     Professor of surgery, Centre Hépato-Biliaire, Villejuif, France
2018-2021:      Sabbatical stay at Sheba Hosp., Tel Aviv, Israel
2011-2017: Chief Department of Digestive, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Liver Transplantation Surgery, Hôpital Henri Mondor (University Hospital)
2002-2011:      Professor of Surgery, Centre Hépato-Biliaire, Villejuif, France
1997-2002:      Attending Staff, Centre Hépato-Biliaire, Villejuif, France

Member of Scientific comitee 2020: Living Donor Liver Transplantation Society

Visiting Professor: Surgery Department, University of Missouri, Kansas City, USA

PERSONAL SURGICAL EXPERIENCE

• Liver resections > 2000,
• Pancreatic resections > 500
• Liver transplantations >2000

Robert Grant, MD PhD FRCPC

Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Toronto, ON

Robert Grant MD PhD is a Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre who treats hepatocelllular carcinoma and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. His research applies machine learning to optimize oncological care.

John Kachura, MD, FRCPC

Professor, Vascular Interventional Radiology
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON

Dr. John Kachura completed his diagnostic imaging residency at the University of Toronto in 1994 and fellowship in vascular and interventional radiology at University Hospital and Boston City Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts in 1985.  He is a Professor in Medical Imaging at The University of Toronto and a Staff Radiologist in the Department of Medical Imaging at the Joint Department of Medical Imaging at UHN/Mt. Sinai in Toronto.

Dr. Kachura is the vascular and interventional radiology Fellowship Supervisor at the Joint Department of Medical Imaging in Toronto and has co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Kachura was the President of the Canadian Interventional Radiology Association (CAIR) between 2011 – 2013. His professional and research interests include but are not limited to interventional oncology and obstetrical interventions.

Jennifer Knox, MD, FRCPC

Professor, Dept. of Medicine
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON

Dr. Jennifer Knox is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, working as a staff Medical Oncologist and Researcher since 2001. Dr. Knox is currently the head of Solid Tumour Medical Oncology Group at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto and Co-Director of the McCain Centre for Pancreatic Cancer

Her research interests include multidisciplinary therapeutic and translational trials in pancreas and hepatobiliary cancers.

David Liu, MD, FRCPC, FSIR

Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of British Columbia
Voluntary Professor, Department of Interventional Radiology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami
Vancouver, BC

Michael Lock MD, CCFP, FRCPC, FCFP

Professor, Department of Oncology, Western University
Radiation Oncologist, London Regional Cancer Program
Associate Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute
London, ON

Dr. Michael Lock joined the London Health Science Center in 2002 and has held a variety of positions including the Chief of the Division of Radiation Oncology, Associate Scientist with the Lawson Health Research Institute, the Medical Director of the London Regional Cancer Program, Chair of the Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team, Chair of the Genitourinary Multidisciplinary Team, Chair of the Radiation Oncology Provincial Advisory Committee, and Southwest Regional Radiation Oncology Lead. He has undertaken specialized training with the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. He has received multiple awards including the Human Touch award (recognizes compassionate and holistic aspects of care) and MAC Award (hospital award for administrative success).

Dr. Lock specializes primarily in patients with hepatobiliary, prostate and breast cancer. He has a specialized interest and fellowship training in the use and development of radiobiological-guidance, image-guidance, and arc-based therapy. He works on global projects for organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). This includes medical outreach programs, educational development, and program accreditations in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

Ravi Ramjeesingh, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Associate Professor
Division of Medical Oncology
Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS

Dr. Ramjeesingh joined the Division of Medical Oncology at Dalhousie University in May 2015 as a staff physician and Associate Professor. He completed his M.D/Ph.D in cancer research in 2008 at the University of Toronto. He then subsequently completed his Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology residencies at Queen’s University before completed a clinical trials methodology fellowship at the Canadian Clinical Trials Group (CCTG) in Kingston, Ontario where he also received a CAMO-CIHR fellowship. His main clinical expertise is in the areas of hepatobiliary cancers, and breast cancer. He is currently the chair of the HPB Disease site group in Nova Scotia, the Director of Research in the division of medical oncology and the current Medical Director for the Atlantic Clinical Cancer Research Unit (ACCRU). His research activities and interests are in the fields of Health service delivery, and translational research in Oncology. He has been awarded the Department of Medicine Research Excellent award in 2017 and the DOM Excellence in Medical Education award in 2018.

Trevor Reichman, MD, FRCSC

Dr. Reichman completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center and subsequently performed a fellowship in Abdominal Organ Transplantation and HPB Surgery in Toronto between 2009 and 2011. Following his fellowship, Dr. Reichman moved to the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana were he assumed the role of Co-

Director of Living Donor Liver Transplantation and Pediatric Liver Transplantation.  He also started and was the Co-Director of the abdominal transplant fellowship at Ochsner.  After 5 years, he relocated to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia where he was the Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation and the Director of Pediatric Liver Transplantation.   He returned to the Division of General Surgery and the UHN Transplant Program at TGH in 2019.  He is the Surgical Director of the Pancreas Transplant and Islet Cell Programs and will also directs the surgical fellowships for abdominal transplantation and HPB surgical oncology at the University of Toronto.  His research interests include organ preservation , ex-vivo organ perfusion, and malignancies of the liver and pancreas.

Anand Swaminath MD FRCP(C)

Associate Professor, Department of Oncology, McMaster University
Scientist, Escarpment Cancer Research Institute
OARO Clinician Scientist and Radiation Oncologist
Juravinski Cancer Centre

Dr. Swaminath is an Associate Professor, Clinician Scientist and Radiation Oncologist at the Juravinski
Cancer Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton.
He received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa, finished residency training at McMaster
University, and completed a clinical-research fellowship in image-guided radiotherapy/SBRT for lung
and liver cancer at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
His clinical and research interests are in the application of new technologies in radiation therapy,
specifically SBRT for a wide variety of indications including lung, kidney, and liver cancer, both for
symptom control and in the management of metastatic disease.
Dr. Swaminath is a PI or radiation lead on several local, national, and international trials evaluating SBRT
in both the primary and metastatic setting. Some trial highlights include the lead on the Canadian
LUSTRE randomized lung SBRT trial, and radiation lead on the CYTOSHRINK and RADSTER trials in
kidney cancer, and ADVANCE trial for HCC. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer
reviewed publications and book chapters, and has obtained several large-scale grants through CIHR and
CCSRI for trials that both locally and nationally involve the evaluation of SBRT in the primary and
metastatic setting