Announcement: Dr. Michael Chu appointed the Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair in Surgical Innovation
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Chu has been appointed as the Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair in Surgical Innovation in the Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2027.
As the Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair, Dr. Chu’s role includes building teams in advancing technology changes in surgery; contributing to the advancement of simulation and simulation-based training at Western; and fostering relationships with the medical device industry.
Dr. Chu studied medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and completed his cardiac surgery residency at Western University in 2006. He completed a master’s degree in Medical Education at the University of Toronto in November 2004. Following his residency, Dr. Chu undertook a fellowship at East Carolina University in minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery, with a focus on complex mitral valve reconstruction. This was followed by an international opportunity to complete a fellowship in transcatheter aortic valve technology at the Herzzentrum in Leipzig, Germany.
Dr. Chu has a clinical focus in minimally invasive mitral valve reconstruction, transcatheter valve technology and complex aortic reconstruction, including hybrid arch repair and the Ross procedure.
An active researcher, with cross appointments in the Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Chu has investigated minimally invasive and robotic mitral surgery, augmented imaging in minimally invasive valve surgery, experimental transcatheter technology and complex aortic reconstruction.
Recipient of the MacEachern Award, the prestigious international Francis Fontan Award and the ISMICS Robert Emery Young Investigator Award for his research endeavours, Dr. Chu is an accomplished innovator and high-profile researcher with an international impact. He has active grants from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Institutes of Health Research and participates in many multi-centre surgical clinical trials.
Dr. Chu is the founder and lead of the Canadian Thoracic Aortic Collaborative, a Professor of Surgery and is currently a practising cardiac surgeon consultant. He is the Chair/Chief of Cardiac Surgery at London Health Sciences Centre and Western University. He holds impressive connections with research, trial groups and has taken research from bench to bedside.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Chu on his appointment.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University
