About

Dr. Mehran Anvari, founding Director of the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS), is world renowned for his experience in, and contributions to, the field of laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Anvari is a Professor of McMaster University’s Department of Surgery, Chair in Minimal Access Surgery and Surgical Innovation and conducts his clinical practice at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

CMAS is a McMaster University Centre located in St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. The Centre provides state of the art facilities, education and training in minimally invasive procedures for surgeons and nurses.

The Centre for Minimal Access Surgery continues to improve and increase the scope of clinical care available to Canadians. CMAS continually incorporates the latest technology into educating, improving and expanding our role in providing modern, safe and effective laparoscopic surgery, and into teaching and mentoring for surgeons in North America and around the world.

CMAS is now expanding into the emerging field of robotic and telerobotic surgery and looks forward to a bright future working towards providing education in these leading edge techniques to surgical and medical professionals ultimately leading to better patient care.

The Centre runs approximately 25 educational events per year to train surgeons, nephrologists, radiologists, fellows, residents, nurses and medical students in the latest techniques of minimal access surgery. These events include but are not limited to laparoscopic training in colon surgery, bariatric surgery, hernia surgery, urology and gynecological surgery. In 2013, CMAS introduced an Annual Fellows Bootcamp Program, and in March 2014 a Basic Therapeutic Principles of Endoscopy course was offered to the Residents. The Centre also offers preceptorships and mentoring / telementoring programs to community surgeons who wish to continue their training in these areas.

The CMAS faculty also provides mentoring and telementoring programs designed to assist surgeons in adopting these innovative techniques. Understanding the issues related to wait times, especially involving timely access to cancer care, CMAS and its faculty have partnered with Cancer Care Ontario to provide mentoring and telementoring to community surgeons in Niagara Falls, St. Catherine’s, Sarnia and Thunder Bay in laparoscopic colon surgery.