Mehran Anvari

Dr. Mehran Anvari – an expert and pioneer in the field of telerobotic surgery – is a Professor of Surgery and Director of Research at McMaster University.

In May 2004, he was also appointed to the newly created Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Innovation. He is the founding Director of the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS), and currently holds a $1.2 Million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Ontario Ministry of Health to examine the efficacy and cost effectiveness of proton pump inhibitors versus laparoscopic fundoplication in the treatment of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease.  Anvari also holds a million dollar grant from the Canada Health Infostructure Partnership Program (CHIPP) to develop a national Telehealth and Telementoring network to connect surgeons in remote regions of Canada with experienced surgeons for education and support.

In 2003, Anvari established the world’s first telerobotic surgical service between a tertiary institution and a distant community hospital and has since performed 22 remote surgeries. He was also the Chief Scientific Officer for the NEEMO 7 mission in October 2004, a joint project of CMAS, the Canadian Space Agency and NASA that tested the ability of new robotic and telesurgical technology to allow a non-physician to perform assisted surgery in a contained environment that simulates conditions in space.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada appointed him as the Jane Visiting Professor for 2002-2004.