Skip to content

Programs & Services

Gastroenterology

E. Jan Irvine

Overview: Dr. E. Jan Irvine MD, FRCP(C), M.Sc. Division Head.

The division of gastroenterology is part of the special complex care program. Our goals are to provide excellent health care, high quality education and cutting edge research in digestive diseases.

We focus on digestive and hepatobiliary disorders, particularly gastrointestinal cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, nutrition and motility disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Our research evaluates innovations in endoscopic technologies, the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal cancers and the techniques used to diagnose cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. We also conduct clinical trials to assess new drugs for these disorders. Our faculty also instruct medical undergraduates, specialists and advanced trainees, including physicians, nurses and allied professionals.

  • Our inpatient clinical teaching unit, the largest in the University of Toronto teaching hospitals, consists of 12 beds for patients with complex digestive diseases. Over 600 patients are admitted every year. We also provide an extensive consultation service to our other inpatient units and to the emergency department.
  • We deliver ambulatory care to thousands of outpatients every year. Patients are seen on the sixteenth floor of the Cardinal Carter wing or in the Arthur Squires Clinic on the fourth floor of the Cardinal Carter wing. Appointments can be made through offices of individual physicians.
  • Our therapeutic endoscopy unit is one to the largest teaching and research facilities in Canada. We diagnose and treat complex digestive conditions and perform endoscopies for cancer prevention. There are eight procedure rooms equipped with state-of-the-art video equipment. Our staff includes 11 endoscopy physicians, 26 registered nurses, six reprocessing specialists and three receptionists. We perform over 14,000 procedures every year.
  • We host the annual, globally renowned international course in therapeutic endoscopy, led by our skilled Therapeutic Endoscopy Group and featuring guest international faculty who demonstrate groundbreaking endoscopic techniques to practicing physicians.

Faculty Profiles