Shaf Keshavjee, 102nd President of the AATS, is a thoracic surgeon and Director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program. He is Surgeon-in-Chief, Sprott Department of Surgery and James Wallace McCutcheon Chair in Surgery at University Health Network (UHN). He is a Professor of Thoracic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering and Vice Chair for Innovation, Department of Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (UofT).
Dr. Keshavjee’s clinical practice is in thoracic oncology, lung cancer, and lung transplantation. He has a passion for surgery and innovative research. He leads a large team of researchers in a foremost pulmonary research program and is widely published in the field. His specific research interest is lung transplantation. His current research involves the study of support systems, molecular diagnostics, and gene therapy to repair organs and to engineer super-organs for transplantation.
Dr. Keshavjee has served on the board of directors of the AATS, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, and the Canadian Society of Transplantation. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to medicine, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Society for Transplantation and the American Society of Transplantation Innovation Award for contributions to the field of lung transplantation. In 2021, he received the prestigious Flance-Karl Award from the American Surgical Association - awarded to a surgeon who has made a seminal contribution in basic laboratory research which has been applied to clinical surgery for his work in ex vivo organ perfusion. In 2021, he also received the FNG Starr Award - the highest national award from the Canadian Medical Association recognizing a physician for their outstanding and inspiring lifetime achievement.
He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and has been awarded Honorary Doctor of Science Degrees from both Ryerson University and Queen’s University. Dr. Keshavjee has also received two Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals and the national Governor General’s Award for Innovation. He was awarded the Order of Ontario in 2014 and received Canada’s highest civilian honour in 2013 with an appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada.