Ally Murji appointed as head of new division of Minimally Invasive Gynaecologic Surgery

Following an interhospital agreement amongst Advanced Gynaecologic Surgeons in Fall 2021 to create a new division of Minimally Invasive Gynaecologic Surgery (MIGS), a competitive search process for the inaugural Head of Division has been completed. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is pleased to announce that Dr. Ally Murji will commence as the inaugural division head, effective April 1, 2022.

Dr. Murji received his undergraduate training at McGill University, followed by his MD training at the University of Toronto, which he completed in 2006. He then entered our residency training program, graduating in 2011. Despite showing considerable talent in high-risk obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine, he decided to undertake a two-year fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at McMaster University, principally with Professor Nick Leyland. Concurrently, he obtained an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. In 2013, Dr. Murji joined our faculty based at Mount Sinai Hospital, as a clinician investigator in advanced gynaecologic surgery, supported by a Dean’s Excellence Award. He was promoted to associate professor on July 1, 2020.

Over the past nine years, Dr. Murji has fostered and led several themes of research in gynaecology, achieving a substantial publication track record and multiple recognitions for his research at the national and international levels. He is known to empower and mentor all levels of trainees and has received many teaching awards. At the faculty level, he has fostered several key developments, especially the success of the Gynaecology Scorecard initiative across a growing network of U of T-affiliated hospitals, now extending to other parts of Canada. During this time, Dr. Murji has contributed to the collective growth of advanced gynaecologic surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital and at Women’s College Hospital, culminating in the formation of a highly successful fellowship training program which joins an established culture of excellence among gynaecologic surgeons at St. Michael’s Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Centre.

As a new division, MIGS offers us an important opportunity to acknowledge the diverse contexts in which minimally invasive surgical techniques are used across all of the subspecialties of our Department. MIGS practices have expanded throughout our field, both among core ob-gyn generalists, as well as within each of our existing subspecialty divisions. The interdisciplinary nature of this community of practice will be clearly reflected in the membership of the new division.

While many members of the division will have gained expertise in MIGS through the trajectory of their careers, specific fellowship training opportunities in MIGS have greatly expanded, including in Toronto. The recent creation of MIGS fellowship programs at North York General Hospital, and most recently at Trillium Health Partners, attests to the extent and strength of the strong interhospital relationships that now exist amongst MIGS-trained gynaecologists at the University of Toronto. These programs build on the visionary perspective and efforts of Dr. Jonathon Solnik, who has fostered the progressive integration of our Department within the many activities of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists.

We are certain that Dr. Murji will inspire his MIGS colleagues citywide to contribute to the success of this division. He is committed to engaging and championing everyone’s talents and successes to build a collaborative, academically productive and internationally respected community of practice of MIGS surgeons under the banner of our Department.