Doctor Tirone E. David is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Toronto General Hospital, and the holder of the Melanie Munk Chair at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Doctor David has published over 300 scientific papers, 48 chapters in medical textbooks as well as 5 surgical textbooks. He has developed numerous operative procedures to treat patients with heart valve disease, complications of myocardial infarction, and thoracic aneurysms. He has been a member of the editorial board of several medical journals. Doctor David is a member of numerous surgical and medical societies and honorary member of the European Cardio-Thoracic Association, the Brazilian Cardiovascular Society, the Italian Society for Cardiac Surgery, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular, and the Society of Cardiac Surgeons. He was President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in 2004-2005. He received the Order of Ontario in 1993 and the Order of Canada in 1996. He was elected University Professor in 2004, the highest honour the University of Toronto bestows to its professors.