Principal Investigator
Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku
MD, PhD, FRCSC
Head, Division of Thoracic Surgery, University Health Network
William Coco Chair in Surgical Innovation for Lung Cancer
Deputy Head, Division of Surgical Oncology
Director of Endoscopy, University Health Network
Director, Interventional Thoracic Surgery Program, University Health Network
Professor and Chair, Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Toronto
Our Team
Meet the dedicated individuals who make up the Yasufuku Research Lab team. We are a diverse group of research fellows, clinical coordinators, scientific associates, and students who are passionate about advancing scientific knowledge and improving patient care.
Clinical Research Coordinator
Judy McConnell
Judy received a BSc.Hons from University of Guelph in 2004 and a Clinical Research Associate Graduate Certificate from Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences in 2008. She also obtained her Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) designation from the Society of Clinical Research Associates in 2010. She coordinates translational research for the Yasufuku team; ensuring it meets all regulations including those regarding safety, government rules & regulations, and hospital ethics.
Research Fellow
Dr. Fumi Yokote
Dr. Yokote is a Thoracic Surgeon from Japan who graduated from Teikyo University in 2012. She researched Cartilage Regeneration at the Tracheal Anastomosis at Teikyo University and Tokyo University from 2018 to 2022, completing her PhD in 2022. She is currently working on the development of novel bronchoscopic device, nanoparticle-based photosensitizer for lung cancer and localization technology for small lung nodules.
Research Fellow
Dr. Yusuke Fujibayashi
Dr. Fujibayashi is a Thoracic Surgeon from Japan who graduated from Shimane University School of Medicine in 2017. He researched lung cancer organoid models and the relationship between clinical characteristics of lung cancer and driver mutation in Japan. He is currently working on the clinical application of lung cancer organoid models and airway stem cells.
PhD Candidate
Kate Kazlovich
Kate is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto, Institute of Biomedical Engineering. She holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and business and a master’s degree in medical sciences (Translational Research Program), completed at the University of Toronto. Her primary interest is in developing visual systems and high-fidelity simulators for surgical skill training and education.
Research Student
Hana Kosoy
Hana is a 3rd year undergraduate student at Queen’s University, completing her Honours Bachelor of Health Science. She is currently working on high-fidelity simulators used in training for anastomosis surgery and EBUS-TBNA procedures.
Scientific Associate
Dr. Nicholas Bernards
Dr. Bernards graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK with an Honors B.Sc. in Integrated Physiology and obtained his M.Sc. (Molecular Imaging) and Ph.D. from the University of Paris Sud (XI), France. Upon completion, he joined the Image Guided Therapy and Biomaterials based at STTARR, where he focused on image-guided drug delivery systems and agents during his postdoctoral fellowship. He currently oversees research projects conducted in our lab.
Research Fellow
Dr. Kenta Nakahashi
Dr. Nakahashi is a Thoracic Surgeon from Japan who graduated from Yamagata University School of Medicine in 2013. He performed clinical research on lung cancer in Japan. His research interests include preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in early stage lung cancer and the relationship between tumor growth rate and prognosis. He is currently working on a database study of EBUS in lung cancer.
Research Fellow
Dr. Hironori Hinokuma
Dr. Hinokuma is a Thoracic Surgeon from Japan who graduated from Kumamoto University School of Medicine in 2015. He researched Iron Metabolism and Cell Cycle in lung cancer at Kumamoto University from 2019 to 2023. He is currently working on the mechanism of Drug Tolerant Persister (DTP) state using lung cancer organoid model.
Research Student
Soomin Lee
Soomin is a medical student at the University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She holds an Honors Bachelor's of Science degree in immunology and global health, completed at the University of Toronto.
Research Fellow
Dr. Takamasa Koga
Dr. Koga is a Thoracic Surgeon from Japan who graduated from Kumamoto University School of Medicine in 2011. He researched Drug Sensitivity and Resistance Mechanism of driver mutation positive lung cancer (especially HER2 and KRAS mutations), and Establishment of the Lung Tumor Organoids at Kindai University from 2017 to April 2021. He is currently working on the clinical application of preclinical lung cancer models.
Research Fellow
Dr. Takahiro Yanagihara
Dr. Yanagihara is a Thoracic Surgeon from Japan who graduated from Tsukuba University in 2012. He researched the development of new sealants for clinical application at Tsukuba University from 2019 to 2023. He is currently working on the project "image guided thoracic surgery".
PhD Candidate
Andrew Effat
Andrew is a PhD student at the University of Toronto. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in clinical engineering, also completed at the University of Toronto. His thesis topic is on nanoparticle-mediated phototherapies for treating lung cancer, with a focus on characterizing synergies between different modalities. Additionally, he works on novel tool development for surgical eye tracking and ex-vivo organ handling.
Research Student
Nadia Mohammed
Nadia has graduated from the Honours Life Sciences Program at McMaster University. She has been working as a research lab student since 2019 and has worked on various projects including ROSE HD project and retrospective studies. She has also assisted in other studies by conducting wet-lab experiments and chart-review analyses.
