Professor, University of Alberta, Division of surgery, Medical Director of CAMIS (The Center for the Advancement of Minimally Invasive Surgery).

Daniel W Birch MD completed his surgical residency at McMaster University in Hamilton in 1998.  He has completed a Fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at the Minimal Access Training Unit (MATTU) in Guildford Surrey, UK with Mr Michael Bailey and at The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky with Dr Adrian Park.  He was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, McMaster University and Associate Director for the Center for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS) St Joseph’s Hospital in 1999.  He was recruited to Capital Health in July 2004 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, to lead the development of a centre of excellence in minimally invasive surgery.  This centre, CAMIS (The Centre for the Advancement of Minimally Invasive Surgery) is based at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. He has been the Chair of the CAGS (Canadian Association of General Surgeons) Committee on Laparoscopy and Endoscopy since 2005 and Secretary of the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons (CABPS) since.  He completes advanced minimally invasive procedures for a wide variety of gastrointestinal disease including Bariatric Surgery and is an author on over 30 peer-reviewed publications.  He has recently been granted tenure at the University of Alberta in the Department of Surgery.  His wife Joanna is an emergency room physician in Edmonton and he has four children: William (8yrs), Abby (6yrs), Kate (3yrs) and Jack (1yr).