Dr. Bob Kiaii appointed as inaugural Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair in Surgical Innovation in the Department of Surgery

Dr. Bob Kiaii has been appointed as the inaugural Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair in Surgical Innovation in the Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, for the period July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018.

The Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair in Surgical Innovation was founded in 2011 by an extraordinary gift of $1.5M from Mr. Ray and Mrs. Margaret Elliott which was matched with funds from Western University. This Endowed Chair positions the Department of Surgery, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Western University at the forefront of surgical care, education and research.

As the Ray and Margaret Elliott Chair, Dr. Kiaii's role will include building teams in advancing technology changes in surgery; contributing to the advancement of simulation and simulation-based training at Western; participating in the establishment of the Biomedical Devices Institute in London; and in fostering relationships with the medical device industry.

Dr. Kiaii graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia. He completed his MD at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Western University followed by General Surgery residency training at the University of Calgary and a Cardiac Surgery residency at Western. Dr. Kiaii subsequently completed a fellowship in Cardiac Transplantation at Western and a second fellowship at the Leipzig Heart Centre in Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiac Surgery in Germany.

Dr. Kiaii was recruited to the Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Western University and London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in 2003. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 and was appointed the Chair/Chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery in 2010. Dr. Kiaii also presently serves as the Director of the Minimally Invasive Robotic Cardiac Surgery Program at LHSC.

Dr. Kiaii is an internationally acclaimed clinician and researcher in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. He performed the first North American simultaneous integrated coronary artery revascularization in 2004; the world's first aortic valve bypass using the Correx apical conduit; the world's first repair of a perforation of the right atrium using the da Vinci® Robotic System in 2011; the first Canadian robotic-assisted multi-vessel coronary artery bypass; the world's first robotic-assisted left atrial appendage ligation for atrial fibrillation; and was the first to broadcast a real-time cardiac surgical procedure to surgeons in Colombia in 2011. Dr. Kiaii has performed the largest series of simultaneous integrated coronary artery revascularizations in the world.

Working in collaboration with scientists from the faculty of Engineering, Division of Cardiology, and Robarts Research Institute, Dr. Kiaii's research focuses on minimally invasive cardiac surgical procedures including surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation, mitral and aortic valve procedures, and coronary artery revascularization. He has more than 85 publications in the peer-reviewed literature and has served as guest professor for more than 160 lectures in countries throughout the globe. Dr. Kiaii has frequently served as an expert and leader in cardiac care for provincial governing bodies in Ontario.

Congratulations Dr. Kiaii on your appointment as the Ray and Margaret Chair in Surgical Innovation