montreal fellowship program

As the sole ICRF Chapter offering a local Fellowship Program, our mission at ICRF Montreal is to provide exceptional Israeli researchers with unparalleled training opportunities. Through this program, talented individuals have the chance to train under the mentorship of renowned oncologists in Montreal’s leading research institutions. By enriching their expertise here, fellows are poised to not only contribute significantly to Montreal’s research landscape but also to bring back this invaluable knowledge to Israel.

To date, the ICRF Montreal Chapter has funded over 30 Israeli fellows who have conducted innovative cancer research here in Montreal, and who have gone on to become leaders in their fields. Funded fellows benefit from integrated training, expert supervision, advanced technology and high volume local patient exposure.

ICRF Montreal fellows are distinguished worldwide by their specific training as “clinician-scientists” who bridge the gaps between the most recent innovations in cancer research and the care provided to patients in clinics, inpatient units, and the operating room. They become leaders in providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place to the right patients. Past fellows have reached high levels, becoming professors and chiefs of departments and cancer divisions in leading Israeli Universities, and are contributing to international cancer research projects.

The ICRF Montreal Fellowship Program is supervised by the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), an independent entity comprised of a distinguished group of leading Montreal oncologists (scroll down for the list of members). The role of the SAB is to review and approve funding commitments, as well as review funded research projects at our bi-annual SAB meetings.

CHAIRMAN OF THE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

Walter H. Gotlieb is presently a Professor of Ob-Gyn and of Oncology at McGill University. He is the Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the Jewish General Hospital and Director of Surgical Oncology at McGill University.

He recently completed an executive course in health care management and delivery at Harvard Business School.

He obtained his medical degree summa cum laude at Université Libre de Bruxelles, in his native Belgium, where he went on to obtain board certification in Ob-Gyn.

After spending two years at the National Institutes of Health, where he obtained the National Cancer Institute Award for Outstanding Performance, he performed a three year fellowship in Gyn-oncology at UCLA.

He was then recruited by Tel Aviv University & Tel Hashomer Hospital, where he co-founded and built up the Department of Gynecologic-Oncology from 1994 to 2003. In 2003, he was recruited by McGill University.

Over his professional career, he obtained a license to practice in Belgium, Israel, California, and Quebec.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he is involved in scientific research in ovarian and endometrial cancer as a Project Director at the Lady Davis Research Institute.

Together with his team, they have pioneered and driven “robotic” surgery in gynecologic cancer in Canada. He has lectured around the world, and has proctored robotic surgery multiple times in Canada, China, India, and Israel.

Dr. Gotlieb just completed his mandate as President of the Gynecologic Oncology Society of Canada and as Secretary Treasurer of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. He completed 10 years as senior editor of the International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer, and is a member of the Editorial Board of Gynecology and Pelvic Medicine.

A recipient of several national and international awards in the area of cancer research, Dr. Gotlieb is well published with over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts in reputable international journals, as well as review articles and chapters in leading textbooks.

Immediate Past Chairman 

Dr. Gerald Batist

Director, Segal Cancer Centre
Director, Dept. of Oncology, Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital
Scientific Director, Montreal Centre for Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer
Director, McGill University Centre for Translational Research in Cancer
Chair, Department of Oncology, McGill University
Professor, Departments of Medicine and Oncology, McGill University Medical School McGill University, Montreal, QC

MEMBERS OF THE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

DR. SARIT ASSOULINE**
DR. GERALD BATIST (Past Chairman)**
DR. MARYLISE BOUTROS
DR. HUGH CLARKE**
DR. VICTOR COHEN
DR. DAN DECKELBAUM
DR. LORENZO FERRI
DR. CATHERINE GOUDIE**
DR. JEREMY GRUSHKA**
DR. ELIE HADDAD**
DR. HANANEL HOLZER
DR. MARC ISLER
DR. NADA JABADO

** = Supervising Physicians