​I'll start this week by underlining a message Joy Richards, Vice President – Patient Experience and Health Professions, sent out last week about the annual membership renewal for the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).  This renewal is necessary for all nurses and I understand that a new computer system at the CNO has had a few 'hiccups' in its installation.  This means that the annual registration process will be delayed until early in 2018.  Joy's advice is to wait for an e-mail notification about the system opening or checking the CNO website.  And, when we know that site is open, Joy will send out an announcement.

This message is also an opportunity to welcome Michael Burns, the new President and CEO of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.  You will have seen the e-mail describing his background including the extraordinary success he led for Toronto's Invictus Games.  I look forward to working with Michael, who joins us January 2.  He is stepping in to the role that Paul Alofs has held for 14 years and my sincere thanks to Paul for everything he has done for Princess Margaret, the cancer program and for UHN. It has been a remarkable 14 years and we will have opportunity to celebrate Paul's accomplishments over the next few months.

And finally, last week we held the annual dinner which recognizes the individuals who have 25 years of service at UHN and a celebration of myUHN, our patient portal which now has over 30,000 patients registered to receive their test results in real time. 

The 25-year honourees all started their career with us in 1991 and have continuous service from that time.  In speaking with many of the evening's guests, it was clear to me  that they value their teams, their mentors and the opportunities afforded by such a large organization.  It was also clear to me that their partners and family members who attended with them have also had a large role to play in their success.  Anyone who works in healthcare knows that the hours are long, the work can be stressful and that the work doesn't conveniently end when a shift is over.  So, we all owe a vote of thanks to our families and friends – they support us at all times.

At the celebration of myUHN, it was clear that all of the work over the past five years by many, many people has been well received by our patients.  Selina Brudnicki and her team are to be congratulated for championing the work, and by scrolling through their Twitter feed, you can see photos of some of the people who have been part of the journey.  Our core value – putting patients first – is evident in myUHN, a tool that allows patients to partner with their care team at all times.

Charlie

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