The Toronto Experience in Complex Airway Reconstruction
International Day, Monday | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | 500 Ballroom
When cancer or trauma devastates the airway, restoring both function and hope requires surgical artistry of the highest order. Ralph W. Gilbert, MD, has spent decades pioneering reconstructive techniques that give patients their voices—and their lives—back. In this year's Eugene N. Myers, MD International Lecture on Head and Neck Cancer, Dr. Gilbert will share insights from the Toronto experience in complex airway reconstruction, demonstrating innovative approaches that are reshaping outcomes for patients with the most challenging laryngeal and tracheal defects.
Dr. Gilbert currently serves as head of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Gullane/O’Neil Chair in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University Health Network, Canada’s largest hospital, housing the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, an international leader in cancer care. He is also a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto.
A graduate of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Dr. Gilbert completed his postgraduate training in otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at the University of Toronto. He completed two advanced training fellowships in head and neck surgery at the University of Toronto and reconstructive microsurgery at the University of Linkoping in Sweden.
Dr. Gilbert has previously served in several administrative and leadership roles, including the head of Surgical Oncology at the Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto, chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at the University Health Network, and president of the International Academy of Oral Oncology.
Dr. Gilbert is an established international expert in the use of reconstructive microsurgery for complex head and neck reconstruction on patients treated for head and neck cancer. His practice is focused on surgical oncology and airway reconstruction. Dr. Gilbert has demonstrated several techniques for complex post-traumatic or oncologic defects of the larynx and trachea. He has also popularized new techniques for reconstruction of the maxilla and the mandible. In addition, he has published extensively on the evaluation of different treatment approaches for head and neck cancer of all sites.