Pioneering surgeon to speak at College of Medicine commencement May 26

May 17, 2017 | Events, News, UToday, Medicine and Life Sciences
By Sarah A. Velliquette



Internationally renowned minimally invasive surgeon Dr. Mehran Anvari will be the commencement speaker for the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences graduation ceremony Friday, May 26, at 2 p.m. at Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd. in Toledo.

There are more than 200 candidates for degrees: 162 for doctor of medicine degrees; 10 for a doctor of philosophy degrees; 29 for master’s degrees; and four for graduate certificates.

Anvari

Anvari, one of the first physicians in Canada to use robotics in surgery who also won a NASA award for his role in developing an automated robot used for detecting the early stages of breast cancer, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Anvari serve as the speaker for our upcoming commencement,” said Dr. Christopher Cooper, senior vice president for clinical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “His impressive body of work, particularly in minimal access techniques, should serve as an example to our graduates that pushing boundaries and finding new and innovative methods to replace established practices can lead to better, more positive outcomes.”

A tenured professor and chair in minimally invasive surgery and surgical innovation at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Anvari is the founding director of the McMaster Institute for Surgical Invention, Innovation and Education; the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery; and the Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation.

“It is an honor to be invited to speak at the commencement of The University of Toledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences,” Anvari said. “My talk will focus on how innovation is an essential ingredient for social and economic progress and can solve the problems facing our global community. It should be a goal for all students and drive our future academic and professional endeavors.”

Anvari is a pioneer in his field. He is the founding director of the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery and scientific director and CEO of the Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation, affiliated with McMaster University and St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton.

In 2003, he established the world’s first telerobotic surgical service linking St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and a community hospital.

In addition, Anvari has authored more than 120 publications and has been an invited lecturer numerous times on the outcomes and evidence for the increasing use of laparoscopic esophagogastric and bowel surgery, as well as on the use of robotics in surgery.

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