Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons (CSCS)

Cardiac Surgery

225 - SPECIAL SESSION: REDEFINING PRECISION: THE CANADIAN ROBOTIC HEART SURGERY IMPERATIVE

Co-Chair(s)

• 

  Richard Cook, MD, MSc, FRCSC

  Clinical Professor of Surgery
  CSCS
  University of British Columbia
• 

  Carolyn Teng, MD, MSc, FRCSC (she/her/hers)

  Cardiac Surgeon
  Kingston General Hospital
  Queen's University

Presenter(s)

• DB

  Denis Bouchard, MD, PhD

  CARDIAC SURGEON
  Montreal Heart Institute
  Université de Montréal
• DB

  Daniel Burns
• MC

  Michael Chu, MD, MEd, FRCSC

  Professor and Chief of Cardiac Surgery
  Western University
• BK

  Bob Kiaii

  Chief of cardiac surgery
• 

  Michel Pellerin (he/him/his)

  CARDIAC SURGEON
  Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal
  Université de Montréal
• 

  Derrick Y. Tam, MD, PhD

  Division of Cardiac surgery
  University of Toronto
  University of Toronto

Session Description: As robotic technology transforms cardiac surgery worldwide, Canada faces a critical inflection point. This special session brings together national leaders to examine the current robotic cardiac surgery footprint in Canada, the urgency of scaling access and innovation, and the pathway toward a coordinated, national robotic heart surgery consortium. Through expert insights and strategic visioning, this session will challenge attendees to rethink surgical precision, equity of access, and Canada's global competitiveness in robotic cardiovascular innovation.

Presentations:

1. The Robotic Footprint in Canada: Where are we Now? – Dr. Denis Bouchard


2. Urgency to Scale: Why Canada Must Accelerate in Robotic Cardiac Surgery – Dr. Bob Kiaii


3. Toward a National Vision: Launching a CSCS/CCS Robotic Heart Surgery Consortium – Drs. Daniel Burns, Derrick Tam, Michael Chu