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Sheldon Cheskes

MD, CCFP (EM), FCFP

Scientist

Email: sheldon.cheskes@sunnybrook.ca
Tel: 416-996-4567

Biography

Dr. Sheldon Cheskes is a Professor with the Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto. He is the Medical Director for the Regions of Halton and Peel with the Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine and Affiliate Scientist with the Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto. He is the Co-Principal Investigator for the Resuscitation Repository & Research Database (R3DB), one of the Principal Investigators for the Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (CanROC). Dr. Cheskes is a recognized international leader in the area of CPR quality and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation and his work transcends research into clinical practice. He is a mentor to many in the field across prehospital care and resuscitation. Dr. Cheskes has published over 140 manuscripts in high impact journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation, CMAJ and Resuscitation that have changed resuscitation practice around the world.

He is the principal investigator of the recently published DOuble Sequential External Defibrillation in Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation (DOSE VF) trial exploring alternate defibrillation strategies for refractory ventricular fibrillation during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Recent Publications

  1. Lupton, JR, Magliocca, A, Daya, MR, Dorian, P, Cheskes, S. A Review of External Defibrillation Strategies. Crit Care Clin. 2026;42 (1):71-84. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2025.08.009. PubMed PMID:41260718 .
  2. Duncan, TJ, Antevy, P, Robles, A, Coyle, C, Scheppke, KA, Cheskes, S et al.. Initial Double Sequential External Defibrillation for Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation in Cardiac Sarcoidosis. JACC Case Rep. 2025; :105945. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2025.105945. PubMed PMID:41201436 .
  3. Kirkegaard, BL, Cheskes, S, Andersen, LW, Drennan, IR. Double sequential defibrillation: is it ready for prime time?. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2025;31 (6):701-706. doi: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000001323. PubMed PMID:41198640 .
  4. Nishiyama, C, Kiguchi, T, Okubo, M, Al-Araji, R, Amorim, E, Alihodžić, H et al.. Characteristics of Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest from 2018 to 2021 across the World: Third Report from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Research and Registries Committee. Resuscitation. 2025; :110852. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2025.110852. PubMed PMID:41033602 .
  5. Moore, C, Petrovic, B, Bender, JL, Thompson, C, McLeod, SL, Savage, D et al.. Emergency physicians' experiences managing patients with a suspected cancer diagnosis in Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study. BMJ Open. 2025;15 (9):e096506. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-096506. PubMed PMID:40921644 PubMed Central PMC12421181.
  6. Leroux, L, Grunau, B, Lecuyer, P, Dennis-Benford, NB, Lamhaut, L, Cheskes, S et al.. Optimizing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation delivery for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a Monte Carlo simulation study. Resuscitation. 2025;215 :110743. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2025.110743. PubMed PMID:40752675 .
  7. Kwong, JL, Verbeek, PR, Leong, YC, Turner, L, Huiskamp, M, Drennan, IR et al.. Paramedic use of ketamine for severe agitation and violence. CJEM. 2025;27 (8):653-660. doi: 10.1007/s43678-025-00963-w. PubMed PMID:40715991 .
  8. Grewal, K, Calzavara, A, McLeod, SL, Eskander, A, Savage, DW, Thompson, C et al.. Emergency Department Use Prior to Cancer Diagnosis and Mortality. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8 (7):e2522585. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.22585. PubMed PMID:40694345 PubMed Central PMC12284740.
  9. von Vopelius-Feldt, J, Persaud, A, Jones, S, Drennan, I, Cheskes, S, FIRST60 Investigators et al.. Hemothorax and needle thoracostomies in prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest: An autopsy series of 172 cases. Resusc Plus. 2025;25 :101012. doi: 10.1016/j.resplu.2025.101012. PubMed PMID:40688253 PubMed Central PMC12270726.
  10. Stephenson, R, Sarhangian, V, Cheskes, S, Turner, L, Nolan, B, Drennan, I et al.. Feasibility and optimization of a second-tier prehospital critical care response for major trauma in a North American urban and suburban area: A geospatial analysis and modelling study. Am J Emerg Med. 2025;97 :35-44. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.07.025. PubMed PMID:40680489 .
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Medical Director, Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine