Over the time I've had the privilege of leading the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, I've thought a lot about what makes our team unique. What qualities do we share that drive us to care for patients with the most complex cases of heart and vascular disease in the world and develop new treatment options for them?
The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre attracts a particular type of person – someone who embraces the challenge of a patient case for which there is no easy answer. Someone who steps up when their expertise is needed in the operating room at the last minute. Someone who will exhaust every avenue for a solution, even if it means doing what many consider impossible.
The drive to do whatever it takes… that is what makes our team unique.
From reducing rehospitalization for heart failure patients and achieving low rates of complications following cardiovascular surgery, to embracing the use of data and artificial intelligence to develop more effective and more personalized treatments, there is a direct correlation between this drive and the patient outcomes we deliver.
At perhaps no other time in our history have we seen the importance of the drive to do whatever it takes than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, our team has skilfully pivoted to monitoring more patients remotely and has been at the forefront of developing virtual care. We are leading international research efforts – repurposing drug therapies for patients with COVID-19, tracking the evolution of the virus worldwide and preventing blood clots – and have manufactured an innovative split ventilation device.
After years of working alongside a team so devoted to improving the lives of patients with heart and vascular disease, I'm both inspired by and grateful for their work, and I'm confident that with the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre team, our patients are truly in the best hands.
Dr. Barry Rubin
Medical Director and Chair
Peter Munk Cardiac Centre
University Health Network
