Brief Biography

Dr. Kirsh is a paediatric cardiac electrophysiologist focusing on heart rhythm abnormalities. However, he didn't initially think his post-secondary education would lead him on this path. Dr. Kirsh started as a biomedical engineer and finished the graduate program at Northwestern University in Chicago. Realizing that he wanted to become a physician, Dr. Kirsh returned to Toronto to attend medical school at the University of Toronto in 1988 and during his rotations at SickKids, he realized he wanted to specialize in paediatrics - more specifically, paediatric cardiology. Dr. Kirsh completed visiting fellowships in both London and Boston and subsequently returned to Toronto again, this time as staff in the Division of Cardiology. He is also cross-appointed in the Cardiac Critical Care program.

Dr. Joel Kirsh is also the Founder and Medical Director of Camp Oki, which he operates from the Labatt Family Heart Centre. Before studying medicine, Dr. Kirsh was a swim instructor and waterfront director at a number of overnight camps in Ontario. Dr. Kirsh's favorite activities at Camp include sailing and Capture the Flag.

As a consultant to the Chief Coroner’s Office, Dr. Kirsh is also involved in investigation of sudden unexplained death in children and young adults. He is also an advocate for the Public-Access Defibrillation programs in schools with the Toronto School Board – the largest such program in the world.

When he’s not at the Hospital, Camp, or one of his other many responsibilities, Dr. Kirsh likes to spend time with his family; he is married with two sons, aged 3 and 7. They have a cottage “up north” and like to spend as much time there in the summer as possible. Dr Kirsh also collects animated art, and loves to ski.

Having done his residency here, Dr Kirsh loves coming to work at SickKids because it really feels like “home”. The sense of community, from the newest lab techs to nurses who remember him as a medical student, is what really motivates him to continue working. This sense of community, he says, also promotes effective treatment – the entire staff is comfortable enough to work together, even though this is such a big facility.

Clinical Care Activities

• Cardiac Critical Care
• Catheter Ablation of Cardiac Arrhythmias
• Pacemaker/Defibrillator Implantation & Management

Research Interests

• Novel ablation therapies
• Resynchronization pacing in congenital heart disease

Research Activities

• Cryoablation Therapy in Children with Tachyarrhythmias
• Formal assessment of ventricular performance during resynchronization pacing in patients with repaired congenital heart disease
• Right Ventricular versus Modified Blalock-Taussig Shunt in Infants with Single Ventricle Defect Undergoing Staged Reconstruction

Achievements

1999 - Wilfred G Bigelow Traveling Fellowship. North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology.

Publications

Moola F, Faulkner GE, Kirsh JA, Kilburn J. Physical activity and sport participation in youth with congenital heart disease: perceptions of children and parents. Adapt Phys Activ Q. 2008 Jan;25(1):49-70.

Freedman SB, Haladyn JK, Floh A, Kirsh JA, Taylor G, Thull-Freedman J. Pediatric myocarditis: emergency department clinical findings and diagnostic evaluation. Pediatrics. 2007 Dec;120(6):1278-85.

Kirsh JA, Stephenson EA, Redington AN. Images in cardiovascular medicine. Recovery of left ventricular systolic function after biventricular resynchronization pacing in a child with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and severe biventricular dysfunction. Circulation. 2006 Apr 11;113(14):e691-2. No abstract available.

Harris L, Gow RM, Kirsh JA, Klein GJ, Siu SC. Atrial arrhythmias and special circumstances. Can J Cardiol. 2005 Sep;21 Suppl B:51B-60B.

Kirsh JA, Gross GJ, O'Connor S, Hamilton RM; Cryocath International Patient
Registry. Transcatheter cryoablation of tachyarrhythmias in children: initial experience
from an international registry. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2005 Jan 4;45(1):133-6.

Parshuram CS, Dhanani S, Kirsh JA, Cox PN. Fellowship training, workload, fatigue and physical stress: a prospective observational study. CMAJ. 2004 Mar 16;170(6):965-70.

Kirsh JA, Walsh EP, Triedman JK. Prevalence of and risk factors for atrial fibrillation and intra-atrial reentrant tachycardia among patients with congenital heart disease. Am J Cardiol. 2002 Aug 1;90(3):338-40. No abstract available.