Sunnybrook announces new VP research, innovation

TORONTO – With a background in medical physics, biomedical engineering, ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging, and image-guided therapeutics, Dr. Michael Kolios (pictured) has spent much of his career exploring how technology can improve diagnosis, guide treatment, monitor therapy, and enhance patient care.

After high school in Greece, Dr. Kolios earned a degree in Physics with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo before completing a PhD in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. He later built a research program at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) focused on quantitative ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging, biomedical microbubbles and nanobubbles, and therapeutic ultrasound applications.

He also helped establish iBEST – the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology – a collaboration between TMU and St. Michael’s Hospital that connects researchers, clinicians, and scientists around real patient needs.

Most recently, Dr. Kolios served as Associate Dean of Research, Innovation and External Partnerships in TMU’s Faculty of Science, where he focused on research strategy, partnerships, graduate education, and institutional leadership.

During his first week at Sunnybrook, Dr. Kolios spoke with the Strategic Communications team about what drew him to the organization and his vision for the future of research and innovation.

What drew you to Sunnybrook?
I saw Sunnybrook as one of Canada’s most distinctive research environments – deeply translational, embedded within a major academic health sciences centre, and exceptionally strong at the intersection of engineering, imaging, biology, clinical trials, innovation, and patient care.

What stood out to me was Sunnybrook’s ability to move ideas from discovery to validation, from technology to treatment, and from research into care. Very few institutions can do that at this level.

I also knew Sunnybrook through decades of collaboration. Some of my own imaging and therapy research involved Sunnybrook scientists and clinical trials, so I had firsthand experience with the organization’s research culture and clinical relevance. I also saw Sunnybrook researchers consistently recognized for rigorous, clinically meaningful science through national peer-review panels and research communities.

Sunnybrook has also demonstrated that it can translate research into real-world impact – from ultrasound technologies and spin-off companies to national initiatives such as INOVAIT. I see a tremendous opportunity to build on that success and further position Sunnybrook as a leader in health innovation and commercialization.

On a personal level, joining Sunnybrook feels like a full-circle moment. As a graduate student at the old Princess Margaret Hospital on Sherbourne Street, I remember telling my supervisor that I hoped one day to work at Sunnybrook after the program transitioned to the new site and many colleagues made the move to Sunnybrook. It took 36 years, but I eventually made it.

What excites you most about this role?
I’m excited by the opportunity to help shape the next phase of research and innovation at an institution that already has extraordinary strengths. Sunnybrook has outstanding scientists and clinicians, world-class research platforms, deep expertise in imaging and therapeutics, a growing clinical trials ecosystem, strong philanthropic support, and a mission rooted in patient care.

The opportunity now is to connect those strengths even further so that our people, platforms, partnerships, and clinical environment reinforce one another and create even greater impact.

Funding models, technology platforms, AI, clinical-trials infrastructure, industry partnerships, commercialization pathways, and expectations around impact are all changing rapidly. The next decade will be very different from the last. To lead, Sunnybrook will need what the ancient Greeks called phronesis (practical wisdom) as well as kairos: the ability to recognize the right moment for action and the decisiveness to move when that moment arrives.

I’m also excited to meet the extraordinary people behind the work – scientists, clinicians, trainees, technologists, research coordinators, administrators, and partners. Research leadership is ultimately about people. The science is extraordinary, but it’s the people who sustain the momentum.

How would you describe your leadership style?
I believe good leadership starts with listening. The people closest to the science, the patients, the trainees, and the operational teams often understand the opportunities and barriers best. My role is to listen carefully, identify patterns, and help translate that insight into strategy and action.

I’m ambitious but practical. Research organizations need both vision and execution. It’s not enough to say we want to be world-leading – we need to identify where we can lead, invest in the right supports, build strong partnerships, support commercialization, and remove unnecessary friction from the system.

As a physicist, I naturally think about reducing friction. My goal is to create an environment where researchers can move their best ideas forward with greater momentum.

What are your hopes for research at Sunnybrook?
I see Sunnybrook’s future research direction being built around three themes: translation, convergence, and impact.

Translation means strengthening the pathway from discovery to patient benefit – from fundamental science and preclinical work to clinical trials, commercialization, implementation, and health-system adoption. Sunnybrook is uniquely positioned to do this because research is so closely integrated with clinical care.

Convergence means bringing disciplines together. The future of research will involve imaging, AI, biology, engineering, therapeutics, clinical trials, data science, implementation science, health services research, population-based research, and commercialization working together to address major health challenges.

Impact means being strategic about where Sunnybrook can lead globally while also supporting emerging ideas and unconventional collaborations that could become tomorrow’s defining strengths.

Ultimately, I want Sunnybrook to continue growing as a destination for translational research and innovation – a place where patients, clinicians, scientists, trainees, industry partners, and funders can see a clear path from bold ideas to meaningful health impact.

To me, Sunnybrook’s strength comes from connecting rigorous science to real clinical need. If we stay true to that spirit, Sunnybrook won’t just participate in the future of healthcare – it will continue to invent it.