Program Chairs

Dr. Aristotelis Kalyvas
Dr. Aristotelis Kalyvas is a staff neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, specializing in intra-axial brain tumor and skull base surgery. He employs multiparametric pre and intra-operative brain mapping for intra-axial tumors. Dr. Kalyvas earned his MD from the University of Ioannina and completed his neurosurgical residency and a clinical fellowship in awake intra-operative brain mapping in Athens, Greece. He later pursued a two-year clinical fellowship at Toronto Western Hospital/University of Toronto, focusing on the management of complex intra-axial tumors and surgical and radiosurgical treatment of pituitary tumors and skull base pathologies. Dr. Kalyvas holds an MSc in Surgical Sciences from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and a PhD in structural brain connectivity from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Passionate about education, Dr. Kalyvas organizes training courses to enhance surgeons' understanding of critical white matter pathways, including the NeuroConnect2023 International Course in Toronto, co-organized with Dr. Paul Kongkham. In 2021, he received the Fellowship Teaching Award from the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto. Dr. Kalyvas' research interests include structural brain connectivity, brain mapping, and clinical trials/clinical research for brain, skull base, and pituitary tumors. He has published over 70 papers, with 15 original articles specifically focused on brain connectivity research, including papers delineating newly discovered human white matter tracts such as the middle longitudinal fasciculus and sledge runner fasciculus. His brain connectivity work has resulted in presentations at 10 national and international congresses, earning him four awards. Currently, Dr. Kalyvas is investigating the role of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and liquid biopsies in the diagnosis of brain tumors under the guidance and mentorship of Drs. Zadeh and Lozano. Additionally, he is developing multiparametric brain mapping protocols, including one with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for patients with gliomas in the supplementary motor area.

Dr. Paul Kongkham
Keynote Speakers

Dr. Lorenzo Bello
Faculty

Dr. David Sabsevitz
Dr. David Sabsevitz is a practicing neuropsychologist and associate professor at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He has a primary appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology and a joint appointment in the Department of Neurosurgery. He is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in clinical neuropsychology and specializes in the evaluation and treatment of adults with neurological, behavioral and developmental disorders. His clinical interests focus on the pre-surgical evaluation of brain tumor and epilepsy patients, functional brain mapping, and extra- and intraoperative brain mapping to assist surgical planning in these patient populations. He leads the awake craniotomy neuropsychology mapping service line at Mayo Clinic. He has numerous publications in peer reviewed scientific journals and is widely recognized for developing innovative brain mapping techniques for awake brain tumor and epilepsy surgery. Dr. Sabsevitz is also very involved in teaching and education and lectures regularly at both the regional and national level.
Event Dates
September 27 – 29, 2025
Times in the program are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Event Location
Temerty Centre
Michener Institute of Education
Toronto, ON
Canada