Who we are
Peter Dirks obtained his MD at Queen’s University and then did his post-graduate neurosurgical training and a PhD in molecular and cellular pathology at the University of Toronto. Prior to his appointment to the Division of Neurosurgery at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in 1998, Dr. Dirks did fellowship training in Paris at Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades in the Université Rene Descartes. His clinical interests are in the surgical treatment of brain tumours as well as in paediatric cerebrovascular disorders, paediatric head injury, and spinal dysraphism. Dr. Dirks also runs a laboratory studying the molecular biology of paediatric brain tumours and signaling pathways involved in the development of the brain. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery in the University of Toronto and has an appointment in the Developmental Biology Program at the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children.
James M. Drake After post-graduate training at the University of Toronto and then the University of Paris, Dr. Drake returned to Toronto in 1988 to open the Hydrocephalus Research Laboratory in the hospital's Research Institute. His main clinical interests include the treatment of hydrocephalus, the use of neuroendoscopy and functional neurosurgery. He is also studying computer-assisted surgery for deeply situated brain tumours. He also collaborates on patient management for cervical spine, peripheral nerve and brachial plexus disorders. He is an Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto.
Abhaya Kulkarni was born in Toronto, where he also went to university, obtaining his MD degree in 1994. Upon graduation, he entered the University of Toronto Neurosurgery residency training program. During his residency training Dr. Kulkarni published several peer-reviewed manuscripts and was awarded numerous research awards, including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Resident Award (for best research paper by a North American neurosurgery resident) and the McKenzie Prize in Clinical Neurosciences (for best research paper by a Canadian neurosurgery resident). In 2002, he completed his neurosurgery residency and was awarded specialty certification as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. Following this, he traveled to Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris to complete his subspecialty training in pediatric neurosurgery. Dr. Kulkarni joined the Division of Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in 2003. Dr. Kulkarni’s research interest is in the area of clinical epidemiology, specifically the study of health outcomes in pediatric neurosurgical patients. He completed his PhD in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University. His PhD thesis led to the development of the first health status outcome measure for use in pediatric hydrocephalus. He has received research funding from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, and the PSI Foundation. Dr. Kulkarni has published over 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts, as well as several book chapters and abstracts. He holds an appointment in the SickKids Research Institute in Population Health Sciences. Research Interests: Health status measurement, Outcome studies, Clinical epidemiology, Clinical health research
James T. Rutka Having completed his PhD program at the University of California San Francisco and then his post graduate training at the University of Toronto, Dr. Rutka visited Japan and returned to the division in 1990. He is Director of the Labatt Brain Tumor Research Centre in the Research Institute, and maintains clinical interests in the treatment of children with brain tumours and epilepsy disorders requiring surgical care. Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Dr. Rutka also holds the Dan Family Chair as U of T Division Head.
Michael Taylor received his MD from the University of Western Ontario in 1994, followed by post-graduate neurosurgical training at The University of Toronto. Dr. Taylor obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto where his thesis was titled: The Molecular Genetics of Malignant Pediatric Brain Tumors. Dr. Taylor did a combined clinical/research fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery with an emphasis in pediatric neuro-oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Taylor’s primary clinical interest is pediatric neuro-oncology. He also runs a laboratory in the Labatt Brain Tumor Center where he studies the molecular genetics of medulloblastoma and ependymoma. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery in the University of Toronto and has an appointment in the Developmental Biology Program at the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children.