University of Calgary, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
After graduating from medical school in June 1998, he completed his neurosurgery residency at the University of Toronto, Canada. He obtained a Masters of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Toronto under the direction of Dr. James Drake. Dr. Riva-Cambrin completed a postgraduate fellowship in pediatric neurological surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto.
Dr. Riva-Cambrin’s clinical interest is pediatric neurosurgery specifically including the treatment of hydrocephalus, craniofacial surgery, endoscopy, and clinical epidemiology. He is the Scientific Director of the Canadian Pediatric Neurosurgery Study Group (CPNSG). He is also a Principal Investigator within the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN). Recent research interests include comparing the outcomes between ETV+CPC and shunts in the infant hydrocephalus population, predicting success in ETV+CPC treated infants, and exploring the relationship between ventricle size and neuropsychological outcomes in older children treated for hydrocephalus. He has been a Principal Investigator or co-investigator on seventeen grants and has over 150 peer-reviewed publications mostly focused on pediatric hydrocephalus.
Dr. Riva-Cambrin has joined the faculty at the University of Calgary in 2015 from his previous role at the University of Utah. He is a Professor of Neurosurgery, the Residency Program Director for the neurosurgery training program, the Co-Educational Director of ACHRI and the largest grant in the history of Alberta “One Child Every Child”. Lastly, he has just been awarded the Kinsmen Chair of Pediatric Neurosciences at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Abhaya Kulkarni is a pediatric neurosurgeon and Professor of Surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, a Senior Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute, and Program Director for the Neurosurgery Residency Program at the University of Toronto. He completed neurosurgery training at the University of Toronto and his PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at McMaster University. After a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Hopital Necker Enfants Malades in Paris, he began his faculty appointment at the Hospital for Sick Children in 2003. Dr. Kulkarni’s research focuses on health outcome assessments in pediatric neurosurgery, with special emphasis on hydrocephalus. He is a site investigator for the North American Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network and has received research funding from several national and international funding agencies. He serves on the Editorial Boards of Neurosurgery and Journal of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Venne is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Montreal and a neurosurgeon at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital. After completing a degree in Biology (B.Sc.) and a Master’s in Biomolecular Sciences, Dr. Venne pursued his medical studies and postdoctoral training in neurosurgery at the University of Montreal. A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), he is also accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Belgium (European Union).
His professional career began in Belgium, where he practiced pediatric, vascular, and oncological neurosurgery. He then continued his international career in Abu Dhabi, where he held the positions of Head of Neurosurgery at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (an Emirates Center of Excellence), Coordinator of the Internship Program in Surgery, and Co-Director of National Neurosciences. In addition to his administrative duties, he led the programs in pediatric neurosurgery, surgical neuro-oncology, and craniofacial surgery. He also developed one of the largest spina bifida programs in the Middle East and established an antenatal consultation clinic for congenital neural tube disorders.
In 2012, he was recruited by Cleveland Clinic, Ohio (USA) to found Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and lead its Neurological Institute. He later became the Medical Director for international, VIP, and royal patients. In 2013, Dr. Venne was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine / Faculty of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University.
In 2017, Dr. Venne returned to Sainte-Justine University Health Center, where he initially trained in pediatric neurosurgery. He became Head of the Neurosurgery Service in 2019, and later that same year, Head of the Department of Surgery. Since his arrival at CHUSJ, Dr. Venne has established the intraoperative neuro-monitoring program, allowing neurosurgeons to perform more safely extensive resections of brain and spinal cord tumors, while also reducing patient hospitalization durations. Dr. Venne also introduced the concept of microsurgical tumor resection under fluorescence guidance. This surgical aid allows for more extensive tumor resections than standard techniques by using a pharmaceutical product that specifically targets and marks certain brain and spinal tumors.
His areas of expertise include the microsurgical and/or endoscopic treatment of brain tumors, skull base and pituitary tumors, the excision of brain and spinal vascular malformations, craniosynostosis and craniofacial disorders, spinal dysraphisms (spina bifida), traumatic brain injuries, and the treatment of cerebrospinal fluid circulation disorders (hydrocephalus, syringomyelia).
Dr. Fasano received his medical degree from the Catholic University of Rome, Italy, in 2002 and became a neurologist in 2007. After A 2-year fellowship at the University of Kiel, Germany, he completed a PhD in neuroscience at the Catholic University of Rome. His main areas of interest are the treatment of movement disorders with advanced technology (infusion pumps and neuromodulation), pathophysiology, and treatment of tremor and gait disorders. He authoured more than 370 scientific papers and book chapters. Dr. Fasano is the co-editor of the section “Gaps and Controversies” of Movement Disorders, Journal and editorial board member of Annals of Neurology, Movement Disorders Journal, Movement Disorders Clinical Practice and Parkinsonism and Related Disorders. He is also the principal investigator of several clinical trials.
Dr. Alfonso Fasano also holds the Chair of Neuromodulation and Multi-Disciplinary Care at the University of Toronto and University Health Network. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology) at the University of Toronto. He is staff neurologist and co-director of the Surgical Program for Movement Disorders at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. He is also staff neurologist at the Hospital of Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Fasano is a Clinician Investigator at the Krembil Research Institute and KITE – Toronto Rehabilitation Hospital. Dr. Fasano leads the Core E (closed-loop capabilities) of the CentreR for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application (CRANIA) and sits in the scientific advisory of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and International Essential Tremor Foundation. He’s the chair of the Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus study group and member of the study group on tremor of the International Parkinson Movement Disorders Society; he’s also a member of the Tremor Research Group and the Parkinson Study Group.