Conference Zoom Details
- Meeting ID: 991 9090 3049
- Passcode: 557896
Goals:
- To learn about post cancer diagnosis challenges from the patient perspective.
- To Learn about the differences and similarities that patients undergo and what resources are available after a diagnosis of cancer in different parts of the world.
- To learn how different groups deal with resources available and the delivery of care.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe how a patient diagnosed with cancer navigates their care journey
- Describe how global interaction may benefit the delivery of cancer care for the individual patient
- Contrast and compare cancer pathways for patients globally
Program Director
Robert James (RJ) Cusimano BSc MSc MD FRCSC FACS
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre
Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
The David and Stacey Cynamon Professorship in
Cardiovascular Innovation and Education Department of Surgery,
University of Toronto
Dr Robert James "RJ" Cusimano is a cardiac surgeon at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at the Toronto General Hospital and is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He is the inaugural holder of the Cynamon Professorship in Cardiovascular Innovation and Education at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. In addition to his clinical duties, he has been deeply interested in education. He was the programme director of Cardiac surgery at the University of Toronto and at the Royal Collage of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, helped in the development and implementation of the competency, based curriculum now in existence in Canada. He has taught both within the University, Canada and internationally, having either taught or helped in programme development in China, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Europe, and the US. In 2016 he conceived and held the first Toronto Cardiac Tumour Conference, which brings the world's experts in the field of cardiac tumours on a yearly basis. Recently, he conceived, and has been working on the INTERACT project (International Registry to Assess Cardiac Tumours), a global initiative to capture all cardiac tumours in the world. This is a multi-national, multidisciplinary endeavour which will bring centres around the world together to try to improve care and outcome in these very rare tumours. Recently he was in Africa to help develop a plan to harmonize interaction on the continent. Eventually he would like to develop a subspecialty of cardiac surgery in the area of cardiac tumours.
Program Committee
Steven Lawrence Cusimano BSc MD CCFP
Family Health Organization (FHO)
Hamilton Family Health Team (HFHT)
Parkdale Medical Centre
Born and raised in Toronto. Completed undergraduate Honours studies at U of Toronto. Medical school at U of Western Ontario. Family Medicine residency training at McMaster U. Worked as a Family Physician in Hamilton since 1993 until present. Medical Director LTC facility for over 12 yrs and Team Physician in Hamilton for over 25 yrs. Currently attending physician at LTC facility and practicing faculty teaching family physicians in community family practice in Hamilton. Married and a proud father to seven children.
Edith Dingal
Administrative Program Assistant to the
Program Chair Dr. RJ Cusimano & Co-Chairs
Edith Dingal is a Medical and Clinical Administrator at Dr. RJ Cusimano’s Office, Toronto General Hospital.
She is known for her compassion toward patients and her ongoing support in organizing the Annual Toronto Cardiac Tumour Conference.
She is a Medical Office Administrator graduate with Honors from Medix College, Toronto, ON.
Abdulazeez Salawu MBBS MSc MRCP(UK) PhD
Staff Medical Oncologist
Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON
Dr. Abdulazeez Salawu is a Staff Medical Oncologist at Mount Sinai Hospital and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. He specializes in treatment of sarcoma, gastrointestinal cancers, and peritoneal malignancies. Dr. Salawu’s research focuses on translational oncology and biomarker development, particularly in soft tissue sarcoma (STS). His work explores circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for detecting molecular residual disease and investigates novel therapies in early-phase clinical trials. He also has a strong interest in representativeness in oncology research and leads the PANORAMA study, evaluating sociodemographic disparities in clinical research and precision oncology. Dr. Salawu completed his specialty training in Medical Oncology at Sheffield, UK, prior to a fellowship in the Toronto Sarcoma Program. He has received multiple awards, including the Novartis Oncology Young Canadian Investigator Award and the ASCO Merit and Young Investigator Awards.
Geoffrey Watson MD
Medical Oncologist and Clinician Teacher
Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON.
Dr. Geoffrey Watson is a Staff Medical Oncologist and Clinician Teacher at Mount Sinai Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He completed his basic and specialized training in medical oncology in Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Watson joined the Bras Drug Development and Sarcoma Programs at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as a clinical research fellow in 2019. During this time, he served as the Chief Fellow of the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology and was awarded with a Hold’em for Life Oncology Clinician Scientist Award in 2019, an ASCO Merit Award in 2020 and 2021 as well as the Novartis Oncology Young Canadian Investigator Award in 2020 and 2021. Dr. Watson has a particular interest in patient education. He has won several awards and grants for his research in this field including an American Association for Cancer Education (AACE) Grant in Research, Education, Advocacy, and Direct Service (READS), the 2023 Rethink Breast Cancer and Pfizer Global Medical Quality Initiative Grant and the 2023 Mount Sinai Hospital Innovation in Education Award.
