Garnette Sutherland

Garnette Sutherland CM, MD, FRCS, D.Sc. (Hon.)

I aspire to develop new technologies and translate them into the operating room to achieve a better outcome for patients suffering neurosurgical problems like brain tumors, epilepsy and aneurysms. Helping these individuals is the driving force behind developing such technologies.

Dr. Garnette Sutherland of Calgary is a world-renowned neurosurgeon, professor and health technology innovator. His medical inventions have been installed in more than 100 international sites, creating a world-wide collaborative network dedicated to improving patient care through safer surgeries.

Garnette Roy Sutherland was born in Edmonton on August 30, 1952. His father, Wilbert, enlisted at age 19 in the First Canadian Army, deployed to Europe in 1944 and was later based in Calgary. Garnette’s mother, Audrey, was his role model. She had a remarkable work ethic, “drawing income and happiness for the entire family.”

Born eight weeks premature in an advanced perinatal care facility in Edmonton, Garnette remained in neonatal care for some time, while his mother returned to Calgary to care for his two older siblings. While Calgary was Garnette’s initial home ground, the family moved as the military transferred his father to France, Nova Scotia and Winnipeg. When he was 18, Garnette enrolled in science at the University of Manitoba.

Though he was always better at science than any other subject in high school, it wasn’t until he visited the Montreal Neurological Institute that Garnette found his true calling. “The complexities of neurological problems – and how surgery could benefit a large number of patients – captured my attention, respect and interest,” says Garnette. “I never looked back.”

Garnette completed his undergraduate education in science (1974) and medicine (1978) at the University of Manitoba before moving to the University of Western Ontario for his neurosurgery residency. While there, he had the opportunity to publish a paper – on a new imaging mode for blunt chest injury – that was awarded the prestigious American Trauma Society Award. “This experience – excitement of a clinical-scientific achievement and encouragement – guided and inspired me to apply emerging technologies to the study of disease,” says Garnette.

Garnette’s career path was cemented by a second event at the university: learning from the legendary Dr. Charles Drake, the world’s finest neurosurgeon at the time. Charles taught Garnette the single major lesson that has guided much of his career: “Never mind your successes. You have to examine your failures, and by understanding them, develop strategies for not repeating your mistakes.”

In 1984, Garnette returned to the University of Manitoba as Assistant Professor, Division of Neurosurgery, becoming Associate Professor in 1988. There, in addition to teaching and clinical work, he established an experimental laboratory, one of the first of its kind, to study neurological disease using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy. This required, and fostered, collaboration with the National Research Council (NRC). That collaboration would lead to establishing the Institute for Biodiagnostics in Winnipeg.

One evening, a three-year-old girl in critical condition with a number of brain tumours was transferred to Winnipeg for neurosurgical care. Garnette removed the tumours, but the post-op CT brain imaging showed that he had missed two, necessitating a second surgery for the child. “I recall discussing with my NRC collaborators, ‘Would it not be wonderful if the MRI system were in the OR and not in a research facility?’ Thus began the collaborative work and enthusiasm in translating MR technology into the neurosurgical OR to prevent re-do surgery,” he says.

In 1993, enticed by the vibrancy, growth and optimism of Calgary, Garnette accepted the position of Professor and Head of Neurosurgery in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary. There, he introduced groundbreaking programs that would further enhance the university’s international reputation, drawing attention and support from respected Calgary community leaders, notably Harley Hotchkiss (AOE 1998), Ron Mannix (AOE 2005) and Doc Seaman (AOE 2008).

Garnette proposed a unified provincial program for patients suffering stroke that included its prevention, acute care and rehabilitation. As such, he is the principal architect of the Alberta Stroke Program – now the internationally successful Calgary Stroke Program – which has set global standards for care and evolving therapies, benefitting many in Alberta and beyond. Garnette also envisioned a team of experts to serve Alberta’s growing patient population. To attract and retain these expert neurosurgeons, he developed an Alternative Payment Plan that was adopted as a model by the Government of Alberta and many other provinces across Canada.

To address the problem of re-do surgery, Garnette began the process of translating MR technology into the operating theatre: an intra-operative MRI (iMRI) that would provide surgeons with intricately detailed 3-D images during operations. But developing such a system would involve significant scientific, technological and funding challenges. He set about gathering philanthropic support from the Calgary community – which responded not only with funds but also unwavering enthusiasm – and the Seaman Family MR Research Centre was born. The Government of Alberta also supported the fast-track completion of the building, which would house two interlinked programs: Garnette’s iMRI suite for patient care and an adjacent MRI for stroke research, a cornerstone of the Calgary Stroke Program. He served as founding director of the centre from 1997-2007. More than 90,000 neurosurgical patients worldwide, many of whom are Albertans, have benefitted from the iMRI system he created, commercialized by IMRIS Inc. (a spin-off he co-founded), now IMRIS-Deerfield, MN, USA.

Building upon the iMRI system, Garnette went on to develop neuroArm, an equally advanced tool for use in that environment. The neuroArm allows a neurosurgeon to guide a robotic arm through the complex minutiae of brain surgery.

“Machine technology is inherently more precise and accurate compared to human hand-eye coordination. Coupled with the experience of a surgeon, it creates an ideal combination of engineering, science and medicine,” says Garnette.

On May 12, 2008, Garnette became part of innovation history when he successfully used neuroArm to remove a brain tumour from a 21-year-old Calgarian – the first such operation involving a human patient. This innovative technology, which holds multiple patents, became an inspirational feat worldwide. That same year, Garnette co-founded NeuroArm Surgical Ltd.

The neuroArm was built in collaboration with Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), who employed their space R&D from their Canadarm, Canadarm2 and Dextre deployed to the International Space Station. Organizations like NASA and the Canadian Space Agency state that neuroArm is one of the foremost innovations that translate space technology for use on earth. In 2014, Garnette and neuroArm were inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame.

While neuroArm continues to be used in the neurosurgical operating room of Foothills Hospital, its research equivalent – Project neuroArm on the adjoining university campus – pushes advances in medical robotics, sensors and AI.

Garnette’s success in innovation stems from his clinical brilliance and his collaborative leadership style. His teams are consistently international and cross-disciplinary. The neuroArm team, for example, includes the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Canadian Space Agency, MDA Corp., IMRIS Inc., and OrbSurgical Ltd.

OrbSurgical is a Project neuroArm spin-off founded and led by Garnette to continue his quest to improve patient care by increasing the safety of surgery through smart technologies. OrbSurgical is transforming many of Garnette’s other inventions and concepts into commercially viable entities.

Garnette’s remarkable pioneering work and contributions to science and medicine are reflected in more than 240 peer-reviewed publications, 33 monographs/book chapters and 22 patents. He has received more honours, awards and recognitions than can be cited here. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2012 for his lifetime achievement in health care innovation, and in 2019 he was awarded the Governor General’s Innovation Award for improving neurosurgical outcomes with technology. He has received the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta), and an honorary Doctorate of Science from Western University (2023).

NASA has honoured Garnette twice. In 2015, he received the NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal in recognition of his work on neuroArm. In 2014, NASA and the American Astronautical Society presented him with the NASA-ISS Top Utilization of International Space Station for Medical Advancements-Terrestrial Applications award.

Garnette continues to treat a large number of patients with difficult neurosurgical disease, meeting one-on-one to hear their concerns and see things from their points of view. “Making their lives better has always been a driving force for the work I do,” he says.

“I remain excited about the future, particularly in an era when all those technologies I was fortunate to build and translate through collaborative efforts are seeing the light of day, generating big data, now that we are deep in the world of data science and AI,” says Garnette. “It seems that I have more to do…”