Gianluigi Bisleri

Dr. Bisleri is Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Cardiac Surgeon – Entrepreneur at St. Michael’s Hospital and Investigator at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. Dr. Bisleri has extensive expertise in the full spectrum of adult cardiac surgery with a special expertise in the full spectrum of minimally invasive cardiac surgery: in particular, he has been focusing on developing less invasive approaches for cardiac valve repair and replacement as well as novel and advanced reconstruction techniques (he has developed a novel technique for ischemic and degenerative mitral valve repair). Dr. Bisleri is also an integral member of the Structural Heart Program at St. Michael’s Hospital with direct involvement in percutaneous treatment of valve disease. 

Dr. Bisleri has pioneered the totally endoscopic treatment of atrial fibrillation in 2005 and contributed to the introduction of the hybrid approach and combined epicardial/endocardial advanced mapping in combination with the Arrhythmia team (he is the only surgeon offering such approach in Canada to date); he has performed the largest series of Cox Cryo-Maze procedures in Canada.

Dr. Bisleri has authored more than 115 peer-reviewed papers and more than 180 presentations at national/international meetings. He previously developed the Cardiac Surgery Innovation Lab which fostered a robust clinical and translational collaboration with several teams and which spans from basic science to evaluation of clinical outcomes; furthermore, Dr. Bisleri has consistently supervised students/residents/fellows (both nationally and internationally) in order to support the scientific growth of junior colleagues. Dr. Bisleri has been acting as Principal or Co-Investigator in several research grants both in Europe and in Canada with a secured funding in excess of 1.5 milllion CAD to date.