May 13, 2025

Innovation You Can Bank On: TD Bank Group Donates $450,000 to Support Innovative Healthcare Solutions Through Robotics Surgery and Research at St. Joe’s

When St. Joe’s launched a $20 million fundraising campaign to further invest in its world-renowned surgical robotics program, TD Bank Group (TD) came on board as an early supporter with a $450,000 donation over the next three years. TD aims to support St. Joe’s efforts to leverage robotic surgery in patient care and recovery, while also working to advance robotic surgery through research and artificial intelligence (AI).

When our surgeons utilize surgical robots paired with AI, they have the tools to conduct cutting-edge research, advance the field of robotic surgery, and ultimately improve patient care. Here’s how: With the help of AI, our team of orthopaedic surgeons is working toward creating 3-D printed implants for joint replacements that are custom molded to each patient’s unique anatomy, improving the natural motion of the joint post-surgery.

Image-guided technology and AI are helping our thoracic surgeons build personalized maps of a patient’s blood vessels and arteries, enabling them to take the most direct route to remove a cancerous lung tumour. This technique reduces trauma to the body, preserves more healthy tissue, and speeds up recovery times.

This new $450,000 gift is the second contribution in five years from TD (tallying $750,000 in total) to support the Robotic Surgery and AI research program at St. Joe’s.

Scott Galbraith, District Vice-President for TD in Hamilton and a member of the Board of Directors at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation, says that through the Better Health driver of the Bank’s corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, TD aims to support innovative research, solutions, and technology to help people access the care they need.

“The ground-breaking work that St. Joe’s has demonstrated in robotic surgery has contributed a body of evidence that is demonstrating the benefits to patients to the extent that the province now funds some robotic procedures,” explains Galbraith. “TD is pleased to support St. Joe’s in their efforts to make a positive impact for the health of the customers and communities we serve.”

Dr. Anthony Adili, Chief Innovation Officer and orthopaedic surgeon at St. Joe’s, has been at the forefront of robotic surgery since the beginning. “With this new donation from TD, we’ll dive deeper into the use of big data with the goal of further improving our robotic procedures by identifying commonalities between cases. We’ll leverage the benefits of AI to help identify new procedures aimed at treating cancers currently thought to be inoperable. Philanthropy, AI, and robotic surgery come together at St. Joe’s to transform patient care.”