Dr. Khursheed N. Jeejeebhoy

Scroll to the bottom for information on how to contact Dr. Khursheed N. Jeejeebhoy’s office to make an appointment to see him as a patient. You cannot contact him through my website.

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. 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 continues to see patients part-time virtually.

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.)