A team of surgeons, nurses and surgical fellows at Toronto General Hospital prepare for a simulation training session using Medtronic’s Hugo Robotic Assisted Surgery (Hugo RAS) system, which allows for minimally invasive operations and quicker recovery for patients. In April 2023, the hospital, part of University Health Network, became the first in Canada to use the groundbreaking technology in a surgical procedure.Supplied
‘Never been done is what we do,” says foundation CEO
What if we could identify a heart attack before it happens and stop it? Or push the boundaries of surgery by equipping surgical teams with next-generation robots and the skills to use them, leading to smaller incisions and faster recovery for patients?
This isn’t science fiction but the near future of health care in Canada, thanks to world-leading research taking place at University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto.
“That’s the kind of opportunity and very technologically sophisticated research we’re looking at right now,” says Dr. Kevin Smith, president and CEO of UHN. “For example, cutting-edge research at our McEwen Stem Cell Institute is taking stem cells and turning them into heart cells, or liver cells, or pancreatic cells.
“These are huge developments in health care that are making a transformative change in people’s lives,” he adds.
Consisting of Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehab and the Michener Institute of Education, UHN is Canada’s top research hospital with the largest hospital-based research program in the country. With its talent, scope of research and innovation capability, UHN has become a national referral centre for patient care dealing with some of the nation’s most complex medical cases.
UHN's president and CEO Kevin Smith says the organization's researchers collaborate with top medical centres around the world. Health research “saves lives, builds the economy and creates jobs,” he says.Supplied
Recently, UHN (Toronto General) was ranked by Newsweek magazine as one of the top five hospitals in the world, making it the world’s top publicly funded hospital and the No. 1 in Canada.
“UHN is the top hospital on Newsweek’s best hospitals list that is universally accessible,” says Dr. Smith. “You can be cutting edge and top five in the world and still give access to everyone regardless of economic circumstances. It’s being done here in Canada with patients getting access to the very best care and care models in the world.”
Supporting research takes a lot of effort, discipline and investment, with much of that investment coming through its two foundations: UHN Foundation and the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
“We wouldn’t be on that top five list if it wasn’t for both our government funders – the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada – and the generosity of our philanthropic donors, large and small,” says Dr. Smith.
While the government provides support for health care, the only way to push the boundaries of medicine is with community support to bridge the gap and invest in big ideas, says Julie Quenneville, CEO of UHN Foundation. She sees her role as the intermediary between people in the community who want to contribute to finding cures and those incredibly brilliant minds with big ideas.
Toronto’s University Health Network is transforming patients' lives through trailblazing research and advancement in surgical procedures.
“We invest in new ideas and big ideas – and that makes all the difference,” says Ms. Quenneville. “Traditional granting agencies typically fund ideas once they’re proven to work – they don’t have an appetite for risk. We’re showing the world you can innovate in a publicly funded health care model. With donor support, we can transform and be optimistic.”
She hopes that the great success stories coming out of UHN will inspire individuals to get involved and contribute, as every dollar has a huge impact in health care.
“Philanthropy is not just the responsibility of corporate Canada – it’s each and every one of us,” she says. “If we have 1.5 million patients a year and everybody gave $10, think what we could achieve. UHN is Canada’s No. 1 hospital, and we want everyone to be part of that wonderful adventure and journey.”
Julie Quenneville, CEO of UHN Foundation, says Canadians' contributions at any level can make a huge difference to the advancement of medicine here and around the world.Supplied
“We’re researching new treatments for disease and improving prevention, diagnostics and surgery,” she adds. “All of these discoveries are transforming not only our community, but science around the world.”
Ms. Quenneville points out that UHN is often unique in its research, innovation and technology development, such as on the rehab side where UHN Foundation is seeing its investment come full circle – really caring for families from the beginning to the end of their treatment. Another example is UHN’s work in palliative care, which has a personal connection for Dr. Smith who witnessed first-hand the struggles of his elderly parents.
“We’ve been very fortunate through our foundations to have special donors who felt we could do better in supporting older Canadians,” says Dr. Smith. “Accessing the health care system is often confusing, so thanks to the generosity of our philanthropists, we will be opening the Myrna Daniels Seniors Emergency Medicine Centre at Toronto Western Hospital in 2025, designed to meet the complex needs of older adults.”
Combined with a comprehensive research and education program in geriatric emergency medicine, this will be the first centre of its kind globally.
“Canadians can have an immense impact on health care here and around the world,” says Ms. Quenneville. “Their contribution at whatever level they can commit to makes a huge difference. UHN Foundation is an essential partner with the community, the hospital and our patients. We can only be successful if we’re all united towards the same goal, which is to advance medicine.”
While science can sometimes be a solitary experience, Dr. Smith says UHN has a purposeful culture, including the recruitment of team players and the recognition that working in a team can have so much more impact.
We’re showing the world you can innovate in a publicly funded health care model, you can transform and be optimistic.”
— Julie Quenneville, CEO, UHN Foundation
“There will still be the Eureka scientist we want to protect and leave alone in their lab, but for the bigger research – the things that are going to tackle the moonshots – none of us can do alone,” says Dr. Smith. “I’m impressed with not only the willingness but the enthusiasm with which our researchers and educators have coalesced around the model of a larger, more integrated, team. Together with the technologies of tomorrow, we have a sea change of how we can more efficiently use limited resources to treat a growing population.”
UHN Foundation also supports UHN’s continued efforts to connect with leading health care centres globally, breaking down silos in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) to advance more rapidly.
Dr. Smith asserts that, as a world-class organization, researchers at UHN collaborate daily with the best researchers from equally outstanding centres around the world on literally every project, whether that’s in outcomes data through the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, where they’re comparing themselves to the best cardiac centres in the world, to a standardized database of data reporting, to the most basic cellular research.
“What I want Canadians to know most about health research is that it saves lives, builds the economy and creates jobs,” says Dr. Smith. “It will allow us to remain a truly cutting-edge nation for the quality of life of our people and preserve and protect access to social and health care programs for all.”
“At UHN, never been done is what we do,” says Ms. Quenneville, echoing one of the taglines for UHN’s new UHNITED campaign. “It’s a simple phrase, but it’s really meant to highlight the fact that we are innovating each and every day.”
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with University Health Network (UHN). The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.