Pediatric Medical Urologist

Joana Dos Santos

MD, MHSc, FRCPC

Joana Dos Santos completed medical school at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. She underwent Paediatrics and Paediatric Nephrology residency training at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Dos Santos started at SickKids in 2011 as research fellow in Paediatric Nephrology, later to become a true pioneer as the first Medical Urology Fellow with training focused on clinical management of urological conditions. She joined the Division of Urology at SickKids in July 2015 as the first Medical Urologist in Canada, and subsequently the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor of Paediatrics.

Dr. Dos Santos works in the Urology Clinic at Sickkids, as well as the Newborn Circumcision clinic. She provides prenatal consults at Mount Sinai’s Antenatal Hydronephrosis clinic and attends Holland Bloorview Multidisciplinary Spina Bifida clinic. She leads the Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction Network, an innovative initiative in which children with BBD who are referred to Urology at SickKids are re-referred to a network of community paediatricians in the GTA (closer to home) with close support of the Urology Division. Additionally, she co-manages surgical patients admitted to the pediatric urology ward.

Dr. Dos Santos is passionate about the medical management of urological conditions and Translational Medicine as a way to provide continuous improvement of patient care. She completed the Translational Research Master’s program at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Dos Santos is very excited to join Kindercare and to start offering medical urology consults in the community. Her focus is on the treatment of incontinence, bladder and bowel dysfunction, bedwetting, recurrent and complex urinary tract infections, common congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract (ie. Pre and postnatal counselling for antenatal hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux, multicystic dysplastic kidney, and renal hypoplasia/dysplasia), phimosis, renal stones, hematuria and neurogenic bladder.

When not working, Joana’s favourite time of the day is getting home to enjoy her 8-month-old baby boy’s smiles, spend time with her family and their rodhesian ridgeback puppy.

Research Interests
Dos Santos recently published the CPS Practice Points for the management of Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction in children. She developed a new grading system for the management of Antenatal Hydronephrosis, which has been published in 2015. She is an active researcher interested in bladder and bowel dysfunction in children, congenital abnormalities of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT), and renal stones.