Dr. Khursheed N. Jeejeebhoy

Dr. Khursheed N. Jeejeebhoy is retired.

If you have any stories you’d like to share of your experiences with him, the doctor would love to read them.

Born in Rangoon, Burma on August 26, 1935, Khursheed Nowrojee Jeejeebhoy fled seven years later with his family to India to escape the Japanese invaders. He attended medical school in Vellore, India; trained in London, England; married and had three children; and in 1967, accepted a position at the Toronto General Hospital and the University of Toronto.

Education

Due to WWII and his family’s flight to India as refugees, Jeejeebhoy’s schooling was initially very checkered. He began in Mrs. Desai’s kindergarten in Rangoon, his first memories were of looking at pictures of animals and wondering what were these things and whyasked to pronounces words like cow. After his family fled to India, they lived a nomadic life and whether or not he attended school depended on where his father was stationed. However, his maternal grandmother Rattan Tarapore, a medical doctor trained at JJ Hospital Medical School, home schooled him, teaching him English and maths including algebra. After evincing a keen interest in medicine at the age of thirteen, his father, a lawyer, took him to an interview with Professor Balkishan Das, Dean of Pre-Medical Admissions at Hindu College in Delhi. He told Jeejeebhoy he needed a First Class in the Punjab matriculation exam. Jeejeebhoy told his father to get him a private tutor and he would get a First Class. To that date his schooling performance had been poor.

After a year of private tuition he achieved a First Class and was admitted to pre-medical at Hindu College. Although his standing in the university was within the top three when he completed pre-medical, he was not accepted as he was only 15 years old; the minimum age requirement was 17. Another impediment to medical school was he had no domicile in any province, which meant he was restricted to a small number of seats, making it very competitive.

On the advice of his father to broaden his education, he entered Nirmala College in Delhi and studied economics and political science. At age 17, upon hearing of the excellence of Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, he applied for one of the ten spots available to students not sponsored by a Christian Mission. Entrance was by competitive written exam and interview. He was the first one called to fill one of the ten spots.

He placed First Class at the Examination at the University of Madras, Faculty of Medicine, with Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, in December 1957 and obtained distinction in obstetrics and gynecology. He then gained practical experience for a year as an intern in order to qualify for his degree. The MB,BS would only be given after practical experience. He convocated in February 1959, capturing nine of ten gold medals. The tenth medal was reserved for women.

Practice And PhD – London

From January to June 1959, he was House Physician at Christian Medical College Hospital in Vellore, India then House Surgeon from August 1959 to January 1960 at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India.

After deciding against becoming a surgeon due to the required early morning starts, Jeejeebhoy expressed an interest in gastroenterology. One of his teachers at Vellore got him a 6-month appointment at West Middlesex University Hospital in London, UK, under Dr. Nelson F. Coghill, with the potential that if he was any good, he’d be able to continue with more jobs. At the end of the 6 months, Coghill assisted Jeejeebhoy to get a research position at the Registrar level (equivalent to a senior resident in Canada) with Chris Booth at Hammersmith Hospital at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London University.

Jeejeebhoy was House Physician at West Middlesex Hospital, London, UK from February to October 1960; Research Registrar West Middlesex Hospital and Postgraduate Medical School of London (joint appointment); from January 1961 to January 1963, Tutor in Gastroenterology, The Postgraduate Medical School of London, concurrent with his appointment as Research Registrar.

Jeejeebhoy’s first paper was published in Gut, co-authored with Coghill, in 1961, “The measurement of gastrointestinal protein loss by a new method.” He developed contacts through research presentations at meetings with the Medical Research Council of England biophysics group [I think this is it https://kingscollections.org/catalogues/kclca/collection/b/biophysics/] under Dr. McFarland [I was unable to verify spelling and who he is] and, with their help, decided to use his research for PhD studies.

Jeejeebhoy sat the exams for the Royal College of London and Royal College of Edinburgh to become a member of both colleges, a prerequisite to becoming a Consultant.

Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, Founding Director and Chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay, met Jeejeebhoy and invited him to join his staff in Bombay, India. Jeejeebhoy accepted Bhabha’s invitation, abandoned plans to become a Consultant in the UK, and received his PhD in 1963 from Postgraduate Medical School of London, “Albumin metabolism in gastrointestinal disease,” which was published in the British Medical Journal in 1963 under “Hypoanabolic Hypoalbuminaemia in Gastro-intestinal Disease.” Jeejeebhoy, along with his wife and baby daughter, sailed on 14 February 1968 for India.

From March to September 1963, he was Head, Medical Division, Bhabba Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, India; April to June 1963 Staff Physician, B.Y.L., Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai, India; October 1963 to May 1965 in charge of Radiation Medicine, Bhabba Atomic Research Centre; and from May 1965 to December 1967, Head, Radiation Medicine Centre, Mumbai, India.

His mentor and boss Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha died in a plane crash in 24 January 1966. With the loss of his mentor and research partner souring the work and the political atmosphere chafing him, Jeejeebhoy began looking for a new position.

A Canadian doctor, on sabbatical in Bombay, noticed Jeejeebhoy and recommended him to Dr. Keith J. R. Wightman, Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Physician-in-Chief at Toronto General Hospital, as a man well suited for Wightman’s burgeoning gastroenterology department. Jeejeebhoy moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in January 1968, and his wife, daughter, and infant son joined him on 14 February 1968.

He joined the University of Toronto as Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine in January 1968. In July 1971, he was promoted to Associate Professor, Department of Medicine; January 1974 he was cross-appointed Special Lecturer, Department of Nutrition, University of Toronto; July 1975, he was promoted to Professor, Department of Medicine; July 1976 cross-appointed Lecturer, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Toronto; July 1979, cross-appointed Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Science; July 1981, cross-appointed Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto; in July 1984 cross-appointed Professor, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto; and in July 2001 made Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto.

His positions while at Toronto General Hospital included:

In July 1990, St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto recruited him as senior staff physician, and he practiced there until his official retirement from University of Toronto at the age of 70. Although the university had a mandatory policy of medical faculty retiring at the age of 65, they delayed it for him as he’d received a 5-year multi-million dollar grant that would’ve been withdrawn if he’d retired.

Jan. 1968-Jan. 1970: Physician/Gastroenterologist, Toronto General Hospital.

Jun. 1970-to date: Member, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto.

Jul. 1970-Jun. 1990: Senior Staff Physician, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto.

Jul. 1970-Jun. 1990: Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Toronto General Hospital.

Jan. 1974-Jun. 1980: Coordinator, Division of Gastroenterology (Training Program), Department of Medicine, University of Toronto.

Jul. 1985-Jun. 1990: Director, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Toronto.

Jul. 1971-Jun. 1975: Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto.

Research

He continued his research with various groups and to see patients in publicly-funded private clinics well into his 80s. He was Medical Director, Gastroenterology, North York Endoscopy; retired from the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force he’d lead from 2010 to 2022 and joined the Advisory Board in 2014. He was Director, Canadian Health Advanced by Nutrition and Graded Exercise Program since 2010, and Central Reader for Robarts Clinical Trials Inc. since November 2014 until retirement.

He was continuously published in the premier medical journals from his first paper in 1961 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13789734/) to his latest in 2022 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=JEEJEEBHOY+K&sort=pubdate). PubMed lists 362 papers, and he has over 142 published books and chapters, including 3 chapters on dietary therapy and parenteral nutrition in
Harrison
’s Principles of Internal Medicine
. Since 1992, he has been invited speaker or presenter 187+ times. He has successfully received every grant he
’s applied for, attracted research Fellows from around the world, and his patients respect and admire him to the extent that they travelled across provinces or national borders to see him. He receives consult requests from multiple countries and has been invited to speak on every continent except Antarctica. He continues to receive awards, the latest in 2025.

From the beginning of his career, he was always on the forefront of research: he was one of the first to discover lactose intolerance in 1964. In 1970, with a surgical colleague, he was experimenting with Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) on post-surgical patients when Judy Ellis Taylor came into his care.

This determined young woman intended to live and expected him to save her. He took her up on her challenge and developed first a viable, long-term form of TPN, then a version Judy could use at home. With Judy such a success, Dr. Jeejeebhoy (Jeej to his patients and colleagues) bent his efforts to saving other lives with TPN and to learning more about the nutrients that the human body needs and in what dosages, both orally and intravenously, so that he could better nourish his patients and reduce their suffering. He has written over 350 papers and 100 books and chapters; was made professor of medicine, physiology, and nutrition at the University of Toronto; has lectured in virtually every country; discovered the role of chromium in diabetes and reviewed possible toxicity of supplemental form; and has taught many graduate students from Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, as well as the first doctor allowed to leave China to study temporarily after China started opening up to the west.

His patients are intensely loyal to him, for his understanding, listening skills, expertise. In 1990, he moved to St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto and built up a TPN program there. He entered the commercial arena when he conducted research in and developed a radical new, nutritional way to improve the function of patients with congestive heart failure. MyLife Requirements “contains a patented combination of three nutrients, which interact synergistically and are needed by the heart to maintain optimal health and to function efficiently.  These nutrients are Coenzyme Q10, and the amino acids Taurine and Carnitine.” Due to the interesting regulation of L-carnitine by Health Canada, this supplement is available only in the US, not here in Canada.

At the end of 2007, he retired, sort of, a few years after becoming Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto due to mandatory retirement at age 65. He closed his university lab at the end of 2007 when his last grant ran out. That ended a 40-year run of successful research grant applications and groundbreaking research. He embarked on a new role at St. Mike’s at the beginning of 2008, teaching at a Home TPN clinic; he continues to see patients part-time at a private clinic; he consults virtually; and he checks research data. His patients and colleagues would not allow complete retirement! Besides, Jeej is far too curious and interested in exploring new ideas to completely retire either!

Jeejeebhoy has received numerous awards for his research, teaching, and clinical prowess. In 2018, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.

Dr. Jeejeebhoy is internationally recognized for research in the fields of gastroenterology and nutrition as he has published over 500 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts and book chapters. Dr. Jeejeebhoy’s passion for his field of work motivates him to expand the medical community’s knowledge of gastroenterology and nutrition by continuing to publish content which will shape the future of patient care. Furthermore, he received over 20 awards throughout his career from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. In particular he was elected as a member of the prestigious American Society of Clinical Investigation. His commitment to shaping the future of medical care is also shown through his appointment as a senior member of the Canadian Medical Association in 2011.

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada

Recognizing his contributions to nutrition and clinical research, two awards have been set up in his name.

The Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award for Best Application of Clinical Nutrition Research Findings to Clinical Practice

This prestigious award is given annually to a Canadian or Canadian-based individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the broad sphere of application of clinical nutrition practice. The recipient will have effectively or creatively applied their research to broaden and / or significantly enhance clinical practice.

Dr. K. N. Jeejeebhoy Award for Excellence in Gastroenterology

I established this monetary award to be given to the gastroenterology resident at the University of Toronto who best exemplifies the type of clinician researcher Dr. Jeejeebhoy has been all his career. We raised an initial $60,000 in 2005 to establish this award, such is the respect and esteem people in all parts of life hold him.

Dr. Jeejeebhoy In the News, a Sampling

Do Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Cause Heart Failure? 25 July 2002, Canada Free Press

Balancing Chromium. 15 May 2006, The Hindu

Is all this hype valid? 21 April 2008, Welland Tribune

Study says mood reflects what we eat. 22 March 2008, London Free Press

Get in the mood for healthy eating. 22 March 2008, Ottawa Sun

Nutrition via the veins. 10 August 2008, TheStar Online (Malaysia)

Biography of Dr. Khursheed N. Jeejeebhoy. January 2009, Vol. 43, Issue 1, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology

Myron Lewis, MD, FACP, MACG interviewed Jeejeebhoy and wrote this good biography to honour Jeejeebhoy’s innovative work in the field of gastroenterology. You must pay or subscribe to the Journal to be able to read it, unfortunately.

Dr. Jeejeebhoy no longer sees patients.

You cannot get in touch with Dr. Jeejeebhoy through my website.

Note that you can also always search for contact information on any doctor in Ontario by going to the website of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. (Use the All Physicians category for specialists as their registered specialty may not be what you expect it to be.)