Surgical Specialties

General surgeons are surgical specialists who do a wide range of operative procedures: 1) intra-abdominal organs including small and large intestine, stomach, gall bladder and biliary track 2) breast surgery for both malignant and benign conditions 3) thyroid and parathyroid surgery 4) hernia surgery, and 5) soft tissue tumours.

General surgeons at North York General Hospital use minimally invasive techniques (e.g. laparoscopic surgery) for many procedures including gall bladder surgery, hernia repairs, colon surgery, appendectomy and splenectomy. When appropriate, these techniques are used to minimize hospital stay, improve cosmetic results and speed return to normal activities.

We are leaders in breast conserving surgery for breast cancer and sentinel lymph node biopsy. These techniques allow for optimal surgical cancer treatment with a minimum of deformity and complications. General surgeons at North York General provide extensive endoscopy services to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of gastro-intestinal illnesses.

Our General Surgery Division is recognized by the University of Toronto for providing both high quality and high volume surgical services. We participate in the training of General Surgery residents from the University of Toronto program. As well, we participate in planning and presenting Surgical Update courses from the University of Toronto.

Cancer surgery

We have one of the largest cancer care programs in the GTA and an outstanding reputation for diagnosing and treating patients with cancer. The Surgery Program works closely with the skilled professionals across our hospital programs to provide you with the very best care. If a service you need is not available in our hospital, we will help you to access it elsewhere.

Colon cancer

The volume of colon cancer surgeries we perform is among the highest in the GTA. Wait times for colon cancer cases average under three weeks. Every general surgeon on staff does colon cancer surgery — ensuring high quality care and our ability to handle a large number of cases. A treatment option for colon cancer includes minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic), where appropriate.

We are increasing the number of endoscopies (a test that looks inside the body) we do so patients can access health care services faster. The hospital’s Laboratory Medicine Department provides diagnostic support to oncology and medical imaging teams.

Breast cancer

We are an acknowledged leader in breast cancer care in the GTA. Our physicians use breast-conserving surgery whenever possible, combined with the use of sentinel node biopsy. When needed, plastic surgeons are involved in reconstructive procedures.

General Surgeons

Dr. Lloyd Smith (Chief of Surgery)
Dr. Nancy Down (Division Chief)
Dr. Yasser Botros
Dr. Stan Feinberg
Dr. Ian Forrest
Dr. Usmaan Hameed
Dr. Neelesh Jain
Dr. Donna McRitchie
Dr. Fahima Osman
Dr. Brian Pinchuk
Dr. Peter Stotland
Dr. David Smith
Dr. Natalya Zhang

Vascular surgery

North York General’s vascular surgery service treats the surgical problems of arteries and veins. This includes surgery on narrowed arteries to prevent strokes, repair of abdominal aneurysms, and bypass procedures on narrowed arteries to prevent limb loss.

These illnesses are common in elderly patients, smokers and diabetics. The treatments offered include both traditional surgical approaches as well as endovascular stenting, a minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses advanced technology and instruments to treat disorders of the circulatory system. We have partnered with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre to provide endovascular procedures.

Vascular Surgeon

Dr. Ian Forrest

North York General Hospital is one of the busiest obstetrical units in Canada, with over 5,800 babies delivered each year. We care for many higher risk pregnancies and the hospital’s advanced level 2 Tippet Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provides specialized care for babies born 30 weeks or earlier in a pregnancy. Our community’s gynaecologic needs are also met by a group of highly skilled surgeons, many of whom have sub-specialty training in such areas as oncology, minimally invasive surgery, paediatric gynaecology and urogynaecology.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at North York General has a longstanding, highly evaluated training program affiliated with the University of Toronto from undergraduate to final year postgraduate trainees. It has nationally recognized teachers who have presented locally, nationally and at international conferences.

Numerous surgical procedures are performed, including:

Hysterectomy – vaginal, abdominal, laparoscopic See our Hysterectomy Patient Guide
Laser laparoscopy
Hysteroscopy
Urinary incontinence surgeries
Operations for pelvic prolapse

Gynaecologic Surgeons

Dr. Abheha Satkunaratnam Chief of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Program Medical Co-director of Maternal, Newborn and Paediatric Care
Dr. Adrian Brown
Dr. Angela Deane
Dr. Karthika Devarajan
Dr. Lacey Harding
Dr. Angela Kang
Dr. Danny Kreichman
Dr. Elyse Lackie
Dr. Sabrina Lee
Dr. Alexandra Nevin Lam
Dr. Alice Pham
Dr. Kalpana Sharma
Dr. Kirsten Smith
Dr. Pallavi Sriram
Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass
Dr. Cici Zhu
Dr. Lynne Zolis

Ophthalmologists are medical doctors specialized in eye and vision care. They are specialists in the medical and surgical treatment of eye diseases or other conditions. Our ophthalmologists perform cataract surgery in two dedicated eye surgery operating rooms at the NYGH Minor Surgical Procedures and Elder Care Centre (243 Consumers Road).

The Cataract High Volume Centre is a regional centre for cataract surgery. The centre, a partnership between North York General, Markham Stouffville and Humber River Regional hospitals, is serving more people in our community, and decreasing the wait time for cataract implants and surgery.

Non-cataract surgery

As a designated regional eye centre of the southern area of the Central LHIN, surgeons perform glaucoma and cornea transplants among other non-cataract surgeries such as enucleation, pterygium, and occuloplastic surgery.

Cataract surgery

The decision to operate is made with the patient based on the degree of vision impairment and the impact on their quality of life. Two operating rooms are shared by ophthalmologists from the three hospitals. This collaboration has meant standardizing procedures and processes, such as surgical equipment and medication, to enhance patient safety and patient flow.

Ophthalmology Surgeons

Dr. Raj Rathee (Division Head)
Dr. Andre Ali-Ridha
Dr. Minoo Azadeh
Dr. Graham Belovay
Dr. Ying Kathy Cao
Dr. Jeremy Goldfarb
Dr. Shelley Herzig
Dr. Baseer Khan
Dr. Stephanie Low
Dr. Rajiv Maini
Dr. Jeffrey Martow
Dr. Zale Mednick
Dr. Toylin Musewe
Dr. Jason Noble
Dr. Ted Rabinovitch
Dr. Sohel Somani
Dr. David Weinstock
Dr. Victor Moss Weinstock

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons provide patients with expertise in oral and facial trauma, infection, pathology, reconstructive surgery, as well as surgical treatment of wisdom teeth, bone grafting and dental implants.

Oral/Maxillo-Facial Surgeons

Dr. Robert M. Klein (Division Head)
Dr. Tina Meisami-Fard
Dr. Victoria Seto
Dr. Claudio Tocchi

Otolaryngology surgeons (ear, nose and throat [ENT]), provide care to the upper airway and ears as well as glands and tumours of the head and neck.

Head and neck surgeons at North York General Hospital also provide comprehensive surgical care in all subspecialties within this discipline. Subspecialty expertise includes paediatric surgery, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, salivary gland surgery, rhinology (disorders of the nose) and laryngology (voice disorders).

Our division is one of the largest providers of paediatric otolaryngology services in the province with surgical problems related to the ears or tonsils. In addition, there is a focus on thyroid, parotid, parathyroid and other related problems of the head and neck.

The department has a strong presence in medical education at the University of Toronto at all levels of training.

Otolaryngology Surgeons

Dr. David Goldfarb
Dr. Thileeban Kandasamy
Dr. Manish Shah

Our paediatric dentists allow for dental treatment (restorative and surgery/extractions) to be performed under general anesthesia on children and teens who have emotional, physical or behavioural problems that do not allow treatment to be performed safely in a regular office setting.

Paediatric Dentistry Surgeon
Dr. Elliot Schwartz

North York General Hospital offers a wide range of paediatric surgery. Our hospital has long had a strong paediatric general surgical presence. Dr. Noelle Grace, who retired in 2012 after more than 30 years as a paediatric surgeon at North York General, was the first female paediatric surgeon in Canada.

We have a number of specialists who perform surgery on paediatric patients. Available specialists include experienced paediatric anesthesiologists, otolaryngologists, dental and maxillofacial surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Before surgery, children and parents go to our paediatric waiting room Grace’s Place, where they will be joined by a health care professional. Parents can walk with their child as far as the operating room door.

Paediatric surgery resources

Learn more about the services our paediatric general surgeons provide in the Child and Teen Program.

The Division of Plastic Surgery at North York General Hospital is one of the leading breast reduction centres in the province, performing one of the largest volumes of any hospital in Ontario. We provide a full spectrum of plastic surgery services, including reconstructive, hand, and esthetic surgery.

The division has special expertise in post cancer breast reconstruction, including Free Flap, and treats all types of skin cancers, and soft tissue injuries and infections. The management of hand trauma is a high priority and excellent care is provided in conjunction with skilled hand therapists.

The division is recognized for its work in nasal- facial reconstructive and esthetic surgery.

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Sean Rice (Division Head)
Dr. Yasser El-Sheikh
Dr. Mary-Helen Mahoney
Dr. Petra Schiller
Dr. Ron Somogyi

Urology surgeons are surgical specialists who treat a wide variety of diseases of the urinary system and the male genital tract. North York General Hospital’s urology surgeons are national and international leaders in prostate and bladder cancer treatment.

We provide open, laparoscopic and cystoscopic services at the General site to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract illnesses. Diagnostic cystoscopy under local anaesthesia is provided at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre. We offer a complete continuum of cancer care to patients from screening and diagnosis to treatment and follow-up care.

When in opened in June 2007 at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre, the Gale and Graham Wright Prostate Centre was the first prostate centre in the province to offer timely diagnosis, information, expertise and resources in a community hospital setting.

Urology Surgeons

Dr. Roger Buckley (Division Head)
Dr. Stan Flax
Dr. David Hajek
Dr. Jeffrey Noakes
Dr. Lesley Spevack