Dr. Peterson has worked as a staff Cardiac Surgeon in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital since 2007, and is currently appointed as a Full Professor of Surgery within the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He holds an Adjunct Scientist position in the Keenan Research Centre within the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. In addition to these appointments, he is also the Medical Director of the Brain and Heart Centre and the Co-Director of the Structural Heart Program. Dr. Peterson holds the Schroeder Chair in Brain and Heart.
Dr. Peterson values his mentorship and teaching roles to support international residents and surgical fellows through traditional avenues as well as the establishment of internationally recognized training programs. Dr. Peterson has also been extensively involved in research and is the principal investigator/co-investigator on many research studies at Unity Health in aortic surgery and transcatheter valve intervention.
Dr. Peterson has focused his clinical activity in two primary areas: structural heart intervention and complex aortic surgery and valve repair. The structural heart program that was developed at St. Michael’s Hospital is a collaborative and highly innovative team, whereby cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists work seamlessly together among a wide group of health care professionals. This group has performed some highly innovative procedures that were ‘first-in-human’ such as the Evoque transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement and currently treats some of the most difficult and challenging transcatheter valve procedures.
Dr. Peterson also leads a large volume complex aortic surgery program that is also modeled around wrap-around care delivered in a multidisciplinary team. The aortic program is a center of excellence for patients with acute and chronic aortic pathologies, offers cutting-edge and evidenced based surgical and endovascular treatment from the aortic valve to the iliac bifurcation. The primary focus is on reconstructive techniques for the aortic valve/root (including valve repair, valve sparing root replacement and the Ross Procedure), minimally invasive techniques and advancement of novel hybrid and fully endovascular technologies. The aortic clinic offers a multidisciplinary, multispecialty program to provide wrap-around care for these patients, including patients with connective tissue disorders and heritable aortopathies.
Dr. Peterson is involved in several important collaborative research groups at the local, national and international levels, including IRAD (International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection), CTAC (Canadian Thoracic Aortic Collaborative), industry sponsored trials, and the Toronto Aortic Collaborative (TAC). The IRAD group recently published its 100th work from the data amassed on Type A and B aortic dissection, from the international contributing centers. Additionally, as a founding member and active contributor to (CTAC), Dr. Peterson has been involved in numerous papers focusing on the management of patients with aortic diseases who have underwent aortic surgery. He also was awarded a research grant to study and develop improved care algorithms for patients with acute aortic syndromes in the Greater Toronto Area (TAC-CALL). Additionally, he pioneered work to developed a direct innominate cannulation and perfusion strategy to protect the brain during aortic operations requiring circulatory arrest, that led to one of the largest randomized trials in aortic surgery focused on differential neuroprotective strategies during aortic arch (the ACE Trial). This study has the largest imaging database of patients with diffusion weighted MRI both pre and post aortic surgery, which is the substrate for future research.
Dr. Peterson has partnered with Dr. Neil Fam to form the St. Michael Hospital structural heart research group. They are actively participating in more than 10 industry sponsored, as well as 7 investigator led trials. These studies primarily focus on improving treatment for established interventions such as TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement), as well as evaluating the feasibility, safety and efficacy of novel transcatheter valve devices and repair techniques.
INTERNATIONAL
2004 Apr Philip K. Caves Award, Recipient, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, San Francisco, CA, United States. (Distinction, Specialty: Cardiothoracic Transplantation/Immunology). Award for best paper/presentation by trainee in cardiothoracic transplantation at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Annual Meeting. Total Amount: 1,000 USD
2003 - 2005 Laszlo N. Tauber Research Grant, Recipient, Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education (TSFRE), Beverly, Massachusetts, United States. (Research Award, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). Support Fellowship Training and PhD Studies. Total Amount: 50,000 USD
NATIONAL
2004 - 2005 Training Award in Regenerative Medicine, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Research Award, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). PhD Research Fellowship Award. Total Amount: 45,000 CAD
2003 - 2004 Training Award in Regenerative Medicine, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Research Award, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). PhD Research Fellowship Award. Total Amount: 20,000 CAD
2003 Basic Science Trainee Award, Recipient, Canadian Society of Transplantation, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Cardiothoracic Transplantation/Immunology). Total Amount: 1,000 CAD
2002 - 2003 J&J Medical Products Fellowship Award, Recipient, Johnson and Johnson, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Research Award, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). Total Amount: 25,000 CAD
LOCAL
2021 - 2025 Walter and Maria Schroeder Foundation Award. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Total Amount: $1,000,000.00 ($200,000.00/year for five years). This award was given to MD Peterson to support research in Aortic and Transcatheter Heart Valve Surgery.
2017 - 2020 Walter and Maria Schroeder Foundation Award. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Total Amount: $1,000,000.00 ($250,000.00/year for four years). This award was given to MD Peterson to support research in Aortic and Transcatheter Heart Valve Surgery.
*Note – Award from Walter and Marie Schroeder Foundation spans from 2017-2025, for a total award value of $2,000,000.00
2004 Laidlaw Competition/Runner-up, University of Toronto/Institute of Medical Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). Best paper/presentation by a graduate student in the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto.
2004 Postgraduate Award: Chisholm Memorial Fellowship, University of Toronto/Postgraduate Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). Total Amount: 3,500 CAD
2004 Postgraduate Award: Graham Campbell Fellowship, University of Toronto/Postgraduate Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). ($14 000.00 for all three Postgraduate Awards). Total Amount: 14,000 CAD
2004 Postgraduate Award: Joseph M. Family West Memorial Fund, Unique recipient, University of Toronto/Posgraduate Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology)
Total Amount: 3,500 CAD
2003 Postgraduate Award: Edie Steinberg Scholarship Fund, University of Toronto/Postgraduate Medicine, Ontario, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). Total Amount: 3,500 CAD
2003 Postgraduate Award: Joseph M. Family West Memorial Fund, Recipient, University of Toronto/Postgraduate Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology)
Total Amount: 3,500 CAD
2001 Surgical Alumni Fellowship Graduate Scholarship Award, Recipient, University of Toronto/Department of Surgery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Research Award, Specialty: Inflammatory Cell Biology/Transplant Immunology). Total Amount: 14,000 CAD
1996 Frost Medal & Scholarship, Recipient, The University of Manitoba/Faculty of Medicine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Distinction, Specialty: Cardiovascular Anesthesiology). Best clinical B.Sc. Med Thesis.
1996 Nicholson Prize, The University of Manitoba/Faculty of Medicine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Distinction) B.Sc. Med. Thesis with greatest scientific merit.
1995 Morris Neaman Scholarship, Recipient, The University of Manitoba/Faculty of Medicine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
(Distinction, Specialty: Cardiovascular Anesthesiology). Excellence in the first year of B.Sc. Med.
1991 - 1994 Dean’s Top Honor List, Recipient, The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Distinction). Median mark in Undergraduate University of >85%.
Inflammatory Cell Biology, Vascular Biology & Immunology, University of Toronto, PhD (2001-2005) |
Medicine, University of Manitoba, MD (1994-1998) |
Medicine & Cardiovascular Anesthesiology, University of Manitoba, B.Sc. Med. (1994-1996) |
Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Manitoba, BSc (1991-1994) |
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