Good afternoon, 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 a quick note about Project Agile. As with any ERP transformation of this size, there are inevitable delays as new learnings and system adoption take place. Processing invoices and working through the backlog of vendor payments continues to be the priority for our Accounts Payable team. Please have patience and consideration for our colleagues who are doing the best they can to manage the current volumes. To access training and support materials for our new system, visit the
Project Agile Sharepoint. For support using the new system, contact the UHN Service Desk at 416-340-4800, ext. 4357 (HELP) or create a ticket through the Digital Service Portal.
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Congratulations to Drs. Heather Ross and Michael Jewett who were among 60 distinguished Canadians invested as Members of the Order of Canada last week, one of the country's highest civilian honours. Dr. Ross, Division Head of Cardiology at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at UHN, was recognized by Governor General Mary Simon for her inspiring focus “on quality of life and end-of-life care for heart transplant and heart failure patients." Dr. Jewett, a Surgical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, was recognized for a groundbreaking career that included “spearheading a life-saving technique for testicular cancer." These TeamUHN superstars were invested alongside one of Hollywood's most successful directors, James Cameron. See the full list of Order of Canada appointees online.
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If you couldn't attend last week's Black History Month education session hosted by UHN's Black Legacy Committee (BLC),
please watch the recording. Guest speaker Melissa Taylor, a psychotherapist social worker and anti-racism facilitator, discussed ancestral memories and the lasting impact of generational trauma. We thank the BLC and the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Antiracism (IDEAA) at UHN for their year-round work to advance equity at UHN through partnership and collaboration. Stay tuned for an upcoming UHN News article to mark Black History Month. As a reminder, the results of the IDEAA Self-Identification and Inclusion Survey, which sought to better understand staff and the challenges of equity-seeking people at UHN, are posted on IDEAA's new website. This site also includes helpful information on UHN Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), policies, and strategies to turn results into action. Visit: UHN-IDEAA.ca.
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A UHN-led clinical trial is giving new hope to those living with a rare liver-related autoimmune disease. Led by Dr. Gideon Hirschfield, Director of the Autoimmune Liver Disease Program at UHN's Francis Family Liver Clinic and Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, the trial explored the potential of the new drug seladelpar as a treatment option for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), a liver disease that damages bile ducts and can lead to liver failure. The study suggests the therapy can slow PBC's progression and mitigate the severe itching that is a common and debilitating symptom of the disease. "This new treatment marks a pivotal moment in the fight against PBC," Dr. Hirschfield told UHN News. This development contributes to UHN's long legacy of treating PBC as the home of one of the world's leading autoimmune liver disease clinics. Read more online and access the full study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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UHN researchers have discovered a new target for reducing tumour growth in various cancers. A team from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre revealed that a protein called topoisomerase 1 (TOP1), a regulator of DNA structure, can be used as a target for treating cancers involving the MYC protein that is known to drive aggressive disease. “We were able to show that inhibiting TOP1 reduced tumour growth in our MYC-driven breast cancer models," said Dr. Linda Penn, Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret and the study's senior author. Read more on UHN News to learn how researchers used a gene-editing tool to unlock their discovery.
Closing Notes
And now… our video of the week. This
clip shines a light on mental health nurses and, in light of Mental Health Nurses Day, recognizes their important contributions to health care.
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Have a good week,
Kevin
