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Founded in 1843, The University of Toronto Department of Medicine is one of the oldest and largest medical schools in North America. Our rich tradition of research and innovation dates back to the discovery of insulin and its clinical application in 1921-22, and continues today with landmark discoveries in neuroscience and brain health, complex diseases, human development and global health. Exciting new research initiatives have been launched over the past decade. Foremost amongst them are the Integrated Challenge Grant and training programs that are building a cadre of leaders who are helping to transform health care—provincially, nationally and internationally.
These achievements are possible because of the Department of Medicine’s outstanding team of faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. Philanthropic support has also been critical to our success. Throughout our long and storied history, extraordinary philanthropists have shown great generosity to our Department.
As we look to the issues facing Canada and Canadians in the coming decades – caring for a changing and aging patient population, treating rising levels of chronic disease – we recognize the need for innovative new ideas and approaches to health care. These challenges present the Department of Medicine and our community of supporters with an exciting opportunity to change the face of health research and care in Canada and around the world.
The discovery of insulin at the University of Toronto, by Dr. Frederick Banting and Charles Best, was one of the most important medical achievements of the twentieth century. Today, the lives of millions worldwide are saved through the use of this hormone.
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Leading cHange
At the University of Toronto, Department of Medicine we are shaping the future of academic medicine. We are driving important transformations— locally, provincially and globally—through innovation in three key areas: preparing the next generation of transformative leaders; driving cutting-edge biomedical research; and advancing patient-centred care. There has never been a more exciting time for academic medicine.
Our research strengths span the spectrum (‘bench to bedside to populations’) of biomedical investigation, ranging from basic science to translational research to epidemiology to clinical trials of novel diagnostic devices and treatment strategies. As a recognized leader in education our programs are training doctors to meet changing needs in an increasingly complex health care environment. New ideas, structures, exciting new partnerships and collaborations are fundamental to achieving our goals of integrated clinical medical education, research and new models of health care for Canadians and people around the globe.
We are uniquely positioned to achieve such a robust and ambitious agenda. With 19 Divisions, 1,200 faculty members and more than 800 postgraduate trainees and fellows enrolled in Core Internal Medicine and the medical specialties and subspecialties located at several teaching hospitals, we have the expertise and commitment to integrate basic and clinical research agendas and to train physicians to rethink models of care.
Tremendous opportunity exists to translate fundamental discoveries from our research laboratories into new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that benefit patients at the bedside. Our exceptional diversity and concentration of talent enables us to shape the practice of medicine on many fronts.
“ Established in 1919, the Sir John and Lady Eaton Professorship was the first full-time Chair in Medicine in the British Empire. We are proud of our history, but even more proud of what we have become–one of the leading departments of medicine in North America based on our research publications.” dr. Wendy Levinson is the Sir John and Lady Eaton Professor and Chair of Medicine in the Department of Medicine.
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inTegraTion, innovaTion and impacT Through our catalytic role in the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN)—a network of nine fully affiliated hospitals and research institutes and 18 community-affiliated sites—we engage a diverse, multidisciplinary network tackling the most difficult and compelling questions of human health and biology— and use this knowledge to improve lives.
Working together, we are developing a model of interdisciplinary research, teaching and patient care that is the envy of universities and health care systems around the world. We embrace the core concepts of integration, innovation and impact. The “Three I’s” encapsulate our strategy to fulfill our social responsibility by developing leaders, contributing to our communities and improving the health of individuals and populations through the discovery, application and communication of knowledge.
integration with our partners enables us to leverage the full power of Toronto’s health science network to create unique research and teaching opportunities that promote new collaborative thinking from a system-wide perspective. innovation refers to our ability to apply the full scope of our interdisciplinary strengths to answer complex health and biomedical questions and develop faster, better and more cost effective ways to improve the lives and health of populations. Our impact is realized through the meaningful improvements to health and prosperity made by our community of students, faculty, alumni and partners.
To maximize our collective advantage and better serve our community, we are challenging familiar ways of thinking and building bridges across disciplinary and geographic boundaries. Through novel collaborative frameworks and unique opportunities for student and faculty exchange, we are preparing tomorrow’s leading scientists and scholars, clinical professionals and administrators for success in a more complex, integrated health care landscape.
discovery district: The discovery of insulin in 1921 firmly established the University of Toronto as a wellspring for medical research and
innovation. since that time, the University has evolved into one of the world’s largest and most productive biomedical research networks.
BUiLding Bridges To inTegraTed care
The Department of Medicine, in collaboration with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, recently created BRIDGES. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, BRIDGES develops and tests new models of care which link hospitals, primary care clinics and community services to provide comprehensive care to patients with complex chronic disease. BRIDGES supports innovation and integration in health service delivery by linking health care providers from hospitals and family medicine teaching practices associated with the University of Toronto with researchers and Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) in the associated Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). The goal is to disseminate the most effective Interventions throughout the province.
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a new era of medicine
The Department of Medicine is an essential part of Boundless: The Campaign for the University of Toronto, the largest fundraising campaign in Canadian university history. With a historic $2 billion goal, the campaign will help expand U of T’s global leadership capacity across critical areas of knowledge and help develop the talent, ideas and solutions for the defining challenges of our time.
The Department of Medicine will play a major role in fulfilling the University’s ambitions. As the health sciences advance and our health care system evolves, our physicians and scientists will be called on to meet the challenges of a dramatically changing landscape. As Canada’s top medical school, we can provide the leadership necessary to excel in this environment. To do so, we require the support and generosity of our worldwide community of alumni and friends.
Together, we can prepare the health professionals of tomorrow with the scientific knowledge and practical skills necessary to deliver the new standard of health care. By expanding opportunities for students and researchers, we will accelerate our ability to make meaningful contributions within the health care system, drive innovation in science and business and advance health research. Your support will help us to attract the most productive and imaginative students and empower our community of scholars to reach their full potential.
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Department of Medicine Priorities:
endowed cHairs
Competition for the best faculty talent is intense and chairs are the most effective means of recruiting and retaining outstanding academic researchers. Endowed chairs are reserved for the University’s most distinguished scholars and teachers; they ensure that the Department of Medicine can attract internationally renowned scientists whose profile and research program will draw top faculty and students to the Department. This philanthropic partnership supports research excellence and trains future generations of researchers and clinicians who will, in turn, care for patients in Canada and across the globe.
Investment opportunities for new chairs are available for all 19 Divisions.
In addition to the Divisional need for chairs, there are many investment opportunities that exist within the Department. There is a need to support a Chair for Quality Improvement and Safety Initiatives, to enhance the innovative research used to treat and improve the lives of Canadians and patients globally.
“ Supporting the brightest minds in biomedical research is an investment in the health and well-being of our loved ones and future generations of Canadians.” dr. PhiLiP Marsden is the Vice-Chair of Research, Department of Medicine Oreopoulos-Baxter Division Director of Nephrology.
» Cardiology » Neurology » Infectious Disease » Respiratory Medicine » Occupational Medicine » General Internal Medicine » Clinical Pharmacology
» Endocrinology » Nephrology » Oncology » Haematology » Critical Care » Emergency Medicine » Dermatology
» Geriatric Medicine » Immunology » Physiatry » Rheumatology » Gastroenterology
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Department of Medicine Priorities:
cLinician scienTisT Training program
Why do we need clinician scientists? The clinician scientist bridges the gap between the laboratory bench and the patient bedside, by posing important questions from everyday practice. The translation of knowledge along with our exceptional diversity and concentration of talent, prepares us to shape the practice of medicine on many fronts.
Support for the Clinician Scientist Training Program will enable the Department to continue to attract the brightest and most promising academic clinician scientists from across the country and around the world. These remarkable individuals are critical to Canada’s ability to unlock the potential of new diagnostics, therapeutics and the dissemination of new knowledge.
cHair’s sTraTegic innovaTion fUnd
Support for the Department is an investment in the full spectrum of health research—from fundamental science to translation to treatment.
The challenges facing Canada’s health care system are immense. We must promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and bring great minds together to address these complex challenges. To these ends, the Department has introduced one-time-only “seed fund” awards of up to $75,000 that collaborative groups can use to leverage larger grants beyond the Department of Medicine.
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Supporting Collaboration and Driving Innovative Research
We are all acquainted with the story of the brilliant inventor toiling away in isolation in his or her basement laboratory. While the “lone inventor” makes for compelling storytelling, in reality, genuine scientific progress is collaborative and collective. Breakthroughs rarely arise from eureka moments, but rather from incremental advances made by teams of scientists and technicians working in sophisticated and well-funded laboratories. Good ideas happen in networks not in isolation.
The breadth and depth of biomedical investigators in the Department rivals that of leading institutions in the United States or Europe. Our research faculty includes 155 clinician scientists, 135 clinician investigators and 25 research scientists. Yet, as we plan for the future, we recognize that members of our Department cannot do this in isolation. The historical focus of peer-reviewed funding agencies on “stand alone” independent research projects with minimal or no overlap has compromised team building, at least from the perspective of independent principal investigators. Investment in health research requires careful consideration of where the Department can capitalize on foci of excellence.
The Department of Medicine recently introduced integrating challenge grants to engage faculty members across institutions and departments and more fully integrate research within our academic enterprise. This unique funding initiative supports the creation of multi-disciplinary teams where excellence and implementation are top priorities. Our goals are to facilitate exciting new research discoveries and apply this research in order to make the strongest possible impact on health and health care.
We propose a new initiative that will provide grants up to $250,000 per year for a three-year cycle. This support will allow faculty members to identify priority areas, champion health research in newer fields and develop leadership skills that will have the greatest impact on patient care.
“ The benefits of research collaboration are well known. Few places offer such a broad range of talent across disciplines and professions as the University of Toronto. This critical mass of world-class investigators advances all areas of biomedical research.” Canada Chair in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Director of the Centre for Patient Safety, dr. Kaveh shojania’s research focuses on identifying evidence-based patient safety interventions and effective strategies for translating evidence into practice.
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Advancing Patient-centred Care
Dr. William Osler, who has been called the father of modern medicine, understood the importance of placing human beings at the centre of the medical enterprise. “The good physician treats the disease,” Osler observed. “The great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”
Helping Canadians stay healthy is a primary goal of the Department of Medicine. We are committed to improving the health and well-being of Canada and Canadians as well as to graduating outstanding doctors and scientists. Medicine is a humanistic as well as scientific endeavour; physicians have duties that extend beyond realizing the medical and scientific possibilities of their field. Among these duties are moral and professional obligations to individual patients and their families.
In addition to generating new research, nearly two-thirds of our faculty works on the front lines of health care providing advanced treatment for tens of thousands of patients every day. This presents the Department with tremendous opportunities to translate fundamental discoveries from our research laboratories into new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that benefit patients at the bedside.
virTUaL ward
The Virtual Ward is a new model of care, designed to support patients who are at high risk of readmission to hospital. The Virtual Ward takes the best elements of hospital care (“Ward”) and applies them to patients living in their own homes (“Virtual”). The Virtual Ward Team consists of a doctor, a pharmacist, two care coordinators, a team assistant and (on a part time basis) a hospital based nurse clinician and community nurse practitioner. “Admission” to the Virtual Ward begins in the hospital and involves communication between the discharging hospital, the Virtual Ward team and the patient.
General internist and scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, Dr. Irfan Dhalla’s research investigates means of improving the quality of care provided to adults with complex medical problems.
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move on
Ambulatory older adults spend less than an hour a day standing or moving when they are in hospital. Without intervention, elderly patients lose one to five per cent of muscle strength each day they spend in hospital and one-third of older adults develop a new disability (related to activities associated with daily living) during hospitalization. Half of these women and men are unable to recover function.
Modest interventions can make a tremendous difference to the lives of patients and their families. The MOVE ON Project promotes early mobilization, which has been shown to decrease acute care length of stay, shorten duration of delirium, improve return to independent functional status, decrease risk of depression, increase rates of discharge to home and decrease hospital costs by $300 per patient per day.
In addition to being the MOVE ON Project Lead, Dr. Sharon StrauS is the Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Translation and Quality of Care and Director of the Knowledge Translation program, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital and University of Toronto.
BoUndLessingenUiTY Dr. rIck Swartz is Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology and Director of the University of Toronto Stroke Program.
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inTegraTed sTroke neTwork
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability around the world. Every seven minutes in Canada, someone dies from heart disease or stroke. The University of Toronto Stroke Program (UTSP)—in partnership with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital and the University Health Network—is one of the largest and best academic stroke programs in North America. The UTSP combines the resources, strengths and patient populations of the three separate University of Toronto Stroke Centres to establish U of T as an international leader in stroke clinical practice, research and education. Support for UTSP helps develop innovative methods of stroke service delivery that maximize opportunities to implement proven therapies and improve efficiency, patient safety and quality of care.
naming THe deparTmenT of medicine aT THe UniversiTY of ToronTo
The University of Toronto is pleased to offer the opportunity to name Canada’s top Department of Medicine. Naming the Department of Medicine is a lasting gift that permanently links your name—or that of a family member or friend—with the University of Toronto. Moreover, by virtue of the Department’s various partnerships, your name will be associated with affiliated health care institutions across the Greater Toronto Area. A named gift offers an unprecedented opportunity to help shape the Department’s and University’s continuing record of world-class achievement. This leadership gift will launch the Department into an exciting future that draws on the collective talent of our faculty, learners, staff and partners.
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The University of Toronto Department of Medicine is a centre of immense inspiration, remarkable innovation and limitless possibilities. With a focus on interactive and collaborative research and teaching, our curriculum is among the most pioneering of its kind anywhere. The campaign builds on our strength as one of the top departments of medicine in the world and helps catalyze our international leadership in biomedical research and education.
The Department is uniquely positioned to drive transformation in medical education, interdisciplinary research and patient care. In coming years, we have the opportunity to make major contributions that will shape the course of health care in the 21st century. The institution that discovered insulin in the 1920s and stem cells in the 1960s continues to change the world today. University of Toronto researchers have discovered potential stem cells in the mouse pancreas capable of generating insulin-producing “beta cells.” Insulin marked a revolutionary treatment for diabetes; stem cell therapy could very well provide the cure.
Our contributions will improve the health of Canadians and people around the world. We make this promise because of the tireless devotion to excellence put forward by our remarkable trainees, faculty, staff and
community of supporters. We are training the next generation of health professionals and academic leaders. Our faculty members are phenomenal educators and world-leading scientists who attract the best trainees, fellows and colleagues to our growing health network. Our community of supporters, alumni and philanthropists also play an integral role in our success; their ongoing support and advocacy help us to meet the demands of modern health education and research.
This is an exciting era for health research. And this is an exciting era at the Department of Medicine. Now is the time to invest in our collective future and in the people at our University who will define it. We invite you to support our campaign. Through your generosity and involvement, we will realize our boundless potential.
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For More inForMaTion conTacT: angela Kretz Senior Development Officer, Department of Medicine Office of Advancement, Faculty of Medicine 6 Queen’s Park Crescent West Toronto ON M5S 3H2 Tel: (416) 978-8805 Fax: (416) 946-7722 angela.kretz@utoronto.ca
deptmedicine.utoronto.ca