Gail Darling, MD FRCSC

Professor of Surgery

Dr Darling is the Dr D. Alex Gillis Professor and Head Department of Surgery Dalhousie University and Head of the Department of Surgery for Nova Scotia Health Central Zone. Prior to taking up this post in January 2022, Dr Darling was Professor of Surgery in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto and the Kress Family Chair in Esophageal Cancer at University Health Network and the University of Toronto. She was the Ontario Health Lung Cancer Screening Lead and the Thoracic Cancer Clinical Lead for Ontario Health, Cancer Care Ontario. Dr Darling is the co-chair of the Canadian Clinical Trials Group (CCTG) GI committee for the Esophageal Disease Oriented Group and previously was on the Lung Cancer executive of CCTG. She has extensive experience in cancer related clinical trials and led the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0030 trial. She continues involvement in cancer clinical trial groups including CCTG, Alliance and Thoracic Surgical Oncology Group. She is a member of the American Surgical Association, the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons, the Society of Thoracic Surgery, the European Society of Thoracic Surgery and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. She is a founding member of the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons and currently is the Past-President of CATS.

Dr Darling is widely published as author of many peer reviewed papers, book chapters and is the Editor in Chief of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Cardiothoracic E-Textbook including Pearson’s Textbook of Thoracic Surgery. Her research interests include clinical research in lung cancer and esophageal cancer, translational research in esophageal cancer and quality of life in esophageal cancer. As the inaugural Kress Family Chair in Esophageal Cancer at University of Toronto and University Health Network, she initiated a collaborative research program in esophageal and gastric cancer bringing together clinicians and scientists from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrook Hospital, University Health Network and the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Science.

Dr Darling is committed to education of medical students and residents and has been recognized with numerous teaching awards. She was the University of Toronto Program Director for Thoracic Surgery for 11 years and served as Chair of the Royal College Specialty Committee for 5 years. She continues to mentor residents and surgeons in thoracic surgery in Canada and the United States.

Dr Darling is devoted to patient care and committed to surgical quality and improving patient outcomes.