Appointments:
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Microbiology & Immunology and Pathology. HPB & Multi-Organ Transplant Surgeon. Director, AHPBA Hepatobiliary Surgery Fellowship Program
Affiliations:
QEII Health Science Centre. Dalhousie University
Research Interests:
Pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, ischemia-reperfusion injury, organ transplantation, precision medicine, minimally invasive and robotic surgery techniques in hepatobiliary surgery.
Personalized medicine in the treatment of pancreas and liver cancer
My cancer research is mainly focused in using new discoveries from basic science to facilitate implementation in clinical practice. I am particularly interested in analyzing tumor characteristics, including its microenvironment, and their influence on clinical outcomes. I am also interested in identifying potential predictors of treatment success before performing invasive procedures. Finally, I am passionate about new technologies to increase safety of patients undergoing oncological surgeries, including the implementation of minimally invasive and robotics techniques in the surgical treatment of cancer.
What brought you to your current institution? I trained in Havana, Cuba and had the opportunity to learn and work in multiple high-level centers worldwide. I was recruited to Dalhousie University to bring my expertise in the field of hepatobiliary and multi-organ transplant surgery to the program, and to also contribute to the Department of Surgery endeavors to foster basic science research.
Hometown: Havana, Cuba
Why are you interested in your area of research? Surgery for pancreas and liver cancer is one of the most challenging procedures. Early in my career, I felt compelled to master these techniques and today, I am grateful for being able to help so many patients suffering from these terrible diseases.
Learn More about my research
Involvement with BHCRI to date:
I am an Associate member of BHCRI since 2022