Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku is the Pearson-Ginsberg Chair, Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Toronto and Head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at University Health Network, including Toronto General Hospital. He serves as Director of Endoscopy and Director of the Interventional Thoracic Surgery Program at the University Health Network. He also holds the William Coco Chair in Surgical Innovation for Lung Cancer. Dr. Yasufuku is a graduate of Chiba University School of Medicine in 1992, completing his PhD in 2002. Prior to joining the Division of Thoracic Surgery in 2008, he had been a staff surgeon at Chiba University since 2003. He is an internationally known Thoracic Surgeon with specific expertise in minimally invasive thoracic surgery and minimally invasive diagnostic procedures.

Dr. Yasufuku has been a leader in the field of minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutics for thoracic malignancy. He co-developed the Convex Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound in collaboration with Olympus and has successfully introduced the clinical application of EBUS-TBNA in Thoracic Oncology. His clinical interests include minimally invasive diagnostic and surgery for thoracic oncology and lung transplantation. He leads the Thoracic Robotic Surgery Program and GTx Program at the University Health Network.

He is a Senior Scientist at the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratory, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network. His research interests include development of new technology in early diagnosis and ultra-minimally invasive thoracic surgery, translational research in thoracic image guided therapeutics (GTx), nanotechnology enabled image guided intervention for lung cancer, and molecular profiling of advanced stage lung cancer by minimally invasive procedures. He has numerous ongoing clinical trials looking at the application of new technology in Thoracic Surgery and Interventional Pulmonology.

Dr. Yasufuku is very active in International Societies related to Thoracic Surgery and Interventional Pulmonology. He is Associate Editor for the Journal of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology, Associate Editor for Respiration, STS Pearson’s General Thoracic Surgery E-book and the Editor in Chief for the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology Newsletter.