The 24th Annual Toronto Perioperative Echo Symposium will be held on Saturday & Sunday September 20-21, 2025.
Virtual Symposium | Saturday & Sunday | September 20-21, 2025
Registration
Registration opening April 2025.
REGISTRATION
REGISTRATION FEES
Early bird registration fee before August 1, 2025:
Physicians*: $450 CAD (includes tax)
Fellows: $125 CAD (includes tax)
Regular fee after August 1st, 2025:
Physicians*: $550 CAD (includes tax)
Fellows: $150 CAD (includes tax)
*Physicians from low to high Human Development Index (HDI) countries qualify for a discounted registration fee, which will be applied at checkout.
Registrants will receive the link to the virtual symposium 1 month prior to the event.
Registration
Registration opening April 2025.
OBJECTIVES:
- Describe the expanding scope of perioperative echo, including the range of modalities and new areas of application
- Illustrate the application of TEE and POCUS to address critical point-of-care decisions in a variety of acute-care situations & settings
- Review recent updates on the current guidelines related to the application of perioperative echocardiography in different clinical settings
- Critically discuss factors limiting translation of echocardiography into improved patient outcomes, and outline strategies for addressing these challenges
Program
Day 1:
- EACTAIC – Aortic Valve
- Aortic Valve repair – the surgeon’s perspective, (TBA)
- Aortic Valve repair TEE, Oana Cole
- TEE quantification of AS (Including 3D and Low Flow Low Gradient), Johan Bence
- TEE Assessment of AV Prosthesis, Stefaan Bouchez
- TEE for Basilica Procedure, F Guarracino
- Toronto – Mitral Valve
- Classical mitral valve repair techniques – David and Omran
- Emerging and minimally invasive techniques – Piroze and Salvatori
- UCLA – Adult Congenital Heart Disease
- Common post-surgical ECHO findings in ACHD patients. Speaker: Dr. Jeannette Lin, cardiologist
- ECHO support for Structural Heart Disease Intervention in ACHD patients. Speaker: Dr. Gentian Lluri cardiologist
- ECHOing the unexpected and undiagnosed ACHD patient. Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Williams, anesthesiologist
Day 2
South America and South Africa – Infectious disease in developing nations (TBA)
- Chagas Disease – Carlos Galhardo
- Endocarditis – Felipe Munoz
- HIV and TB – Blanche Cupido (South Africa)
Boston – Mechanical Circulatory Support
- TEE Guided Decision Making for LVAD Implantation (TBA) – Aidan Sharkey
- ECHO guidance for temporary MCS (TBA) – Mark Robitaille
- The ECMO Alphabet Soup (TBA) – Maurizio Bottiroli
- MCS Case Review (TBA) – Megan Krajewski
Montreal – Structural Heart Disease
- TEE and triclip, Patrick Garceau cardiologist
- Introduction to ICE for structural heart disease, Reda Ibrahim cardiologist
- Challenging mitral clip cases, Marco Julien anesthesioogist
- New development in educational tools to teach TEE, André Denault anesthesiologist
Additional program details coming soon.
PROGRAM:
Day 1: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Session 1: Advancements in Aortic Valve Assessment, Replacement and Repair
Curator: Dr. Massimiliano Meineri, Co-Chair Department of Anesthesia, Herzzentrum Leipzig, Germany for the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (EACTAIC).
Moderator: Dr. Jacobo Moreno, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada.
09:00 – 09:20 : Aortic Valve Repair – The Surgeon’s Perspective. Mr. David Zicho, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, England, UK.
09:20 – 09:40 : TEE for Aortic Valve Repair. Dr. Oana Cole, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, England, UK.
09:40 – 10:00 : TEE Quantification of AS (Including 3D and Low Flow-Low Gradient). Dr. Johan Bence, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, England, UK.
10:00 – 10:20 : TEE Assessment of the Prosthetic Aortic Valve. Dr. Stefaan Bouchez, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, OLV Hospital, Aalst, Belgium.
10:20 – 10:40 : TEE for the BASILICA (Bioprosthetic or Native Aortic Scallop Intentional Laceration to Prevent Iatrogenic Coronary Artery Obstruction) Procedure During TAVR. Dr. Fabio Guarracino, , Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria in Pisa, Italy.
10:40 – 11:10 : Session Q+A
11:10 – 11:30 Morning Break
Session 2: Mitral Valve Repair: Classic Techniques and Emerging Technologies
Curators: Drs. Marcin Wasowicz and Marcus Salvatori, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologists, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Moderator: Dr. Annette Vegas, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
11:30 – 12:15 : Classic Mitral Valve Repair Techniques: Integrating TEE into the Surgical Plan. Dr. Tirone David, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Dr. Ahmad Omran, Consultant Cardiologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
12:15 – 13:00 : Emerging and Minimally Invasive Techniques for Mitral Valve Repair. Dr. Piroze Davierwala, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Dr. Marcus Salvatori, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
13:00 – 13:30 : Session Q+A
13:30 – 14:30 : Lunch Break
14:30 – 14:40 : TPES Award
Session 3: TEE for Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Curator: Dr. Tiffany Williams, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA.
Moderator: Dr. Rafa Alonso, Consultant Cardiologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
14:40 – 15:00 : Common Post-surgical Findings in ACHD Patients. Dr. Jeannette Lin, Consultant Cardiologist, Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Centre, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA.
15:00 – 15:20 : Echo Support for Structural Heart Disease Intervention in ACHD Patients. Dr. Gentian Liuri, Consultant Cardiologist, Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Centre, Los Angeles, USA.
15:20 – 15:40 : Echoing the Unexpected and Undiagnosed ACHD Patient. Dr. Tiffany Williams, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA.
15:40 – 16:00 : Session Q+A
16:00 : Wrap Up and Adjournment
Day 2: Sunday, September 21, 2025
Session 4: TEE for Infectious Diseases in Developing Nations
Curators: Dr. Elmari Neethling, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Kelowna General Hospital, Kelowna, Canada and Dr. Marcin Wasowicz, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Moderator: Dr. Elmari Neethling, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Kelowna General Hospital, Kelowna, Canada.
09:00 – 09:20 : Chagas Disease. Dr. Carlos Galhardo Jr., Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Canada.
09:20 – 09:40 : Endocarditis. Dr. Felipe Munoz-Leyva, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Colombia.
09:40 – 10:00 : HIV and TB. Dr. Blanche Cupido, Consultant Cardiologist, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
10:00 – 10:20 : Rheumatic Heart Disease. Dr. Adri Vorster, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Groote Schuur Hospital, Capetown, South Africa.
1020 – 1050 : Session Q+A
10:50 – 11:00 : Morning Break
Session 5: TEE for Mechanical Circulatory Support
Curators: Dr. Aidan Sharkey, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard, Boston.
Moderator: Dr. Azad Mashari, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network.
11:00 – 11:20 : TEE Guided Decision Making for LVAD Implantation. Dr. Aidan Sharkey, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard, Boston.
11:20 – 11:40 : Echo Guidance for Temporary MCS. Dr. Mark Robitaille, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard, Boston.
11:40 – 12:00 : The ECMO Alphabet Soup. Dr. Maurizio Bottiroli, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard, Boston.
12:00 – 12:20 : Challenging MCS Cases. Dr. Megan Krajewski, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard, Boston.
12:20 – 12:50 : Session Q+A
12:50 – 14:00 : Lunch Break
Session 6: Structural Heart Disease
Curators: Dr. Andre Denault, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
Moderator: Dr. Wendy Tsang, Consultant Cardiologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
14:00 – 14:20 : TEE and TriClip for Tricuspid Regurgitation. Dr. Patrick Garceau, Consultant Cardiologist, Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
14:20 – 14:40 : Introduction to Intracardiac Echo (ICE) for Structural Heart Disease. Dr. Reda Ibrahim, Consultant Cardiologist, Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
14:40 – 15:00 : Challenging MitraClip Cases. Dr. Marco Julien, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
15:00 – 15:20 : New Developments in Educational Tools to Teach TEE. Dr. André Denault, Consultant Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
15:20 – 15:50 : Session Q+A
15:50 – 16:00 : Closing Comments and Adjournment
FACULTY:
Dr. Johan Bence
Short Biography Piroze Davierwala
Consultant Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiologist – Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust – Leicester, UK
Honorary Associate Professor – University of Leicester, Faculty of Life Sciences.
Vice Chairman Clinical Senate – University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
UK Representative – EACTAIC Representative Council
Co-Chair – EACTAIC Echocardiography Subcommittee.
Member of Joint EACVI/ESC/EACTAIC Echocardiography Certification Committee
Elected member EACTAIC Nominations Committee
Member EACTAIC Thoracic Committee
Member ACTACC Echocardiography Committee
Interests – Cardiac and Thoracic Anaesthesia, Echocardiography, Structural Interventional Anaesthesia and Imaging, Adult Congenital Cardiac Anaesthesia, Teaching.
Hobbies – Flying, Flying Classical Aircraft, Rugby, Cricket, Running and Cycling
Dr. Maurizio Bottiroli
Short Biography Dr. Maurizio Bottiroli, MD
Cardiac Anesthesiologist & Cardiac Intensivist – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Assistant Professor for Anesthesia – Harvard Medical School
Dr. Maurizio Bottiroli is a cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. His expertise lies in perioperative cardiac anesthesia, mechanical circulatory support, and the management of critically ill cardiovascular patients. His research focuses on cardiocirculatory shock and respiratory failure. Dr. Bottiroli is an active peer reviewer for multiple high-impact medical journals, including The British Medical Journal, International Journal of Cardiology, ESC Heart Failure, and Journal of Clinical Medicine. His academic contributions extend to interdisciplinary collaborations, educational initiatives, and clinical innovation.
Dr. Bouchez
Short Biography Dr. Bouchez
Dr Bouchez is a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and the program director of the EACTAIC fellowship training center in OLV Aalst.
He’s board certified in echocardiography (FASE) and a respected educator in the field of cardiothoracic anesthesiology and perioperative echocardiography (POCUS and TEE).
He’s also an active member of the EACTAIC/EACVI TEE Exam Committee, EACTAIC educational Committee, EACTAIC echo Committee and EACTAIC LVAD/Transplant Committee. His main interest goes to the perioperative management of patients with heart failure and mechanical support.
Other fields of research include perioperative processed EEG and cardiac electrophysiology including experimental animal research using Langendorff heart preparations for research on arrhythmias.
Dr. Blanche Cupido
Short Biography Dr. Blanche Cupido
Professor Blanche Cupido is a consultant adult interventional cardiologist who has a special interest in congenital heart disease, cardiac imaging and valvular heart disease.
She completed her undergraduate medical degree at UCT in 2001 and subsequently specialized in internal medicine (2009) and cardiology (2013). In 2016, she did a fellowship in Adult Congenital Heart Disease in Leeds, UK and Certificate in Advanced Heart Failure Management from the University of Zurich and the ESC Academy.
She currently works at Groote Schuur Hospital and UCT Private Academic Hospital as the Head of Echocardiography and the Clinical Lead for Adult Congenital Heart Disease. In 2020, she was elected as one of the Inaugural winners of the Women as One Escalator award. She is a Fellow to the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow to the European Society of Cardiology.
Prof Cupido is involved with education at undergraduate, postgraduate, regional, national and international level and has previously been elected as a TAU (Teaching Advancements in Universities) Fellow in South Africa. She serves on the executive board the International Society of Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ISACHD), has been appointed as the Associate Editor- in-Chief for the CHiP (Congenital Heart International Professionals) Network and serves on the editorial board of the SA Heart Journal and the regional editorial board of the European Heart Journal: Imaging Methods and Practice. She is also the past-president of the South African Heart Association (SA Heart).
Dr. Tirone David
Short Biography Dr. Tirone David
Cardiac Surgery
M.D., F.R.C.S.C
Doctor Tirone E. David is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and the holder of the Melanie Munk Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Doctor David has published 365 scientific papers, 35 chapters in medical textbooks as well as 4 surgical textbooks. He has developed numerous operative procedures to treat patients with heart valve disease, complications of myocardial infarction, and thoracic aneurysms. One of these procedures is known as “David operation”. He has been a member of the editorial board of several medical journals. Doctor David is a member of numerous surgical and medical societies and is honorary member of the European Cardio-Thoracic Association, the Brazilian Cardiovascular Society, Italian Society for Cardiac Surgery, Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular, Society of Cardiac Surgeons, and Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery. He was elected honorary member of the Brazilian National Academy of Medicine in 2013. He was President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in 2004-2005 and the recipient of its Scientific Achievement Award in 2016. He received the Order of Ontario in 1993 and the Order of Canada in 1996, the highest honor given to civilians in Canada. He was elected University Professor in 2004, the highest honor the University of Toronto bestows to its professors.
Clinical Interests:
Heart valve surgery; thoracic aortic surgery.
Research Interests:
Clinical outcomes of various operative procedures and clinical trials.
Dr. Piroze Davierwala
Short Biography Dr. Piroze Davierwala
Associate Professor | Surgeon-Investigator
Cardiac Surgery
Dr. Piroze Davierwala has been appointed in the Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiac Surgery as an Associate Professor and Surgeon-Investigator at Toronto General Hospital, UHN. Piroze completed his medical degree and did his General Surgery residency at the University of Pune, India. He then did his Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery residency at the University of Mumbai followed by a 3 year clinical fellowship at the University of Toronto. Piroze is interested in the entire spectrum of minimally invasive surgical procedures including mitral, tricuspid and aortic valve repairs, coronary artery bypass and aortic surgery. He pioneered the development and establishment of the technique of multi-vessel total arterial minimally invasive coronary surgery with the use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries at the institute.
Dr. André Denault
Short Biography André Denault
MD PhD FRCPC FASE ABIM-CCM, FCCS
André Denault is an academic-physician with special interests in ultrasound. His medical qualifications and specialties include internal medicine (1991), critical care medicine (1993) and anesthesia (1996). In 2010 he completed a PhD in biomedical Science at the University of Montreal. He has advanced certification in National Board in Echocardiography (NBE) in perioperative transesophageal echocardiography and critical care ultrasound. Dr Denault has written 317 peer-reviewed articles, 60 book chapters and 3 textbooks on perioperative transesophageal and critical care ultrasound. He has been invited as speaker in local, national and international meeting. He won several teaching awards including the Canadian Anesthesia Research Award in 2022. He currently works as a cardiac anesthesiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute. He is the director of research in the department of Anesthesia and the whole-body ultrasound fellowship at the University of Montreal. Major interest includes right ventricular function, venous congestion, brain and somatic oximetry and bedside whole-body ultrasound.
Dr. Carlos Galhardo Jr.
Short Biography Dr. Carlos Galhardo Jr.
Medical degree and anesthesia residency at the Rio de Janeiro State University in Brazil.
Clinical fellowship in cardiac anesthesia and critical care at the Toronto General Hospital in Canada.
Director of adult cardiac anesthesia at the National Institute of Cardiology in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE) and Board Certified in Advanced Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography (NBE, USA)
Current member of the Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery (ERACS) subcommittee at the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA).
From 2015 to 2020, he served on the International Committee of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA).
Research interests include enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), patient blood management (PBM), coagulation monitoring by viscoelastic tests, and perioperative echocardiography.
Dr. Patrick Garceau
Short Biography Dr. Patrick Garceau
MD, FRCPC
Cardiologist
Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal
Université de Montréal
Dr Patrick Garceau graduated from medical school at Laval University in 2001. He completed his internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at Laval University in 2007.
From 2007 until 2010, he completed a fellowship in echocardiography and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at the University of Toronto.
He became a staff cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute in 2010, his main expertise being genetics cardiomyopathies and advanced echocardiography.
Dr. Moreno Garijo
Short Biography Dr. Moreno Garijo
Full time, Clinician-Investigator in the Department of Anesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto since February 2015 and Active Staff in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Clinical Fellowships in Critical Care Medicine (2008-2009), Cardio-Vascular Anesthesia (2013) and Thoracic Anesthesia (2014) at the University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Master’s Degree in emergency medicine (2009-2011) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Research interests in echography (POCUS/FOCUS/Transesophageal Echocardiography), cardiac and thoracic anesthesia, with 3D echocardiography as the field of expertise.
Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography. Member of the Lynn & Arnold Irwin Advance Perioperative Imaging Lab (APIL) and Perioperative Echocardiography Group at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Director of the Toronto and Barcelona 3D Perioperative Echocardiography TEE courses. Co-director of the Toronto Perioperative TEE Symposium. Member of WINFOCUS and The Resuscitative TEE project.
Dr. Fabio Guarracino
Short Biography Dr. Fabio Guarracino
Dr. Fabio Guarracino completed his medical degree at the University of Padova Medical School, Italy, and underwent specialized training in Anesthesia and Intensive Care, as well as in Cardiology, at the same institution.
He holds the position of Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care at Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana in Pisa, Italy.
An active contributor to the field, Dr. Guarracino is a dedicated member of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), currently serving as the Chair of Intensive Care in the Forum Organs and Transplants. Additionally, he is a member of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EACTAIC), the European Society of Intensive Care (ESICM), and the Società Italiana di Anestesia Analgesia Rianimazione e Terapia Intensiva (SIAARTI).
Having served as the President of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EACTAIC) from 2022 to 2023, Dr. Guarracino has demonstrated leadership and commitment to advancing his field.
His research pursuits focus on the pathophysiology of shock states, exploring the intricate interplay between the heart and circulation in both normal and diseased conditions. Dr. Guarracino is particularly interested in the extracorporeal support of the heart and lungs, as well as the role of echocardiography in managing acutely altered cardiovascular states and supporting surgical and transcatheter structural cardiovascular procedures.
Dr. Guarracino’s contributions extend to the academic realm, with numerous manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals covering topics such as intensive care medicine, acute heart failure, echocardiography, and cardiothoracic anesthesia. His dedication to both clinical practice and research underscores his commitment to advancing medical knowledge and patient care in his specialized field.
Dr. Miranda Holmes
Short Biography Dr. Miranda Holmes
Anesthesia
BA&Sc, MBBS, FANZCA
Dr Holmes attended medical school at the Australian National University. She completed her Anaesthesia training through St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne including undertaking Cardiac and complex adult anaesthesia fellowships at St Vincent’s Hospital, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia. She became a Specialist Anesthesiologist in 2019, obtaining her Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
She then completed a Fellowship at Royal Papworth Hospital in the United Kingdom, specialising in cardiothoracic anaesthesia and critical care as well as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation retrieval and care during England’s first Covid-19 wave. During this fellowship she attained Diplomate certification with the American National Board of Echocardiography in Transesophageal Echocardiography.
She subsequently pursued further specialty training in Cardiac Anaesthesia, Perioperative Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Critical Care at Toronto General Hospital as a Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellow. Dr Holmes worked in Australia as a Staff Cardiac Anaesthetist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne prior to returning to join the University of Toronto and Toronto General Hospital.
Dr. Reda Ibrahim
Short Biography Dr. Reda Ibrahim
Dr. Reda Ibrahim is a cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute and an Associate Professor at the faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal. Dr Ibrahim studied internal medicine and cardiology at the University of Montreal. In 2001-2002, he received additional training in adult congenital and structural interventions at Harvard (Brigham and Women’s and Children’s Hospitals) in Boston. Dr Ibrahim was the director of the medical intensive care unit between 2006 and 2014 and he is the current director of the structural heart program since 2008. He won multiple prices and awards including professor of the year of the department of medicine in 2004 and 2005. He was local principal investigator of many important studies. Other achievements include multiple publications, many presentations and live cases in major meetings, few canadian, north-american and world premieres, and proctorship for different companies (Abbott, Boston Scientific, Gore, etc)
Dr. Marco Julien
Short Biography Dr. Megan Krajewski
Dr. Marco Julien is Co-Director of the Department of Cardiac Anesthesiology at the Montreal Heart Institute and Assitant Professor of Anesthesiology at University of Montreal. After finishing his medical studies and anesthesia specialty training at University of Montreal, he completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesia and intensive care at Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand, with further training in cardiac anesthesia for congenital heart disease at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK. At the Montreal Heart Institute, Dr. Julien is Director of Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography and clinical lead in anesthesia for transcatheter structural interventions and anesthesia for adult congenital heart disease. He authored chapters in two TEE textbooks and lectures at the Leipzig Perioperative TEE Masterclass. Dr. Julien also has continued humanitarian involvement to deliver cardiac surgery services to underserved populations in the South Pacific.
Dr. Megan Krajewski
Short Biography Dr. Megan Krajewski
Dr. Megan Krajewski is a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital in Boston. She completed her medical school education at the University of Michigan, followed by anesthesia residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She subsequently completed her critical care and cardiothoracic anesthesia fellowships at Duke University. She is an active member of the Society for Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, where she has presented and moderated at the past Echo Week and SCA Echo Conferences and is a member of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Working Group. Dr. Krajewski’s clinical interests focus on advanced heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and coagulation. Her research portfolio includes observational ECMO research and study of acute kidney injury in cardiac surgery.
Dr. Jeannette Lin
Short Biography Dr. Jeannette Lin
Dr. Jeannette Lin is a professor of Medicine at UCLA. She received her MD from the University of California San Diego, and did her residency at UC San Diego, cardiology fellowship at UC Irvine, and Adult Congenital Heart Disease fellowship at UCLA.
She is one of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease faculty at UCLA, where she focused on the clinical care of ACHD patients, echo imaging, and medical education. She is the program director for the ACHD fellowship at UCLA, and co-director of the Cardio-Obstetrics program at UCLA.
Dr. Gentian Lluri
Short Biography Dr. Gentian Lluri
MD, PhD
Dr. Lluri received his MD and PhD degrees from University of Vermont in 2008. He completed his cardiology training as well as adult congenital heart disease training at University of California, Los Angeles, and upon completion joined the faculty at UCLA. Dr. Lluri’s clinical and research goals are to improve the lives and advance the care of patients with congenital heart disease.
Dr. Azad Mashari
Short Biography Dr. Azad Mashari, MD
Director, Lynn and Arnold Irwin Advanced Perioperative Imaging Lab (APIL)
Staff Anesthesiologist at the Peter Munk Cardiac Center, Toronto General Hospital
Dr. Azad Mashari is Director of the Lynn and Arnold Irwin Advanced Perioperative Imaging Lab (APIL) and staff Anesthesiologist at the Peter Munk Cardiac Center, Toronto General Hospital. He completed his training in Cardiovascular Anesthesia and Perioperative Echocardiography at Toronto General Hospital and completed a research fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, focusing on 3D echocardiography, 3D modeling and Printing. His undergraduate training focused on cognitive science and artificial intelligence. APIL’s work focuses on perioperative clinical and educational applications of medical imaging (primarily 3D echocardiography, CT and MRI), especially the use of 3D models created from imaging data for procedural training and planning of complex surgical and minimally invasive procedures.
Dr. Felipe Muñoz
Short Biography Dr. Felipe Muñoz
Leyva MD
Staff Anesthesiologist – Hospital Universitario Mayor Méderi. Bogotá, Colombia.
Clinical Instructor – Faculty of Medicine. Universidad del Rosario. Bogotá, Colombia.
Cardiovascular Anesthesia & Critical Care Fellowship – Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto (2020-2021)
Dr. Ahmad Omran
Short Biography Dr. Ahmad Omran
MD, FASE, FACC, FESC, FEACVI
Staff Cardiologist, Perioperative Echocardiography Program, Toronto General Hospital
Dr. Omran is a cardiologist who did his fellowship in echocardiography in Toronto General Hospital from 1993-1996 and subsequently worked in this hospital mostly working with Dr Tirone David involving in intraoperative TEE. He published his landmark paper about TEE assessment of mitral valve anatomy and suitability for mitral valve repair in 2002. In this paper he created the first map of TEE classification of the mitral valve segments and scallops which is still in use in many cardiac centers around the world. Dr. Omran published more than 35 papers in the role of TEE in valve repairs and contributed chapters in 5 textbooks of echocardiography including a chapter on the role of 3D TEE in cardiac operating room in the “Nanda’s Comprehensive Textbook of Echocardiography”.
He is certified by National Board of Echocardiography (NBE) as Diplomate in Comprehensive Echocardiography and Advance Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography. He also has accreditations in TTE, TEE, and congenital Heart Disease by European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI). Dr. Omran is an active member of American and European societies of echocardiography.
Dr. Papa
Short Biography Dr. Papa
Dr. Papa graduated from the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency. He then pursued a clinical fellowship in Cardiovascular Anesthesia at the University of Toronto. He obtained a Masters in Health Practitioner in Clinical Education at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE) and holds the Critical Care Echocardiography (CCEeXAM) Testamur status.
Throughout his career, Dr. Papa has been actively involved in teaching and education in perioperative transesophageal echocardiography and point-of-care ultrasound, both locally and internationally, and in curriculum development.
Currently, Dr. Papa is a staff anesthesiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, where he also holds the position of assistant professor at the University of Toronto. He is also the Cardiovascular Anesthesia Fellowship Director at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Dr. Robitaille
Short Biography Dr. Robitaille
Dr. Robitaille is a cardiac and liver transplant anesthesiologist in his fifth year of practice and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and serves as an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. His clinical and research interests include management of advanced heart failure and the effects of metabolic disease on surgical stress response. He led the successful development of a new heart transplant program for the anesthesia department at Beth Israel in 2023 and sits on the hospital VAD/Heart Transplant selection committee. He was also recently awarded a Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesia early career grant for his proposal “Impaired liver-heart cross talk in metabolic syndrome leading to cardiac dysfunction: the role of FGF-21”.
Dr. Salvatori
Short Biography Dr. Salvatori
Dr. Salvatori obtained a Master of Science from the University of Toronto Department of Physiology (2005) and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Newcastle University School of Medicine, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (2013). Dr. Salvatori completed his anesthesia residency at the University of Toronto and obtained his Fellowship, Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC) in Anesthesiology in 2019. He completed a cardiovascular anesthesia and critical care medicine fellowship at the Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network. His areas of interest include adult congenital heart disease, aortic surgery, solid organ transplantation and transesophageal echocardiography.
Dr. Laurence Sharifi
Short Biography Dr. Laurence Sharifi
Laurence Sharifi is a cardiac staff anesthesiologist and intensivist in at Toronto General Hospital, Canada. His areas of interest include cardiovascular critical care and medical education.
Dr. Aidan Sharkey
Short Biography Dr. Aidan Sharkey
Dr. Aidan Sharkey graduated from the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin and completed his residency in Anesthesia at the College of Anesthetists of Ireland. He went on to complete a fellowship in Cardiac Anesthesia at Toronto General Hospital in Canada before joining Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston as an attending anesthesiologist.
He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School and is the Program Director of the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship at BIDMC.
Dr. Wendy Tsang
Short Biography Dr. Wendy Tsang
Dr. Wendy Tsang is a Cardiologist and Clinician Investigator at the Toronto General Hospital, where she is head of a Complex Valve clinic. She is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tsang completed her medical degree at Queen’s University and went on to complete her Adult Cardiology fellowship at the University of Toronto. She then completed a CIHR-funded Multimodality Cardiac Imaging research fellowship at the University of Chicago under Dr. Roberto Lang. During that time she also obtained a Master’s degree in Health Studies. She has published extensively on 3D echocardiography and was a member of the writing groups for both the 2012 ASE/EACVI 3D Guidelines and the 2015 ASE/EACVI Chamber Quantification Guidelines. She also serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography and is a member of the Royal College of Physician and Surgeon’s Area of Focused Competency subcommittee in Adult Echocardiography. She currently holds a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada National New Investigator Award. Her research focuses on 3D echocardiography, artificial intelligence in echocardiography, and valvular heart disease.
Dr. Annette Vegas
Short Biography Dr. Annette Vegas
Annette graduated from medical school at McGill University (Montreal) and completed an anesthesia residency at the University of Toronto. She concluded a cardiac anesthesia fellowship at Toronto General Hospital, where she has practiced since 1994. She has an interest in echocardiography and has developed web-based educational materials (http://pie.med.utoronto.ca) for teaching both transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography. Annette has extensively published journal articles and book chapters, authored textbooks and co-edited textbooks related to echocardiography. She is a professor of anaesthesiology and an elected fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE). In 2020 Dr. Annette Vegas reassumed the role of director of Perioperative TEE at Toronto General Hospital.
Dr. Vorster
Short Biography Dr.Vorster
I am currently a senior anaesthesia specialist at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.
I have completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic anaesthesia at The Heart Hospital in London.
I obtained European Echocardiography accreditation and is currently a member of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging echocardiography subcommittee.
I have also completed a paediatric anaesthesia fellowship at the Red Cross Childrens Hospital in Cape Town.
I am also a member of the Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia Society of South Africa committee.
Dr. Marcin Wasowicz
Short Biography Dr. Marcin Wasowicz
Anesthesia
Research Interests: perioperative patient management, transplant surgery
Clinical Interests: cardiovascular anesthesia, critical care, echocardiography
Accepting: contact faculty member for more information
Research Synopsis
Dr. Wasowicz’s research interest concentrates on two main fields: (1) introducing novel technologies into perioperative medicine and (2) introducing solid phase microextraction (SPME) into clinical medicine.
The first part of Dr. Wasowicz’s activities resulted in rolling out bedside monitoring of coagulation system at Toronto General Hospital. It was based on clinical application of thromboelastography (TEG) and its modification platelet mapping assay. This part of his activity also included introduction of volatile based sedation into intensive care environment. His group conducted several safety studies and two randomized trials investigating use of volatile based sedation for short-term and long-term period within the ICU environment.
SPME is a novel analytical technology, which allows combining biological sample extraction and processing into one step. It can be applied to any biological system (fluid, tissue) and measures concomitantly several substances or metabolites. Dr. Wasowicz’s group initiated multidisciplinary collaboration between Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and industrial partners, which initiated introduction of this technology into perioperative medicine. The results of first projects showed that doses of tranexamic acid used routinely during cardiac surgical procedures are exceeding desired plasma levels. Also, using SPME technology they have been able to show that rocuronium bromide can be used as a marker of early liver function post liver transplantation.
Dr. Williams
Short Biography Dr. Williams
Dr Williams is an assistant professor in residency in the Department of Anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the University of California. She’s a trained cardiothoracic and pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist. She completed her undergrad degree at Washington University in Washington, DC, and received her medical degree and PhD from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. She went on to complete her residency in anesthesiology at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas, and fellowship training at UCLA, before joining the faculty. Her clinical and researching interests focus on harnessing bioinformatics and machine learning to improve clinical outcomes through appropriate risk stratification and resource utilization, particularly within patients with congenital heart disease and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Raffael Zamper
Short Biography Dr. Raffael Zamper
M.D., PhD, FASE
TPES – Planning Committe
Cardiac Anesthesia Director – Western University – London – ON
Raffael Zamper MD, PhD, FASE
Cardiac Anesthesia Program Director
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
Western University, London Health Sciences Centre
London, ON