Gino Somers

You can connect with Dr. Somers on LinkedIn.

Dr. Somers graduated with a medical degree (M. B., B. S.) from Monash Medical School in Melbourne in 1991 with First Class Honours and went on to complete his PhD thesis ("Molecular cloning and characterization of the human P2Y6 nucleotide receptor) in 1998. He then completed his specialty training in Anatomical Pathology from the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in 2002. He moved to Toronto in 2003 for completion of a Pediatric Pathology fellowship at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Gino Somers is an experienced medical leader, serving as Chief of the Department of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Professor and Vice Chair in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. In these senior leadership roles, Dr. Somers works to advance organizational priorities and drive positive change, always prioritizing people.

Dr. Somers has held prominent positions in professional societies, such as President of the Society for Pediatric Pathology and President of the International Paediatric Pathology Association. He is actively involved with global organizations including the World Health Organization and the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting. He has over 130 published papers and chapters and has won numerous international awards for his research. 

In addition to his leadership in laboratory medicine and academia, Dr. Somers is committed to physician wellness, serving as Physician Wellness Officer at SickKids since 2020 and advocating for wellbeing across the hospital and university. His dedication to leadership and service has been recognized with both the Citizenship Award and President’s Award from SickKids.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Somers's research has included independent grant-funded projects and numerous collaborative projects focusing on the biology and pathology of pediatric sarcomas.

He has been active in implementing cutting-edge molecular diagnostics for pediatric cancer, including NanoString and NGS-based technologies. Dr. Somers has over 130 publications and has delivered many invited talks. His work has won numerous international awards. 

In 2018, Dr. Somers joined the Peer Support and Trauma Response Team at SickKids and has been the Physician Lead for Wellness since November 2020. He is an advocate for wellness across the hospital and the university and is actively seeking solutions to prevent burnout and improve the wellbeing of healthcare workers.

Select Publications

Glembocki A, Arnoldo A, Siddaway R, Somers GR. Fusion-negative Rhabdomyosarcoma: Clinical Application of Targeted RNA Sequencing. Pediatr. Dev. Pathol. 2025;28(6):480-488. 

Siddaway R, Glembocki A, Arnoldo A, et al. Clinical utility of targeted RNA-Seq in cancer molecular diagnostics. Nature Medicine 2025;31 (10):3524-3533. 

Somers GR, Coulomb A. Challenges and Novelties in Pediatric Pathology. Renal tumours – Wilms tumour/Nephroblastoma (invited review). Virchows Arch 2025;486(1):49-64.

Glembocki A, Somers GR. Prognostic and Predictive Biomarkers in Paediatric Solid Tumours (invited review). Pathology 2024;56(2):283-296. 

Mackeracher A, Arnoldo A, Siddaway R, Surrey L, Somers GR. The incidence of multiple fusions in a series of pediatric soft tissue and bone tumors. Pediatr. Dev. Pathol. 2024;27(1):3-12. 

Somers GR, Lichtblau B, Bodley, et al. Toolkit for TAHSN Physician Wellness Leaders. TAHSN-led guide for physician wellness leaders. December 2023.

Appointments

Chief, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children

Physician Wellness Officer, Hospital for Sick Children

Professor and Vice Chair, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto

Deputy Chief, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program

Professor (part-time), McMaster University

Adjunct Professor, Western University

Honours and Awards

2025: Farber-Landing Lecture, Society for Pediatric Pathology. “Learning to Surf: Academic Pathology, Leadership and Riding the Waves." 

2024: President, International Pediatric Pathology Association (elected by IPPA council)

2022: President’s Distinguished Service Award, Society for Pediatric Pathology. Awarded for “his numerous contributions to the Society and for being the voice of reason and integrity.”

2021: President’s Award, SickKids. Awarded for work performed as part of Peer Support and Trauma Response team

2021: Fetterman Lectureship, University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre

2020: President, Society for Pediatric Pathology (elected by Board of Directors)

2019: Citizenship Award, Medical Staff Association, SickKids 

2015: Harry B. Neustein Memorial Award, Society for Pediatric Pathology, Boston, MA.

2007: Harry B. Neustein Memorial Award, Society for Pediatric Pathology, Phoenix, AZ.