St. Michael’s Hospital endoscopy training program draws experts and students from around the world

HN Summary

• Participants from around the world took part in North America’s oldest and longest-running live endoscopy course, combining hands-on training with live-streamed complex procedures.

• For 36 years, St. Michael’s Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy Course has trained gastroenterologists, fellows and residents in cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.

• Recently re-designated a World Endoscopy Organization Centre of Excellence, St. Michael’s is one of just 20 such centres globally and the only one in Canada.

This past fall, endoscopy specialists from around the globe gathered at St. Michael’s to participate in the oldest and longest-running live endoscopy course in North America.

On day one, participants from as far away as Japan, Australia, the United States and Italy joined a live, hands-on training session and practiced the latest advanced endoscopic procedures under expert faculty guidance. Over the following two days, more than 20 complex patient cases were performed at the St. Michael’s Endoscopy Centre and broadcast live to more than 130 course attendees at Li Ka-Shing Knowledge Institute next door, and more than a thousand others watched over a virtual platform, Endoscopy On Air.

For 36 years, the centre’s Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy Course has shaped the next generation of endoscopy specialists through this hands-on, three day training course. The course provides practicing gastroenterologists, fellows and residents with an immersive experience in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. During the program, they learn new endoscopic techniques and enhance their ability to identify and treat endoscopic complications.

“It’s rare to see an educational program sustain this level of engagement for nearly four decades,” said Dr. Gary May, Head of gastroenterology at St. Michael’s Hospital. “This initiative is successful because of the dedication of our guest faculty and their ongoing commitment to passing on knowledge and expertise.”

Endoscopy is a procedure that allows physicians to examine the gastro-intestinal tract using a flexible tube called an endoscope. Equipped with a light and camera at its end, the endoscope is inserted through a natural opening such as the mouth or rectum. This procedure allows physicians to perform minimally invasive procedures and surgeries that often lead to an easier recovery for patients.

The teaching program was initially founded by Drs. Norman Markon, Paul Kortan and Greg Haber who together had the vision to build the Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy at St. Michael’s. Today the training program convenes international endoscopy specialists, many of whom trained at the centre early in their careers.

“At Unity Health Toronto, we believe in sharing knowledge to foster innovation,” said Sonya Canzian, Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations Officer and Chief Nursing and Health Disciplines Executive at Unity Health.  “Our gastroenterologists are among an accomplished group of pioneers in endoscopy who perform complex procedures and significantly contribute to driving advancements in the field. We are proud of their impact on this 36 year legacy of excellence in care and education in Canada.”

St. Michael’s also boasts the largest and most established therapeutic endoscopy centre in Canada.The department acts as the backstop for the entire GTA, Ontario and most of eastern Canada. It serves as a referral centre for many minimally intrusive and complex endoscopic procedures.

“We do much more than routine procedures,” said Dr. Jeff Mosko, Gastroenterologist/Therapeutic Endoscopist who carried out a first ever life saving procedure for a patient just a year ago.“Our team performs more than 35 advanced procedures, many of them for cancer and precancerous conditions. In some cases, we can remove a polyp or lesion, spare nearby organs, and keep the patient from more invasive surgery.”

Recently, the Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy was re-designated as a Centre of Excellence by the World Endoscopy Organization (WEO). This prestigious recognition places St. Michael’s among just 20 Centres of Excellence worldwide. There are four others in the Americas, and one in Canada: St. Michael’s.

By Olivia Lavery
Anna Robinson works in communications at Unity Health.

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