Christoph Haller

Dr. Haller graduated from Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg, Germany, and completed his cardiac surgery training in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University Hospital Freiburg, Germany, and the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the University Hospital Tübingen, Germany. Early in his career, he subspecialized in congenital heart surgery and completed clinical and research fellowships at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and University of Toronto. 

His practice is focused on open heart surgery in neonates and infants and adult congenital heart disease, covering the spectrum of congenital heart disease from single ventricle palliation to mechanical support and heart transplantation. He is leading the minimally invasive congenital heart surgery program at SickKids.

Dr. Haller’s academic interests are focused on the preservation, recovery, and regeneration of cardiac function. He is applying stem cell therapy, mechanical circulatory support, and new imaging technologies in various translational fetal, paediatric, and adult research models to investigate mechanisms of heart failure and therapeutic strategies to preserve or restore function. 

Research

Dr. Haller’s research is focused on identifying new therapeutic strategies to preserve, recover, or regenerate organ function. Collaborating with multiple teams, he is exploring stem cell therapy for the heart, especially in the context of congenital heart disease. Furthermore, he is using extracorporeal perfusion to preserve and restore function during fetal and neonatal life, and in the setting of organ transplantation. Some of his key projects include:

• Cardiac Regeneration Using Pluripotent Stem Cells - Restoring function in the pressure-stressed right ventricle
• Artificial Placenta - Preserving and improving organ function in the extremely premature infant
• Management of Extracorporeal Circulation - Improving end-organ perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass

1. Nabil, H., Honjo, O., Barron, DJ., Haller, C., Coles, JG., Van Arsdell, GS., Lim, A., Yoo, SJ. Assessment Tool Validation and Technical Skill Improvement in the Simulation of the Norwood Operation Using 3D-printed Heart Models. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg (2020).
2. Karuppiah, N., Pehora, C., Haller, C., Taylor, K. Surgical closure of Atrial Septal Defects in Young Children – A review of Anesthesia Care in Sternotomy and Thoracotomy Approaches. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. (2020)
3. Deshaies, C., Trottier, H., Khairy, P., Al-Aklabi, M., Beauchesne, L., Bernier, P.-L., Dhillon, S., Gandhi, SK., Haller, C., Hancock Friesen, CL., Hickey, EJ., Horne, D., Jacques, F., Kiess, MC., Perron, J., Rodriguez, M., Poirier, N. Tricuspid Intervention Following Pulmonary Valve Replacement in Adult Congenital Patients. J Am Coll Cardiol. (2019) 
4. Kobayashi, J., Luo, S., Akazawa, Y., Parker, M., Wang, J., Chiasson, D., Friedberg, MK., Haller, C., Honjo, O. Flow-Targeted Pediatric Ex-Vivo Perfusion in Donation after Circulatory Death: A Porcine Model. J Heart Lung Transplant. (2019)
5. Saur, P., Haller, C. Importance of the right ventricle in adults with congenital heart diseases. Special considerations for surgical and perioperative management. Zeitschrift für Herz-, Thorax- und Gefäßchirurgie. (2018) 

Funding

• 2019: Artificial Placenta. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant.
• 2019: Cardiac Regeneration Using Pluripotent Cells. Cycle 2, Medicine by Design, University of Toronto.