Department of Surgery

Administrative Assistant: Giang Vu
Phone: 416-480-6916
Fax: 416-480-6002
Email: giang.vu@sunnybrook.ca

Referrals: Please fax to 416-480-6002

Dr. Coburn is a surgical oncologist at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Center with a clinical practice completely devoted to HPB and upper GI cancers. Following training at the University of North Carolina, Brown and Harvard, she completed her fellowship in HPB and upper GI surgical oncology at the University of Toronto. She has been on staff at the Odette Cancer Centre since 2004, and has served in many leadership roles including head of the division of general surgery (2012–2015), chief examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s surgical oncology fellowship examination (2016–present), and a member of Cancer Care Ontario’s Program in Evidence-Based Care (2005–present). She now holds the Sherif and MaryLou Hanna Chair in Surgical Oncology Research.

Dr. Coburn’s research is focused on evaluating and improving the outcomes for patients who have GI tract cancers. She has led several major grants examining patterns of care for treatment of GI cancers within Ontario and the U.S., and has contributed internationally to guideline creation to improve processes of care.

Postgraduate and Specialty Training:

• Surgical Oncology Fellowship, University of Toronto / Princess Margaret Hospital / Toronto
  Regional Cancer Centre (2004-2006)
• MPH, Quantitative Methods, Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States (2003-2004)
• General Surgery Residency Program, Brown University Medical School / Rhode Island Hospital (1998-2003)
• MD, With Honors, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina (1994-1998)

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Sherif and MaryLou Hanna Chair in Surgical Oncology Research, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Senior scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Odette Cancer Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Attending surgeon, Division of General Surgery, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Associate professor, Department of Surgery, U of T
• Adjunct scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
• Co-chair, committee on gastric cancer surgery guidelines, Cancer Care Ontario
• Member, gastrointestinal cancer disease site group, Program in Evidence-Based Care, Cancer Care Ontario
• Examiner, surgical oncology fellowship examination, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• Chief examiner, surgical oncology fellowship examination, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Clinical Expertise:

• Evaluating & improving surgery outcomes for GI malignancies

Administrative Assistant: Jessica Maullon
Phone: 416-480-6916
Fax: 416-480-6002
Email: jessica.maullon@sunnybrook.ca

Education:

• MD, 1998, University of North Carolina, U.S.
• Specialty training, 2003, general surgery, Brown University, U.S.
• Master of public health, 2004, Harvard University, U.S.
• Specialty training, 2006, surgical oncology (hepatobiliary and upper gastrointestinal), University of Toronto, Canada

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Associate scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Odette Cancer Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Sherif and MaryLou Hanna Chair in Surgical Oncology Research, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Surgical oncologist, Sunnybrook
• Associate professor, department of surgery, U of T
• Adjunct scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
• Co-chair, committee on gastric cancer surgery guidelines, Cancer Care Ontario
• Member, gastrointestinal cancer disease site group, Program in Evidence-Based Care, Cancer Care Ontario
• Examiner, surgical oncology fellowship examination, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• Chief examiner, surgical oncology fellowship examination, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Research Foci:

• Patterns of care for patients with hepatobiliary (HPB) and upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers
• Hepatobiliary and upper GI surgical outcomes and survival
• Quality standards in the processes of care for HPB and upper GI cancer

Research Summary:

Dr. Coburn is a surgical oncologist at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Center with a clinical practice completely devoted to HPB and upper GI cancers. Following training at the University of North Carolina, Brown and Harvard, she completed her fellowship in HPB and upper GI surgical oncology at the University of Toronto. She has been on staff at the Odette Cancer Centre since 2004, and has served in many leadership roles including head of the division of general surgery (2012–2015), chief examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s surgical oncology fellowship examination (2016–present), and a member of Cancer Care Ontario’s Program in Evidence-Based Care (2005–present). She now holds the Sherif and MaryLou Hanna Chair in Surgical Oncology Research.

Dr. Coburn’s research is focused on evaluating and improving the outcomes for patients who have GI tract cancers. She has led several major grants examining patterns of care for treatment of GI cancers within Ontario and the U.S., and has contributed internationally to guideline creation to improve processes of care.

Selected Publications:

See current publications list at PubMed.

Related News and Stories:

• Research into cancer technologies and services recognized with funding: Six Sunnybrook Research Institute scientists working in prevention, screening and care receive support from provincial network (June 4, 2019)
• Despite treatment advances, few people with pancreatic cancer receive therapy: study: Study also shows that most people with the disease don’t have consultations (May 31, 2019)
• Stomach cancer surgical practices and outcomes vary regionally: study: Research shows need to standardize treatment for gastric cancer across Ontario (Feb. 28, 2019)
• A win-win situation (SRI Magazine, 2017)
• Stomach, pancreatic and other upper GI cancers: new findings are providing much-needed treatment guidance: Upper gastrointestinal cancers are under-studied in Canada. Given their grim outlook—at best, intrusive; at worst, fatal—it’s a void begging to be filled (SRI Magazine, 2016)
• C stands for care: What's best for lower-body cancers? (SRI Magazine, 2013)

Related Links:

• Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences profile
• U of T profile