Montreal, Quebec
Dr Liane Feldman is Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of General Surgery at McGill University. She holds the Steinberg-Bernstein Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Innovation at the McGill University Health Centre where her clinical focus is advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery. She is also the Program Director for the Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship.
Dr Feldman’s clinical and research interests center on the measurement and improvement of recovery and other outcomes of gastrointestinal surgery. This includes measurement of patient-centered outcomes during surgical recovery; training and assessment of surgeons in laparoscopic techniques; and organization of perioperative care processes. Dr Feldman established a multidisciplinary group implementing evidence-based Enhanced Recovery perioperative care plans throughout the Department of Surgery at the McGill University Health Centre, recognized as a “leading practice” by Accreditation Canada. She is internationally recognized for her work in Enhanced Recovery and Prehabilitation.
Dr Feldman is author of over 200 articles, book chapters and videos and editor of two textbooks including The SAGES/ERAS Society Manual of Enhanced Recovery Programs for Gastrointestinal Surgery. She serves as first vice-president of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) where she also led the task force on Enhanced Recovery Programs.
Dr Gregg Nelson
Calgary, AB
Dr. Gregg Nelson obtained his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Calgary and subsequently continued on to complete his sub-specialization in Gynecologic Oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, Alberta. He is Associate Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Oncology at the Cumming School of Medicine and is Chair of the Provincial Gynecologic Oncology Tumor Team. Dr. Nelson’s principal research interest is the development and study of enhanced recovery protocols in cancer surgery. He holds the position of Surgical Lead, ERAS Alberta and he also leads the international group that published the ERAS Guidelines for Gynecologic/Oncology Surgery. Recently he has been appointed the Secretary of the ERAS Society Executive Committee based in Sweden.
Dr Liane Feldman delved into her work in pre-habilitation and the multimodal ways that both GPs and specialists can impact the surgical outcomes of their patients. Some of these factors include:
· nutrition,
· exercise,
· smoking cessation and;
· emotional well-being
Dr Gregg Nelson shared the Alberta experience in ERAS and its implications for the Canadian context, along with his own work in ERAS gynecology.
Ms. Marilyn Copes, Senior Advisor, Surgical and Anaesthetic Services and Co-Chair of the Provincial Surgical Executive Committee, and Dr. Andy Hamilton, Co-Chair of the Provincial Surgical Executive Committee, provided an overview of the provincial Surgical Services Strategy, which includes improving access, reducing wait times, and enhancing the patient experience. The implementation plan includes spreading ERAS care pathways and surgical optimization throughout BC.
Speakers
The morning session included two keynote speakers who shared their expertise on different aspects of surgical improvement, a patient representative who shared his surgical experience, and the Co-Chairs of the Provincial Surgical Executive Committee.
