He was awarded a McLaughlin Fellowship to pursue advanced training in skull base and micro-neurosurgery, completing clinical fellowships at the University of Zurich with Professor G. Yasargil and at the National Hospital Queen Square in London, England with Professor L. Symon. Dr. Gentili was certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1986 and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

Dr. Gentili joined the neurosurgical staff at the Toronto General Hospital in 1982 and served as Full Professor in the Division of Neurosurgery at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network and University of Toronto.

Dr. Gentili was a founding member of the North American Skull Base Society and a member of the Skull Base Surgery Committee of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) as well as a member of the WFNS Neuro-Endoscopy Committee. He helped establish the first interdisciplinary Skull Base Surgery Center in Canada at the University of Toronto and promoted in collaboration with his ENT colleague’s innovations in skull base surgery including endonasal endoscopic skull base techniques. He was the holder of two academic Hospital and University Chairs, The Crean Hotson Chair in Skull Base Surgery, the first and only Academic Chair in Skull Base Surgery in Canada. He also held The Alan and Susan Hudson Chair in Neuro-Oncology.

Dr. Gentili was a dedicated teacher and educator having received numerous teaching awards. He was a member of local, national and international committees on education. He served as the Director of under-graduate Surgical Education at University Health Network Dr. Gentili is the former Chair of the Examination Board on Neurosurgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and was a former member of Evaluation Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He was a member of the WFNS Education and Training Committee. He was also a former member of the Advisory Board for Neurosurgery of the American College of Surgeons. He was a delegate to the WFNS representing the Canadian Neurosurgical Society. Dr. Gentili was also a member of numerous neurosurgical societies and on the editorial board of several international Journals.

Dr. Gentili authored more than 100 publications and over 25 book chapters. He received numerous honors/awards during his career, including the Gold Medal from the University of Messina and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Council Award recognizing clinical excellence in patient care. In 2013, he received a Regional Italian Award, The Giacomo De Le Marche Award, for excellence in Neurosurgery. In November 2015, Dr. Gentili received the Sir Charles Balance Memorial Medal from The British Skull Base Society and in July 2021, he was awarded the first World Federation of Skull Base Societies Gold Medal of Honor.

Dr. Gentili was the honored guest at many international meetings and a Visiting Professor at multiple institutions in both North America and abroad. He was the Special invited Guest on two occasions of the North American Skull Base Society. He was an honorary member of both the Italian Neurosurgical Society and Spanish Neurosurgical Society.

Dr. Gentili’s main interests were in skull base surgery using both open and minimally invasive endoscopic techniques, pituitary surgery, and radiosurgery.

To view a list of all donors to this fund, click here.