Conference Program

Mehran Anvari, MB BS, PhD, FRCSC, FACS 
Chair, Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Innovation
Professor, Department of Surgery, McMaster University

Dr. Mehran Anvari is a tenured professor of surgery at McMaster University, specializing in minimal access techniques, at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. Dr. Anvari was one of the first surgeons in Canada to use robotics in surgery, establishing the world's first telerobotic surgical service.

Dr. Anvari holds several clinical and administrative appointments. He is the past president and founding member of the Minimally Invasive Robotic Association, the scientific director and CEO of the Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation, and the founding director of the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery. Dr. Anvari is the clinical lead and chair of the Ontario Bariatric Network and the Chair of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Innovation at McMaster.

As a researcher, supervisor, mentor and advisor, Dr. Anvari has a continued commitment to teaching, education, publication and innovation. Dr. Anvari is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, and the founding director of the McMaster Institute for Surgical Invention, Innovation and Education. He has authored over 150 publications; holds seven patents; and is the principle investigator of numerous studies related to obesity, gastrointestinal disease, and surgical robotic systems and techniques. He has been honored many times for his innovation and research: chosen as the McMaster Innovator of the Year in 2009, and awarded the ORION Leadership Award in 2010. Dr. Anvari's work with telerobotics has also been recognized by the federal and provincial government with the "Gold Medal of Distinction" and the "Diamond Award for Innovation in Technology".

Bruce M. Wolfe, MD
Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of Research
Department of Surgery, Division of Bariatrics
Oregon Health & Science University

Bruce M. Wolfe, M.D. is a graduate of Stanford University and the St. Louis University School of Medicine. His surgical training was completed at St. Louis University with an additional fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Relocating to OHSU from the University of California, Davis, Dr. Wolfe has devoted his surgical career to surgical nutrition and specifically obesity, including the surgical care of obese patients and related research. He has made many contributions to the advancement of the surgical treatment of obesity, including a demonstration of the many benefits of laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Wolfe's research interests lie at the intersection of surgical outcomes of obesity and health policy as it relates to obesity treatment coverage. He chairs an NIH-funded research consortium studying the clinical, epidemiological, and behavioral outcomes of bariatric surgery, known as the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS). His local and national policy efforts of expanding obesity treatment as well as numerous ongoing research projects underline Dr. Wolfe's dedication to upstream efforts to prevent and ameliorate obesity and related sequelae.

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Laurent Biertho, MD
Chirurgie Laparoscopique et Bariatrique
Professeur de Clinique, Département de Chirurgie, Université Laval
Co-directeur, Chaire de recherche en chirurgie bariatrique et métabolique
Directeur de programme, Fellowship en chirurgie bariatrique et métabolique
Institut Universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval

Dr. Biertho completed his "candidat" in Biomedical Sciences and Medical training at the University of Liege in Belgium. At the end of his surgical residency in Belgium, he completed a one year Research Fellowship at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He then trained in Minimally Invasive Surgery at McMaster University. At the end of his fellowship in 2005, he was appointed Assistant Professor at McMaster University. He was then offered a position as an Associate Professor of Surgery at Laval University in 2006, to develop Minimally Invasive Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery at the Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Quebec, in particular to perform a certain type of bariatric surgery (Duodenal Switch). Currently, the vast majority of the 450 bariatric surgeries performed each year at the IUCPQ use minimally invasive approaches. In addition to developing these clinical activities Dr Biertho contributes to the dissemination and publication of knowledge related to bariatric surgery mostly through clinical studies.

Mehran Anvari, MB BS, PhD, FRCSC, FACS 
Chair, Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Innovation
Professor, Department of Surgery, McMaster University

Dr. Mehran Anvari is a tenured professor of surgery at McMaster University, specializing in minimal access techniques, at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. Dr. Anvari was one of the first surgeons in Canada to use robotics in surgery, establishing the world's first telerobotic surgical service.

Dr. Anvari holds several clinical and administrative appointments. He is the past president and founding member of the Minimally Invasive Robotic Association, the scientific director and CEO of the Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation, and the founding director of the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery. Dr. Anvari is the clinical lead and chair of the Ontario Bariatric Network and the Chair of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Innovation at McMaster.

As a researcher, supervisor, mentor and advisor, Dr. Anvari has a continued commitment to teaching, education, publication and innovation. Dr. Anvari is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, and the founding director of the McMaster Institute for Surgical Invention, Innovation and Education. He has authored over 150 publications; holds seven patents; and is the principle investigator of numerous studies related to obesity, gastrointestinal disease, and surgical robotic systems and techniques. He has been honored many times for his innovation and research: chosen as the McMaster Innovator of the Year in 2009, and awarded the ORION Leadership Award in 2010. Dr. Anvari's work with telerobotics has also been recognized by the federal and provincial government with the "Gold Medal of Distinction" and the "Diamond Award for Innovation in Technology".

Michel Gagner, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FASMBS
Professor of surgery, Herbert Wertheim School of Medicine, FIU
Senior consultant, Hôpital du Sacre Coeur, Montreal

Dr. Gagner obtained, at the age of 22, his M.D. in 1982, and did his surgical training at McGill from 1982-1988.

He worked at the Cleveland Clinic where he co-founded the MIS Center (1995-1998). He was appointed Director of the MIS Center of Mount Sinai (NY), from 1998 to 2003. He then joined Weill-Cornell as Chief of Laparoscopic/Bariatric (2003-2007). He was Chair of Surgery at Mount Sinai (Miami), and is currently Professor at FlU, and senior consultant Montreal. In 2014, he founded WWO (World Without Obesity), for the education and development of metabolic surgery in Third World countries. He is also a board member of ASMBS foundation.

Dr Gagner is known for his contributions in MIS, in particular the first description of laparoscopic adrenalectomy (1992), laparoscopic pancreatectomy (distal/proximal) (1992-93), endoscopic neck surgery with parathyroidectomy in 1995, transgastric cholecystectomy in 1997 (NOTES), laparoscopic DS in 1999 and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in 2000.

He has over 375 published articles, 47 book chapters, and 9 books on MIS surgery. He has held positions in more than 35 societies, and has served on the editorial boards of 12 surgical journals (Associate Editor of SOARD and Obesity Surgery). Dr Gagner was the President IFSO 2014 (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders) annual meeting and 5th International Conference on Sleeve Gastrectomy held in Montreal, August 26-30th, 2014. He also has been on the executive board of IFSO for the last 3 years, and president of the Canadian chapter of ASMBS, and program chair of ASMBS 2016.

Bruce M. Wolfe, MD
Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of Research
Department of Surgery, Division of Bariatrics
Oregon Health & Science University

Bruce M. Wolfe, M.D. is a graduate of Stanford University and the St. Louis University School of Medicine. His surgical training was completed at St. Louis University with an additional fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Relocating to OHSU from the University of California, Davis, Dr. Wolfe has devoted his surgical career to surgical nutrition and specifically obesity, including the surgical care of obese patients and related research. He has made many contributions to the advancement of the surgical treatment of obesity, including a demonstration of the many benefits of laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Wolfe's research interests lie at the intersection of surgical outcomes of obesity and health policy as it relates to obesity treatment coverage. He chairs an NIH-funded research consortium studying the clinical, epidemiological, and behavioral outcomes of bariatric surgery, known as the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS). His local and national policy efforts of expanding obesity treatment as well as numerous ongoing research projects underline Dr. Wolfe's dedication to upstream efforts to prevent and ameliorate obesity and related sequelae.

Michel Gagner, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FASMBS
Professor of surgery, Herbert Wertheim School of Medicine, FIU
Senior consultant, Hôpital du Sacre Coeur, Montreal

Dr. Gagner obtained, at the age of 22, his M.D. in 1982, and did his surgical training at McGill from 1982-1988.

He worked at the Cleveland Clinic where he co-founded the MIS Center (1995-1998). He was appointed Director of the MIS Center of Mount Sinai (NY), from 1998 to 2003. He then joined Weill-Cornell as Chief of Laparoscopic/Bariatric (2003-2007). He was Chair of Surgery at Mount Sinai (Miami), and is currently Professor at FlU, and senior consultant Montreal. In 2014, he founded WWO (World Without Obesity), for the education and development of metabolic surgery in Third World countries. He is also a board member of ASMBS foundation.

Dr Gagner is known for his contributions in MIS, in particular the first description of laparoscopic adrenalectomy (1992), laparoscopic pancreatectomy (distal/proximal) (1992-93), endoscopic neck surgery with parathyroidectomy in 1995, transgastric cholecystectomy in 1997 (NOTES), laparoscopic DS in 1999 and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in 2000.

He has over 375 published articles, 47 book chapters, and 9 books on MIS surgery. He has held positions in more than 35 societies, and has served on the editorial boards of 12 surgical journals (Associate Editor of SOARD and Obesity Surgery). Dr Gagner was the President IFSO 2014 (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders) annual meeting and 5th International Conference on Sleeve Gastrectomy held in Montreal, August 26-30th, 2014. He also has been on the executive board of IFSO for the last 3 years, and president of the Canadian chapter of ASMBS, and program chair of ASMBS 2016.

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André Carpentier, MD, FRCPC, CSPQ, FCAHS
Endocrinologist and Professor
GSK Chair in Diabetes of Université de Sherbrooke
Department of Medicine
Université de Sherbrooke
Centre de recherche du CHUS

Dr. Carpentier is recipient of GSK Research Chair in Diabetes of Université de Sherbrooke. He is professor, endocrinologist-lipidologist and clinician scientist at the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Sherbrooke. He is director of the university's Centre de recherche sur le diabète, l'obésité et les complications cardiovasculaires and the director of the Research Network on Cardiometabolic Health, Diabetes and Obesity (CMDO) of the province of Quebec.

His research interests include: 1) role of postprandial fatty acid metabolism in development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; 2) investigation of brown adipose tissue metabolism in diabetes; and 3) anti-diabetic mechanisms of bariatric surgery.

He has been a member of numerous scientific panels for granting agencies (CDA, CIHR, FRSQ, HSFC) and published more than 107 peer-reviewed manuscripts (H-factor = 37, 5-yr citation rate > 4400). He is recipient of multiple awards and has been elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Kristel Lobo Prabhu, M.D, FRCSC

Kristel Lobo Prabhu is a Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery fellow at the University of Toronto. Completed medical school and residency in General Surgery at the University of British Columbia. Currently completing a Master's in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety with the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.

Learning Objectives

1. To highlight the importance of tracking outcomes data to enhance the safety and quality of patient care
2. Introduction to the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) as a database for tracking outcomes in bariatric surgery.

Fabio Garofalo, MD
Spec. FMH en chirugie
Fellow en chirugie mini-invasive et bariatrique
Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal (HSCM), Université de Montréal

Fabio Garofalo graduated from the University of Parlermo in Italy. He did his surgical training in Switzerland and obtained diploma of General Surgery in 2014. He came to Canada in January 2015 to start a2-year clinical fellowship in "Minimally invasive and Bariatric Surgery" at Sacré-Coeur Hospital in Montreal (University of Montreal). At the end of this year he will return to Civico Hospital of Lugano, in Switzerland.

Dr. Christelle Thériault, MD, FRCSC
Laval University

Dr. Christelle Thériault is a general and bariatric surgeon at the Dr. Georges-L-Dumont Hospital in Moncton, NB.  She offers the four principal bariatric surgeries along with biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch.  

Dr. Thériault received her M.D. from the joint University of Moncton/University of Sherbrooke medical program in 2010 and completed her fellowship in bariatric surgery at the Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ) in 2016, and opened her Moncton practice in August 2016.

Sean Bennett, MSc, MD
PGY5 Resident Physician
Division of General Surgery
OHRI Clinical Research Graduate Student, Epidemiology
University of Ottawa

Dr. Bennett is a PGY5 General Surgery resident at the University of Ottawa, having just completed his Master’s of Epidemiology in the Clinician Investigator Program. He graduated medical school from Dalhousie University in 2012. Follow him on twitter: @thisisseanb

Presentation Overview
Dr. Bennett will be presenting results from a recently conducted systematic review and meta-analysis on the role of routine preoperative upper endoscopy prior to bariatric surgery. There is currently much disagreement on the necessity of routine endoscopy, with various international guidelines differing in their recommendations.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this presentation, participants should be able to understand the extent and quality of the current literature available pertaining to the role of preoperative endoscopy. They should be able to incorporate the data into their own practice when making individualized decisions for their patients.

Bruce M. Wolfe, MD
Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of Research
Department of Surgery; Division of Bariatrics
Oregon Health & Science University

Bruce M. Wolfe, M.D. is a graduate of Stanford University and the St. Louis University School of Medicine. His surgical training was completed at St. Louis University with an additional fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Relocating to OHSU from the University of California, Davis, Dr. Wolfe has devoted his surgical career to surgical nutrition and specifically obesity, including the surgical care of obese patients and related research. He has made many contributions to the advancement of the surgical treatment of obesity, including a demonstration of the many benefits of laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Wolfe's research interests lie at the intersection of surgical outcomes of obesity and health policy as it relates to obesity treatment coverage. He chairs an NIH-funded research consortium studying the clinical, epidemiological, and behavioral outcomes of bariatric surgery, known as the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS). His local and national policy efforts of expanding obesity treatment as well as numerous ongoing research projects underline Dr. Wolfe's dedication to upstream efforts to prevent and ameliorate obesity and related sequelae.

Stephen A. Glazer, MD, FRCP(C ), FCCP
Internal Medicine
Critical Care Medicine
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine

Medical Director, Bariatric Surgical Program
Humber River Regional Hospital
American College of Surgeons Level 1 Accredited Bariatric Center of Excellence

Medical Director, Greater Toronto Area Medical Bariatric Program
Humber River Regional Hospital/University Health Network

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Queen's University

Lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine
University of Toronto

Dr. Stephen Glazer is a board certified specialist from the University of Toronto in Internal Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

In April 2010 he was appointed as the Medical Director for the Bariatric Surgical Program at Humber River Regional Hospital. He was instrumental in redeveloping their comprehensive bariatric surgical program. In that year, the bariatric surgical program was nominated as a Leading Practice by Accreditation Canada.

In 2012 Dr. Glazer was appointed as a the Director of the only hospital-based Medical Bariatric Program for the Greater Toronto Area, which has enjoyed great growth and development due to the significant contributions of its multidiscipline team members.

Dr. Glazer's commitment to the Obesity Epidemic is further displayed by his participation in many committees through the Ontario Bariatric Network and the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons. He has a strong interest in program development, quality care initiatives, and physician education.

He has personally been involved in direct patient care of over thousands of bariatric patients in the attempt to facilitate weight loss for improved overall health. His research interests include perioperative risk assessment and management as well as sleep apnea in the morbidly obese.

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Dr. Maria Tiboni, MD, FRCPC
Associate Professor, McMaster University
St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON

Dr. Maria Tiboni graduated with honors from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1990 and completed training in Internal Medicine.  She moved to Canada in 1999 and retrained in Internal Medicine at McMaster University receiving her FRCPC in Internal Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2006.  Dr. Tiboni holds an academic appointment at the rank of Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, at McMaster University and she is also a staff physician at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJH) since 2006.  She was appointed the Medical Director of the Bariatric Surgical Program at SJH in 2009, she is a member of the Ontario Bariatric Network Advisory Board and chairs the Ontario Bariatric Network Medical Task Force.

Her interests include perioperative and consultative medicine, medical student and resident education.  Dr. Tiboni’s research interest is perioperative medicine with focus on non-cardiac surgery and bariatric surgery.

She is the local Co-PI at Saint Joseph’s Healthcare of the Vision Study (Vascular Events In Non Cardiac Surgery PatIents COhort evaluatioN), the POISE 2 study (PeriOperative Ischemic Evaluation- 2 Trial). She is the local Co-PI at Saint Joseph's Healtcare of the Vision Study (Vascular Events In Non Cardiac Surgery PatIents COhort evaluantioN)

Dr. Judy Shiau, MDCM, FRCPC
Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine
Bariatric Medicine Fellowship Program Director

Valerie H. Taylor, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Women's College Hospital
Senior Scientist, Women's College Research Institute
Director, Division of Equity, Gender and Population, University of Toronto
Director, Bariatric Surgery Psychiatry Program
Mental Health Chair, Canadian Obesity Network

Dr. Valerie H. Taylor, MD, PhD is an Associate professor at the University of Toronto and Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Women’s College Hospital. She is also a senior scientist at the Women’s College Research Institute and director of the division of Equity, Gender and Population for the University of Toronto. Nationally, she is director of the bariatric surgery psychiatry program and is the Mental Health Chair for the Canadian Obesity Network. 

Her academic focus is on obesity, metabolic syndrome and mental health in both adults and children. She is interested in the developmental origins and common pathophysiology of obesity, diabetes and depression, the concept of food addiction and the impact of pharmacotherapy on weight and behaviour. She also has an interest in women’s mental health and has written and researched on the overlap between mental illness in women and medical outcomes.  She has funding from NARSAD, CIHR and the federal and provincial governments. She has over 60 peer reviewed publications and has written a CBT manual on weight management. In the past 2 years she has led or been part of 6 funded CIHR grants, an NIH grant and 2 grants from the Ministry of Health.

She recently received a KT fellowship from the Canadian Mental Health Association, an educational fellowship from the International Society on Obesity and a research award from the Canadian Obesity Network. She currently writes a mental health column for the Toronto Star and is director of the Women’s Mental Health Educational Institute she created at the University of Toronto.

Stephen A. Glazer, MD, FRCP(C ), FCCP
Internal Medicine
Critical Care Medicine
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine

Medical Director, Bariatric Surgical Program
Humber River Regional Hospital
American College of Surgeons Level 1 Accredited Bariatric Center of Excellence

Medical Director, Greater Toronto Area Medical Bariatric Program
Humber River Regional Hospital/University Health Network

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Queen's University

Lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine
University of Toronto

Dr. Stephen Glazer is a board certified specialist from the University of Toronto in Internal Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

In April 2010 he was appointed as the Medical Director for the Bariatric Surgical Program at Humber River Regional Hospital. He was instrumental in redeveloping their comprehensive bariatric surgical program. In that year, the bariatric surgical program was nominated as a Leading Practice by Accreditation Canada.

In 2012 Dr. Glazer was appointed as a the Director of the only hospital-based Medical Bariatric Program for the Greater Toronto Area, which has enjoyed great growth and development due to the significant contributions of its multidiscipline team members.

Dr. Glazer's commitment to the Obesity Epidemic is further displayed by his participation in many committees through the Ontario Bariatric Network and the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons. He has a strong interest in program development, quality care initiatives, and physician education.

He has personally been involved in direct patient care of over thousands of bariatric patients in the attempt to facilitate weight loss for improved overall health. His research interests include perioperative risk assessment and management as well as sleep apnea in the morbidly obese.

David R. Urbach, MD, MSc
University Health Network

David Urbach is Covidien Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Professor of Surgery and Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at The University of Toronto. His clinical practice is devoted to gastrointestinal and endocrine surgical oncology and minimally invasive surgery, with a focus on: foregut surgery, laparoscopic and robotic colorectal surgery, adrenal surgery, and obesity surgery. He is a Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), and Head of the Research Division of Support, Systems and Outcomes at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. His research program focuses on surgery-related health services research, including measurement of the quality and outcomes of surgical care, and methods for the evaluation of surgery and other health technologies.

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Simon Marceau, MD, FRCSC
Chef du département de chirurgie
IUCPQ-Université Laval

Dr. Simon Marceau graduated from Laval University in medicine in 1991 and general surgery in 1996. He did a fellowship at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston in 1997-98. He joined the Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie and Pneumologie de Québec (I.U.C.P.Q. formerly Hôpital Laval) in 1998 where his father had been practicing surgery for 35 years. The latter with Dr. Simon Biron has pioneered the development of bariatric surgery in Quebec and Canada and their work on the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch has had an impact internationally recognized. He has been appointed Chief of surgery in 2014. Dr. Marceau has contributed to more than fifty scientific papers, scientific articles, abstracts or book chapters.

Dr. Pierre Y. Garneau, MD, FRCS(c), FACS, FASMBS
Bariatric Surgeon
Chief of General Surgery, Sacré-Coeur Hospital
Professor, University of Montreal

Dr. Pierre Garneau received his medical degree at Laval University in Quebec City in 1991. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University Laval, and had the opportunity to work with the team of Dr. Picard Marceau, one of the fathers of bariatric surgery. Dr. Garneau has been a member of the General Surgery team at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montreal since 1997 and is currently chief of general surgery and Professor at the University of Montreal. Research interests include the impact of obesity surgery on fat tissues and revisional surgery.

Laurent Biertho, MD
Chirurgie Laparoscopique et Bariatrique
Professeur de Clinique, Département de Chirurgie, Université Laval
Co-directeur, Chaire de recherche en chirurgie bariatrique et métabolique
Directeur de programme, Fellowship en chirurgie bariatrique et métabolique
Institut Universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval

Dr. Biertho completed his "candidat" in Biomedical Sciences and Medical training at the University of Liege in Belgium. At the end of his surgical residency in Belgium, he completed a one year Research Fellowship at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He then trained in Minimally Invasive Surgery at McMaster University. At the end of his fellowship in 2005, he was appointed Assistant Professor at McMaster University. He was then offered a position as an Associate Professor of Surgery at Laval University in 2006, to develop Minimally Invasive Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery at the Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Quebec, in particular to perform a certain type of bariatric surgery (Duodenal Switch). Currently, the vast majority of the 450 bariatric surgeries performed each year at the IUCPQ use minimally invasive approaches. In addition to developing these clinical activities Dr Biertho contributes to the dissemination and publication of knowledge related to bariatric surgery mostly through clinical studies.

Dr. Maria Tiboni, MD, FRCPC
Associate Professor, McMaster University
St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON

Dr. Maria Tiboni graduated with honors from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1990 and completed training in Internal Medicine.  She moved to Canada in 1999 and retrained in Internal Medicine at McMaster University receiving her FRCPC in Internal Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2006.  Dr. Tiboni holds an academic appointment at the rank of Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, at McMaster University and she is also a staff physician at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (SJH) since 2006.  She was appointed the Medical Director of the Bariatric Surgical Program at SJH in 2009, she is a member of the Ontario Bariatric Network Advisory Board and chairs the Ontario Bariatric Network Medical Task Force.

Her interests include perioperative and consultative medicine, medical student and resident education.  Dr. Tiboni's research interest is perioperative medicine with focus on non-cardiac surgery and bariatric surgery.

She is the local Co-PI at Saint Joseph's Healthcare of the VISION Study (Vascular Events In Non Cardiac Surgery PatIents COhort evaluatioN), the POISE 2 study (PeriOperative Ischemic Evaluation- 2 Trial). She is the local Co-PI at Saint Joseph’s Healthcare of the VISION Study (Vascular Events In Non Cardiac Surgery PatIents COhort evaluatioN).

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Robert Dent, MD, FRCPC

Robert Dent is a specialist in Internal Medicine with an academic appointment in Endocrinology at the University of Ottawa. 

In 1992 he established the Weight Management Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa.  This is a multidisciplinary clinic designed with these objectives:  patient care, teaching health care professionals and research in the genotype phenotype associations of obesity.    This clinic design has been adopted in several Canadian University Centres.

With respect to research he has 50 publications in peer reviewed journals in the last 7 years.  These publications deal with the design and outcomes of the clinic; Psychotropics and Weight gain, and on the genetics of obesity.  Since 2011 He along with Drs. Ruth McPherson and Mary Ellen Harper have held two CIHR grants dealing with Metabolic and Genetic determinants of Obesity and Obesity-related Phenotypes.  His awards have included:  Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for the work in Obesity Treatment, The Ottawa Hospital Compass award in 2015, and University of Ottawa Dept of Medicine research Award 2016.  

His primary interests include: Obesity treatment, psychosocial aspects of obesity, patient advocacy, and the genotype-phenotype associations of obesity.

Dr. James Douketis
McMaster University

Dr. James Douketis is Staff Physician in Vascular Medicine and General Internal Medicine at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, and Professor of Medicine at McMaster University.

He received his M.D. and did his residency in internal medicine at the University of Toronto followed by a thrombosis fellowship at McMaster University.

Dr. Douketis' research interests include: perioperative antithrombotic therapy and guideline development (2008 and 2012 ACCP Guidelines); prevention, treatment and prognosis of patients with venous thromboembolism.

Dr. Douketis is President of Thrombosis Canada (www.thrombosiscanada.ca), Associate Editor of Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis and Annals of Internal Medicine Journal Club, and has over 250 scientific publications.

Jim lives in Hamilton with his wife, Dr. Margaret Nowaczyk, a clinical geneticist, and two boys, Jack and Luke, and is a cellist with Symphony-on-the Bay.

Learning Objectives

1. To discuss perioperative management of patients taking a DOAC who need bariatric surgery.
2. To discuss the effect of DOACs on coagulation tests.
3. To consider effect of bariatric surgery on anticoagulant selection

Sean Wharton, MD, PharmD, FRCP(C)
Internal Medicine Specialist
Adjunct Professor York University, School of Kinesiology and Health Science
Lead Author - Obesity Section - Canadian Diabetes Guidelines
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine
Toronto East General Hospital, Internal Medicine Staff
Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, Internal Medicine Staff

Dr. Sean Wharton has his doctorate in Pharmacy and Medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Wharton Medical Clinic, a community based internal medicine weight management clinic.  He is an Adjunct Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton and York University in Toronto.  He also works as an internist at Toronto East General Hospital, and the Hamilton Health Sciences.  Dr. Wharton is a researcher, and is qualified as a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. There are only a handful of physicians with this qualification in Canada.

Dr. Wharton’s research focuses on bariatric medicine and type 2 diabetes.  He is the lead author of the weight management section of the 2013 and 2018 Canadian Diabetes Guidelines.

Ashen Chetty MEd, BScN, RN, CDE, CCRA
Advanced Practice Nurse
OBN Clinical Administrator: Medical and Surgical Programs

Ashen is the Clinical Administrator for the Ontario Bariatric Network for both the Medical and Surgical Programs. Ashen completed her undergraduate studies in South Africa in special education and taught at the school for the deaf. Her dual interest in health and education formed a platform for her to pursue a career in nursing. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Masters in Education with a focus on Adult Learning theories, knowledge translation and Cultural Health Studies. She has been actively involved in several roles, including teaching, clinical work, research, and administration.

Ashen is a certified diabetes educator and currently sits on the on the Current Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Canadian Diabetes Association. Ashen is also actively involved in voluntary work both within the community and aboard. She has served voluntarily in the Aboriginal Communities and in South Africa.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the importance of long term follow-up after Bariatric surgery.
2. Novel strategies to improve retention.
3. Introduce a novel program to enhance care of the post bariatric patient in the community.

Tammy Eborall, BSc., RN, CDE
Diabetes Educator
St. Josephs Healthcare Hamilton

Tammy Eborall has worked at St. Josephs Healthcare Hamilton since 1989, starting out on a general surgical unit.  She continued in surgical nursing until 2005, when she became a Certified Diabetes Educator.  Tammy now follows in-patients who require diabetes management, as well as working in the bariatric clinic for the past 7 years.  This includes pre-op and post-op management of diabetes for patients who are having bariatric surgery.

Tammy is secretary for the Diabetes Educator Section Hamilton-Niagara Chapter and has participated as a member of the organizing committee for the CABPS conference.

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Stéphanie Michon, Dt.P., Nutritionniste
Secteur de chirurgie bariatrique et générale
Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec(Hôpital Laval)

Stephanie Michon graduated from Laval University in 2006. She's been working in the bariatric surgery program of Quebec's Hearth and Lung Institute since 2010. She's working in a team of four dieticians, in a program of more than 600 bariatric surgeries per year, working mostly with post-operative patients.

Stéphanie Michon, Dt.P., Nutritionniste
Secteur de chirurgie bariatrique et générale
Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec(Hôpital Laval)

Stephanie Michon graduated from Laval University in 2006. She's been working in the bariatric surgery program of Quebec's Hearth and Lung Institute since 2010. She's working in a team of four dieticians, in a program of more than 600 bariatric surgeries per year, working mostly with post-operative patients.

Dianne Husbands, BA, RN, BScN, MN
Nurse Manager, Medical Outpatient Department
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Dianne Husbands, BA, RN, BScN, MN, has been the Manager of the Hamilton Bariatric Program since 2014. Her background is nursing, having achieved her Masters degree in Nursing Leadership in 2005. Dianne has been employed at St. Joseph's Healthcare since 1993, progressing from bedside nursing to Nurse Educator, and now to Nurse Manager. Her clinical areas of practice include Head and Neck, acute surgical and medical, emergency and the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health. Dianne's teaching experience includes Trauma Nursing Core Curriculum, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Continuing Education Instructor for Mohawk College and Connestoga College and currently Clinical Professor for McMaster University Nursing Program. Dianne has been a reviewer for a number of nursing textbooks and reference materials for Elsevier Publishing and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. She is a past and present member of many committees and boards, including the Board of Trustees for St. Joseph's Healthcare from 2007 to 2010.

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Mary Dunn, Educator, BScN, CMSN(C)
General Surgery/GI Medicine/Bariatric Program
Department of Nursing Practice and Education
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

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Mr. Aayush Patel
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Aayush Patel graduated from McMaster University in 2014 with a BSc in Life Sciences. He has been working part time as the Statistical Analyst for the Bariatric Clinic at St. Joseph's Hamilton since February 2015, and part time working on his own application development company. Aayush's key interests are in relational databases (RDBMS) and strategic planning. His interest in databases stem from his summer student project in 2011, where he successfully created and implemented a barcode scanner database for KIRCHHOFF Automotive's production parts. Since then, he restructured and managed a Colorectal Patient Database (5000+ patients), for CMAS (2012-2014); subsequently facilitated the development of the new OBN website (2014-2015), creating strategic links within the website, and developing patient specific education, in collaboration with physicians affiliated with the OBN. Aayush hopes to use his extensive work in small data sets to one day work with big data within healthcare.

Presentation Overview
Losing track of where your patients are in the queue for surgery?  Having challenges tracking who has completed what tests, what is outstanding, and following up on those incidental abnormal findings?  Can everyone in your program access the right information and give the same answer to patient questions?

The program at St. Joseph’s was having just these difficulties.  We grew from performing 50 surgeries in our first year back in 2009 to over 600 surgeries planned for 2016.  Our surgeries include gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, revisions, and duodenal switch.  At any given time, we have thousands of patients in our active roster:   pre-op, post-op and just looking for options for obesity management.  We have patients who come to us just for surgery or those who transfer in or out for any number of reasons.  Add to that the amalgamation of the medical program from another hospital corporation, a major physical move of both programs, and we identified significant risk for patients to be lost to follow-up.

Our solution was two-fold:  adopt the Nurse Navigator Model and devise a reliable tracking tool visible to all team members.  The Nurse Navigator Model was adapted from the work done by the deSouza Institute when treating patients with lung cancer.  Our tracking tool was adapted from the first excel spreadsheet our nurses devised back in 2010 so they didn’t lose sight of patients. 

This presentation will expand on both of these tools.  Learning objectives are as follows:

• To describe the nurse navigator role
• To identify how this role is used in the bariatric program
• To demonstrate the use of the tracking tool
• To identify potential additional advantages of this tool

To summarize how this has reduced risk and enhanced patient satisfaction in the Hamilton Bariatric Program

Jennifer Charney HBSc Kin., R.Kin., CSEP CEP
Registered Kinesiologist
Medical Bariatric Program
Humber River Hospital

Jennifer Charney is a Registered Kinesiologist with a passion for "Exercise is Medicine", and sees the many therapeutic benefits that exercise and movement offer the bariatric population. Jennifer is from Toronto, Ontario and received a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Kinesiology from York University with a concentration on Exercise Therapy for Chronic Disease. Jennifer also studied Respiratory Therapy at the Michener Institute and chose to combine her skills in clinical assessment with Exercise prescription and Fitness training for Bariatric patients living with chronic disease. For the past three years, Jennifer has been a Registered Kinesiologist with the Medical Bariatric Program at Humber River Hospital. Jennifer's main focus is on working with patients to understand their own unique metabolism and the many benefits of exercise and physical conditioning for weight loss and maintenance.

Presenation Overview

1. Introduction
2. The Benefits of Exercise for Post Op Bypass patients
3. Metabolic compromise following significant weight loss in Bypass Patients
4. Guidelines for safe and effective exercise for Post op Bypass patients
5. Exercise vs Sedentary Behaviour in the management of weight loss
6. Addressing the barriers to becoming Physically Active in Bypass Patients

Learning Objectives
To provide Health Care Practitioners with the tools necessary to guide patients post-operatively with adopting a safe, effective and realistic Physical Activity Regime while providing encouragement and understanding the barriers that may exist. In addition, looking at the role of patient education in maintaining weight, preventing weight regain and understanding the implications of a slowed Resting Metabolic Rate that results from significant weight loss.

Ms. Michelle Mountain, B.Sc, RD
Humber River Regional Hospital

Michelle is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for nutrition and its vital role in bariatric surgery. Michelle is originally from New Brunswick. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Mount Allison University. After completing this degree she moved to Nova Scotia to pursue her passion in nutrition. She received her Bachelor of Science in Applied Human Nutrition from Mount Saint Vincent University and completed her dietetic internship at the Saint John Regional Hospital, Miramichi Regional Hospital, Atlantic Superstore and Nova Scotia Dietetic Association. She has a strong interest in the psychosocial and environmental factors that influence the individual's eating behaviors. For the past 6 years Michelle has been working in the bariatric program at the Humber River Regional Hospital. She has vast experience working with patients both pre and post bariatric surgery. Michelle has been actively involved in helping with the development and incorporation of many programs within the bariatric program.

Presentation Overview

• Introduction
• Nutritional Implications of RYGB and gastric sleeve
• The top 5 long-term success factors
• Long-term bariatric diet - What NOT to eat
• Macronutrient recommendations
• Foods that may give patients problems
• Emotional eating after bariatric surgery
• The importance of supplementation
• Dealing with complications
• 12 tips to keep your patients on track

Learning Objectives

To provide healthcare practitioner with a better understanding of how to manage patient who have undergone bariatric surgery. By the end of the presentation participants will have the knowledge and skills they need to provide the most accurate and up-to-date education to help their bariatric patients in their journey toward better health.

Dr. Pierre Y. Garneau, MD, FRCS(c), FACS, FASMBS
Bariatric Surgeon
Chief of General Surgery, Sacré-Coeur Hospital
Professor, University of Montreal

Dr. Pierre Garneau received his medical degree at Laval University in Quebec City in 1991. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University Laval, and had the opportunity to work with the team of Dr. Picard Marceau, one of the fathers of bariatric surgery. Dr. Garneau has been a member of the General Surgery team at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montreal since 1997 and is currently chief of general surgery and Professor at the University of Montreal. Research interest include the impact of obesity surgery on fat tissus and revisional surgery.

Babak Katiraee, M.D.
McMaster University

Dr. Babak Katiraee graduated from Medical School in Venezuela, then followed on to complete Residency in General Surgery and a Fellowship in Anorectal Surgery in that country. He then moved to Canada, and started an MIS fellowship in 2014 at McMaster University, where he currently remains, completing research mainly focused on bariatrics.

Learning Objectives
By the end of the presentation, participants should be able to understand the indications that lead to reversal of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, and patient symptoms after reversal.

Lisa N. F. Aird, MD, MHSc, FRCSC
CMAS Clinical Fellow, McMaster University

Dr. Lisa Aird completed her medical school training at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and she went on to finish her residency in general surgery at UBC in 2015. Dr. Aird recently finished a fellowship in advanced GI minimally invasive surgery at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.

Ali Hazrati, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS, FASMBS

Dr. Ali Hazrati completed his residency in General Surgery and Master of Science at McGill University. He then obtained his fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Stanford University under the mentorship of Dr. John Morton, past president of ASMBS and Dr. Homero Rivas.

He has contributed several international presentations as a speaker, moderator and publications to the field of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery.

At present he is the MIS Surgeon at Scarborough General Hospital. He does bariatric surgery in private setting. His principle clinical foci are GI oncology, Metabolic/Bariatric Surgery, Endoscopy and Research.

He is a member of many international and national surgical and medical societies including Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) and American College of Surgeons (ACS).

Presentation Overview
Largest Canadian case series, weight loss result and follow up on comorbidities and complications.

Learning Objectives
Gastric band over bypass as a revision for failed bypass patients.

Dr. George Koshy

Dr. George Koshy graduated from Government Medical College, Thiruvanathapuram in 1995. He worked as an Associate Professor at the same institution until 2006 when he started Obesity Solutions, a comprehensive obesity management centre along with his colleagues. Dr. Koshy is currently the Director of Obesity Solutions.

Mervyn Deitel, MD, FASMBS, FACN, CRCSC, FICS
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus & Founding Editor: OBESITY SURGERY,
Chief, Advisory Board, International Bariatric Club,
ASMBS (ASBS) Founding Member, Past President (1994-5)
& Foundation Award recipient,
IFSO Founding and Honorary Life Member & 1st Executive Director,
Director MGB/OAGB Club
Recipient of E. Mason Presidents Award, ASMBS 2015

Dr. Mervyn Deitel graduated in Medicine from the University of Toronto in 1961. He trained in surgery at Beth Israel, Bellevue and NY University Hospitals in New York, Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and trauma at Parkland Memorial in Dallas. He pioneered intravenous hyper-alimentation (total parenteral nutrition) at St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto in 1967 and began bariatric surgery in 1971, becoming a Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Surgery at University of Toronto, performing 2,850 jejuno-ileal bypasses, gastroplasties, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses. Starting in the 1970s, he edited five textbooks on surgical nutrition and on bariatric surgery.

He is a Founding Member of the ASBS (now ASMBS) in 1983, and served as President of the ASBS in 1994-1995. He was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award of the ASBS Foundation in 2002. Dr. Deitel is the Founding Editor of the journal, Obesity Surgery, in 1991, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal from 1991 to 2008, and remains Emeritus Editor-in Chief. He is a Founding Member of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) in 1996, served as its first Executive Director, and was awarded the Golden IFSO Logo in 1999 and Life Membership in 2005. He has published >350 articles (189 indexed in the Index Medicus, www.PubMed.gov), authored 14 chapters, serves on the editorial board of 5 journals, and has made >500 presentations, many invited abroad. Dr. Deitel is a member of the Central Surgical Association, SAGES, Society for Surgical Oncology, American Head and Neck Society, American College of Nutrition, Canadian Association of General Surgeons, and a Past-President of the Roswell Park Surgical Society.

Tony Chetty, MD, FRCPC, MSc
Associate Professor
Pathology and Molecular Medicine
Division: Anatomical Pathology
Discipline Director, Clinical Chemistry and Immunology (HRLMP)
McMaster University

Dr. Tony Chetty obtained his Medical Degree in South Africa. He completed his Fellowship in Medical Biochemistry and Master's Degree in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University. His research interests have a focus on Clinical Trials, New Pharmacological approaches in Obesity and Type 2 DM Mx. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University. Dr. Chetty is the Medical Director of the Bariatric Medical Clinic at St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton. He is also Chair of the Medical Program task force Committee of the Ontario Bariatric Network.

Kristel Lobo Prabhu, M.D, FRCSC

Kristel Lobo Prabhu is a Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery fellow at the University of Toronto. Completed medical school and residency in General Surgery at the University of British Columbia. Currently completing a Master's in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety with the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.

Learning Objectives

1. To summarize the evidence around the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic adjustable gastric bands
2. To highlight the importance of comprehensive, multidisciplinary care delivery for bariatric surgery programs

Dr. Judy Shiau, MDCM, FRCPC
Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine
Bariatric Medicine Fellowship Program Director

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Sean Wharton, MD, PharmD, FRCP(C)
Internal Medicine Specialist
Adjunct Professor York University, School of Kinesiology and Health Science
Lead Author - Obesity Section - Canadian Diabetes Guidelines
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine
Toronto East General Hospital, Internal Medicine Staff
Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, Internal Medicine Staff

Dr. Sean Wharton has his doctorate in Pharmacy and Medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Wharton Medical Clinic, a community based internal medicine weight management clinic.  He is an Adjunct Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton and York University in Toronto.  He also works as an internist at Toronto East General Hospital, and the Hamilton Health Sciences.  Dr. Wharton is a researcher, and is qualified as a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. There are only a handful of physicians with this qualification in Canada.

Dr. Wharton's research focuses on bariatric medicine and type 2 diabetes.  He is the lead author of the weight management section of the 2013 and 2018 Canadian Diabetes Guidelines.

Stephen A. Glazer, MD, FRCP(C ), FCCP
Internal Medicine
Critical Care Medicine
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine

Medical Director, Bariatric Surgical Program
Humber River Regional Hospital
American College of Surgeons Level 1 Accredited Bariatric Center of Excellence

Medical Director, Greater Toronto Area Medical Bariatric Program
Humber River Regional Hospital/University Health Network

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Queen's University

Lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine
University of Toronto

Dr. Stephen Glazer is a board certified specialist from the University of Toronto in Internal Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

In April 2010 he was appointed as the Medical Director for the Bariatric Surgical Program at Humber River Regional Hospital. He was instrumental in redeveloping their comprehensive bariatric surgical program. In that year, the bariatric surgical program was nominated as a Leading Practice by Accreditation Canada.

In 2012 Dr. Glazer was appointed as a the Director of the only hospital-based Medical Bariatric Program for the Greater Toronto Area, which has enjoyed great growth and development due to the significant contributions of its multidiscipline team members.

Dr. Glazer's commitment to the Obesity Epidemic is further displayed by his participation in many committees through the Ontario Bariatric Network and the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons. He has a strong interest in program development, quality care initiatives, and physician education.

He has personally been involved in direct patient care of over thousands of bariatric patients in the attempt to facilitate weight loss for improved overall health. His research interests include perioperative risk assessment and management as well as sleep apnea in the morbidly obese.

Robert Dent, MD, FRCPC

Robert Dent is a specialist in Internal Medicine with an academic appointment in Endocrinology at the University of Ottawa. 

In 1992 he established the Weight Management Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa.  This is a multidisciplinary clinic designed with these objectives:  patient care, teaching health care professionals and research in the genotype phenotype associations of obesity.    This clinic design has been adopted in several Canadian University Centres.

With respect to research he has 50 publications in peer reviewed journals in the last 7 years.  These publications deal with the design and outcomes of the clinic; Psychotropics and Weight gain, and on the genetics of obesity.  Since 2011 He along with Drs. Ruth McPherson and Mary Ellen Harper have held two CIHR grants dealing with Metabolic and Genetic determinants of Obesity and Obesity-related Phenotypes.  His awards have included:  Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for the work in Obesity Treatment, The Ottawa Hospital Compass award in 2015, and University of Ottawa Dept of Medicine research Award 2016.  

His primary interests include: Obesity treatment, psychosocial aspects of obesity, patient advocacy, and the genotype-phenotype associations of obesity.

Mary-Ellen Harper, PhD
University Research Chair in Mitochondrial Bioenergetics
Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology
Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa

Mary-Ellen Harper received an undergraduate degree in Nutrition from the University of Guelph prior to completing her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa.  Her Doctoral supervisors were Drs. Jean Himms-Hagen and John Patrick.  Dr. Harper then trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Martin Brand in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge (UK).  In 1995 Dr. Harper established her Mitochondrial Bioenergetics research laboratory at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Harper’s research focuses on mechanisms that impact the efficiency of energy conversion pathways in mitochondria, which are commonly known as the ‘power-houses’ of cells.  Changes in the efficiency of energy conversion can affect the development of diseases and metabolic dysfunction, and her research probes mechanisms in the context of obesity, diabetes, aging and cancer. Experimental approaches span from molecular in vitro studies, to mouse models, and to integrative studies in patient populations.  Her current laboratory team includes two postdoctoral fellows, two PhD students, two MSc students, three undergraduate students, two undergraduate research opportunity program students, and a technician.  Research has been funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Heart and Stroke Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI).  In 2015, she was the recipient of a CIHR Foundations Award to support research on ‘Mitochondrial Bioenergetics and Redox Biology in Obesity and Related Disease’. She currently holds a uOttawa Research Chair in Mitochondrial Bioenergetics.

Dr. Harper is invited internationally to speak on her research, and has published 139 peer-reviewed papers to-date.  She has trained many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, who now have successful careers, for example, in research and medicine.

Learning Objectives

1. To appreciate the importance of variable energy conversion efficiency in cells and tissues
2. To understand the potential implications of variable energy efficiency toward whole body energy balance in the context of obesity
   

Ruth McPherson, MD, PhD, FACP, FRCPC, FRSC
Professor, Department of Medicine
Merck Frosst Canada Chair in Atherosclerosis Research
Director, Lipid Clinic & Atherogenomics Laboratory
University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Dr. McPherson is a physician scientist and directs the Cardiovascular prevention clinic at the Ottawa Heart Institute. Her research is funded by CIHR and centres on the genetic etiology of cardiovascular disease and its metabolic precedents including obesity and its response to treatment.

Presentation Overview
Obesity is genetically complex and results from a myriad of common risk alleles of small effect size as well as smaller number of rare variants of high effect size. Here the focus will be on genetic factors that may influence individual capacity for weight loss in response to energy restriction.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the basic concepts of the genome-wife association study (GWAS)
2. Gain new information on the genes affecting mitochondrial
3. Understanding the relevance of genetics to obesity treatment.

Rafae Wathra, BHSc
University of Ottawa, Department of Medicine

Rafae Wathra completed his Bachelor of Health Sciences at McMaster University in 2014. He is currently in his third year of medical school at the University of Ottawa. His research interests include Bariatric Medicine, and he has completed a summer studentship at the Weight Management Clinic of the Ottawa Hospital.

Presentation Overview
A literature review was conducted to compare the effects of bariatric surgery and medical management for patients requiring acute weight loss in order to meet BMI criteria for solid organ transplant surgery. The review proposes that an ideal first step would be to initiate an aggressive medical weight management program prior to opting for bariatric surgery.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this presentation, participants should understand the current literature available on acute weight management of pretransplant patients requiring weight loss, and appreciate the potential increased role for aggressive medical weight management.

Babak Katiraee, M.D.
McMaster University

Dr. Babak Katiraee graduated from Medical School in Venezuela, then followed on to complete Residency in General Surgery and a Fellowship in Anorectal Surgery in that country. He then moved to Canada, and started an MIS fellowship in 2014 at McMaster University, where he currently remains, completing research mainly focused on bariatrics.

Learning Objectives
By the end of the presentation, participants should be able to understand the changes in Apnea/Hypopnea Index, Arousal Index and CPAP use after bariatric surgery.