Good morning, TeamUHN!
It is a pleasure to connect with you across care, research, and education through this weekly CEO update – all in service of A Healthier World.
Key reminders and updates
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We begin with some great news: University Health Network has once again been named Canada's top research hospital by Research Infosource Inc. UHN has proudly held this position since the annual rankings began in 2011. Research Infosource compared research hospitals in Canada according to their research spending data, including grants, contributions, and contracts. This recognition underscores the world-class research talent we have at UHN. See the list of
Canada's Top 40 Research hospitals and learn more from
UHN News.
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Congratulations to Dr. Frances Chung, winner of the 20th annual UHN Inventor of the Year Award, sponsored by Commercialization at UHN. Dr. Chung, a clinician investigator at UHN's Krembil Brain Institute, was recognized for developing the STOP-Bang clinical questionnaire, a simple and effective tool that is changing how sleep apnea is diagnosed and treated. The screening tool was created to help identify patients with undiagnosed sleep apnea and prevent critical incidents during surgery and has been widely adopted as a global standard diagnostic tool in 40 regions and across 500 institutions and a wide variety of industries, including hospitals, dental clinics, and the transportation sector. "It was curiosity and perseverance that led to the development of the STOP-Bang tool, and today, it is saving and improving lives around the globe," Dr. Frances Chung told UHN News. The STOP-Bang tool has brought in nearly $3 million in licensing revenues to be reinvested into research at UHN. Congratulations!
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UHN recently became the first academic and research hospital of its size in Canada to receive a Level 6 distinction in the Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity (AMAM) category from the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS). This prestigious international designation means the organization can demonstrate maturity in the use of predictive analytics and turn data into actionable insight. Few other health care organizations around the world have reached Level 6 or higher. "This achievement is a recognition of the incredible collaboration across UHN to improve the delivery of care and better our patient experiences through building strong capability and capacity in data and analytics," says Michael Caesar, UHN's Chief Data & Analytics Officer. Learn more about the work behind this HIMSS designation at
UHN News.
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Congratulations to Dr. Rama Khokha, a senior scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, who was selected as one of Toronto's 23 most inspiring women of 2023 by Post City Magazines. The piece written by Dr. Brad Wouters (EVP, Science & Research) celebrated Dr. Rama's world-renowned research advancing molecular cancer prevention and her commitment to inspiring the next generation of research talent. “Dozens of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers have travelled from across North America, Europe, and Asia to train under the illustrious program," the story reads. “Rama's legacy is marked by integrity, quality, and above all a commitment to improving the health of people in Canada and beyond."
Read the full story online.
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It was a pleasure attending UHN's Digital Pathology Special Event on Dec. 7 at the DeGasperis Conservatory at Toronto General. Approximately 100 TeamUHN members from Lab Medicine gathered to celebrate UHN's upcoming revolutionary shift to digital pathology. When the technology is fully implemented in April 2024, the speed and accuracy of diagnoses will improve and we'll be able to create personalized treatment plans more easily, elevating the quality of patient care and driving cutting-edge research. This will be true at UHN as well as the 27 hospitals we serve in the northern parts of Ontario. The event honoured the remarkable teams who are making this transformation possible. Learn more on the Digital Pathology SharePoint Site.
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Last week's Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) meeting was particularly significant as we recognized the remarkable contributions of three leaders. Dr. Michael Baker, who has served on the MAC for 38 years, completed his service. Michael constantly championed quality initiatives and quality of work-life advancements -- always focused on the needs of our patients and staff. Dr. Fei Fei Liu also completed her term on the MAC and MAC Executive, after having served as Vice Chair, Chair, and Past Chair. Fei Fei led during the launch, implementation, and refinement of our Caring Safely strategy, and has continued to foster ownership and accountability for quality and safety at the MAC. Dr. Patricia Murphy, MAC Chair, will complete her term as of December 31. Pat has been a wonderful partner in ensuring attention to issues of medical quality is at the forefront of all UHN decisions. Dr. Murphy, as chair of MAC, has served on the Board of Trustees with distinction and impact. Fortunately, Pat will remain both on the MAC and at the MAC executive as Past Chair. As you know, Dr. Joseph Kim will assume the chair in the new year. Our sincere thanks to these medical leaders.
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We were thrilled to mark the one-year anniversary of the Stabilization & Connection Centre by hosting a gathering onsite with partners. This milestone represents a year of providing care and support for more than 2,000 patients intoxicated with alcohol or opioids. The Centre has allowed paramedics to drop off individuals in need, transferring care in seven minutes (as opposed to 2-5 hours in hospital) and saving EMS over 4,000 hours, while offering a safe space for recovery and access to essential social supports and services. The success of the center is a testament to the collaborative efforts of the UHN Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine, Indigenous Health Program, the Toronto Paramedic Services, Community partners the Neighborhood Group, Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, Inner City Health Associates and Ontario Health.
Closing Notes
The excitement keeps growing as UHN and renewable energy company Noventa Energy Partners near the final stages of building the world's largest raw Wastewater Energy Transfer (WET) System at Toronto Western. Last week, CP24 visited the construction site at the corner of Bathurst and Dundas streets to showcase the project as part of the City of Toronto's TransformTO Net Zero strategy to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Toronto to net zero by 2040. The City is a partner in the project by allowing Noventa's technology to be connected to the municipal wastewater system. Once complete, the WET System will use thermal energy from wastewater flowing through the sewer to supply up to 90 per cent of Toronto Western's heating and cooling needs. Using the WET System is expected to lower our GHG emissions by 10,000 metric tonnes each year, the equivalent of removing 1,800 cars from the road. The system will also provide easy access to wastewater samples, opening up a variety of potential health research opportunities and bolstering UHN's status as Canada's top research hospital. Watch the full CP segment
here or by clicking the image below.
And now… our video of the week. In
this clip, we learn about equipment used by recreation therapists when working with spinal cord patients.
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Have a good week,
Kevin
