Amin Madani, MD PhD FRCSC FACS

Staff Surgeon, Department of Surgery, University Health Network
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
Faculty (Endocrine Oncology), Department of Surgical Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Dr. Madani is the director of the Surgical AI Research Academy (SARA) at the University Health Network (UHN). He is an endocrine and acute care surgeon at UHN and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Toronto, where he specializes in the surgical management of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal disorders. He attended medical school at Western University and completed his general surgery residency training at McGill University. During his training he also obtained his PhD in surgical education and innovation. He subsequently completed a clinical fellowship in endocrine surgery at Columbia University-New York Presbyterian Hospital.

His research focus is in surgical expertise and the use of technology to optimize performance in the operating room. This includes platforms that incorporate machine learning, computer vision, advanced simulation and augmented/virtual/mixed reality. He also has a background in qualitative methodologies where he has spent over a decade investigating mental models, intra-operative decision-making and other constructs of expertise. This work has established the foundation for his lab to use a needs-based approach to design and develop new innovations to augment surgeon performance. Dr. Madani serves as the chair of the Surgical Data Science Task Force of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), as well as the co-founder and chair of the Global Surgical AI Collaborative, spearheading efforts to bring the surgical and AI community together to disseminate surgical expertise around the world in a sustainable manner.

Dr. Madani’s research is supported by:

• A heartfelt thank you to all who provided a Philanthropic Contribution to support our mission. We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Helga Gertrud Schmidt (1935-2020), whose generous donation prior to her passing has enabled our laboratory to flourish.
• J.P. Bickell Foundation
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
• University of Toronto Continuing Professional Development’s Research & Development
• University of Toronto Department of Surgical Oncology/GTx Innovation Research
• Soham & Shaila Ajmera Family Transplant Centre
• Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine
• Association for Surgical Education

Cathy Masino, MA, CCRP

Cathy joined the team in 2021 as Project Manager. At SARA, Cathy works with a team of machine learning specialists, developers, researchers, to create and evaluate innovative surgical training tools and enable clinical research. With over 10 years of experience working to develop and implement applications in telemonitoring, telementoring and surgical coaching, simulation education, across a variety of medical and surgical settings, Cathy brings a strong skill set to her role. Cathy’s interests lie in improving learner performance through technological innovations. She has made numerous research contributions the fields of simulation, virtual care, and surgical education. Cathy is a Certified Clinical Research Professional with an MA from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Her master’s thesis was in curriculum, teaching, and learning, focusing on survey measurement and evaluation.