February 4, 2021

Supporting Robotic Surgery Care that Patients Can Bank On

St. Joe’s welcomes world’s most advanced surgical robot with gift from CIBC

February 4th is World Cancer Day: a global initiative to raise awareness, improve education and catalyze the actions needed to reimagine a world where millions of lives are saved, thanks to preventative cancer treatments and life-saving cancer care being accessible to all.

As the regional leader for cancer surgery, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is making considerable progress towards these goals through our commitment to the innovation and promise of robotic surgery and the benefits it offers to the cancer patients we care for.

Since the arrival of the da Vinci Si surgical robot in 2012, our surgeons have completed over 2,700 life-changing procedures for patients with cancers of the prostate, bladder, kidney, lung, head and neck. Patients and surgeons alike are calling this state-of-the-art robotic surgery technology transformative in its ability to speed up the healing process, minimize scarring, and reduce the chance of infection.

But the original robot is now eight years old and nearing the end of its useful lifespan. That’s why St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation embarked on a 24-month $5.5 million fundraising campaign to bring the da Vinci Xi, the world’s most advanced surgical robot, to St. Joe’s. Sharing our ambition to create a future where no one has to fear a cancer diagnosis, CIBC was one of the first banks to lend their support to this campaign.

Dr. Bobby Shayegan, Deputy Chief of Surgery at St. Joe’s, poses in front of the brand-new da Vinci Xi surgical robot.

Their recent $100,000 donation helped to acquire the new robot (which arrived in September 2020) and also supported the Urologic Cancer Centre for Research and Innovation (UCCRI) at St. Joe’s. Specifically, their donation will be used to support prostate cancer research through the UCCRI and to purchase the specialized surgical robotic equipment needed to perform prostatectomy surgeries with the da Vinci Xi. CIBC is an active supporter of research, treatment and wellness programs for those affected by all types of cancer.

“Acquiring this new robot helps surgeons like me offer the very best care to the cancer patients I care for. This is why we’re grateful to donors like CIBC for their ongoing support,” says Dr. Bobby Shayegan, deputy chief of surgery at St. Joe’s and the surgeon who performs the highest volume of robotic-assisted prostatectomies in Canada.

Since its inception in 2018, the UCCRI has been on a steady trajectory to become Ontario’s leading urological research centre. As we continue to perform more robotic surgeries and enroll patients in research trials, St. Joe’s Robotic Surgery program will be generating the data and the knowledge that’s going to drive the innovation and research at the UCCRI even further.

We’re incredibly grateful for the philanthropic support of the donors and community partners that have helped make robotic-assisted surgery and research a reality at St. Joe’s. This will help to create a healthier future for all of us, and in doing so, we hope to lead by example as an organization that fulfills the spirit and promise of World Cancer Day.