Dr. Shaf Keshavjee

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Order of Canada

Companion of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2025-10-17
Shaf Keshavjee, C.C., O.Ont. Toronto, Ontario Shaf Keshavjee is a premier thoracic surgeon-scientist whose groundbreaking work has transformed transplant surgery globally. He continues to expand possibilities within regenerative medicine, particularly through advancements in lung preservation during critical transplant procedures. He also excels as an educator and hospital administrator, shaping the future of health care through innovation and leadership. This is a promotion within the Order.
Officer of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2014-11-20
Invested on: 2015-09-23
For his innovative contributions to thoracic surgery, notably in the development of a process that has improved lung transplantation worldwide. Shaf Keshavjee is at the forefront of global innovation in thoracic surgery and lung transplantation. He is the director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program and the surgeon-in-chief of the University Health Network. He is best known for developing a procedure where damaged donor lungs are housed outside of a body in a protective dome so that they may be assessed and repaired prior to transplantation. This technique has been emulated in medical centres around the world and has saved the lives of countless individuals who would otherwise have perished waiting for new lungs. Currently, he is developing stem cell and gene therapy strategies to further revolutionize the field of organ transplantation.