About Us

Our Mission

Advancing hernia care and research.

Our Core Values

Honesty, Integrity, Compassion

Our Vision

Executive Board

  • President: Dr. Megan Melland-Smith, MD, MSc, FRCSC; Toronto, ON
  • President-Elect: Dr. Jack Chiu, MD, FRCSC; Vancouver, BC
  • Past President: Dr. Hari Kumar Ondiveeran, MD FRCSC; Saint John, NB
  • Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. Rachel Liu Hennessy, MD FRCSC; Vancouver, BC
  • Chief Executive Officer: Ms. Carol Broderick; Ottawa, ON
  • Dr. Fady Saleh, MD FRCSC; Etobicoke, ON
  • Dr. Peter Glen, MD FRCSC; Ottawa, ON
  • Dr. Michele Riordon, MD FRCSC; Barrie, ON
  • Dr. Timothy Rice, MD MSc FRCSC; Hamilton, ON
  • Dr. Tracy Scott, MD MHPE FRCSC; Vancouver, BC
  • Dr. Ram Anantha, MD, MSc, FRCSC; Edmonton, AB
  • Dr. Fernando Spencer Netto, MD, PhD, FRCSC; Thornhill, ON
  • Resident Member: Dr. Benjamin Fung, MD; Ottawa, ON

Honorary Members

Honorary Members:

  • Dr. Gaétan Brochu, MD FRCSC FACS; Québec, QC 
  • Dr. Lloyd Smith, MD FRCSC; Toronto, ON

Dr. Alexander Nagy

Dr. Alexander Nagy served as the Chief of Surgery and Medical Staff for the Canadian Forces. Following this he was appointed the UBC General Surgery Training Program director. Dr. Nagy was a Canadian endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery pioneer. He travelled across Canada preceptoring practicing surgeons for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Dr. Nagy retired in 2014 after a long and illustrious academic surgical career and we wish to thank him for his many contributions to general surgery. 

 

Dr. Roch Lapointe, MD, FRCSC

Dr. Roch Lapointe, MD, FRCSC is a Canadian general surgeon from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Quebec. He completed his surgical training in Hotel-Dieu de Sherbrooke. He held numerous appointments of surgical department chairs and lead many medical committees. He has contributed significantly to the field of hernia repair as well as laparoscopy. He gave numerous talks on complex hernia repair techniques and help pioneer adoption of many of the modern hernia repairs used to date. He was also instrumental in the initiation of laparoscopic surgery nationwide.

In memory of.

Dr. Dennis Richard Klassen, Oct 6, 1966 – July 29, 2020

Dennis was raised in Sanford, Manitoba, he completed his General Surgery training at the University of Manitoba in 1999. He later completed a highly coveted fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at McGill University. He then joined Dalhousie in 2002 as the first fellowship-trained minimally invasive surgeon in Atlantic Canada.

Dr. Klassen had a major role in advancing minimally invasive surgery in the Maritimes. He believed in continuing education, always partaking in training to advance his skills and share with others. He worked with many surgeons throughout the Maritimes to provide mentorship in specific minimally invasive surgery cases. He had a profound impact on the safe implementation of new technology to the betterment of patients.

Dr. Klassen served as president of the Canadian Hernia Society from 2017-2018. He was instrumental with contribution of minimally invasive approaches to hernia surgery. He will be remember for his patience in the OR and his dedication to improving patient outcomes with a minimally invasive approach.

Dr. Robert Bendavid, MD, 1940-2019 (In memoriam)

Dr. Bendavid was a leading hernia surgeon at the Shouldice Hospital in Toronto. He was well known for his great expertise in the surgery of the abdominal wall. He pioneered the translation of Henri Fruchaud’s Anatomie chirurgicale des hernies de l’aine into The Surgical anatomy of Hernias of the Groin, a book that remains a treasure of herniology. He was also a co-founder of the Canadian Hernia Society. He published numerous articles on hernia surgery and will remain an example for surgeons who are involved in evolution of hernia treatment.

Join Us

Membership is open to Hernia surgeons, students, and trainees in surgery.

Resources and Tools

Access our library and tools of surgeon resources including videos, webinars, journals and patient care information.