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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A big thank you to all TeamUHN members who worked in service of patients, colleagues, learners, and their community over the long weekend. As always, we are grateful to everyone who stepped up to ensure UHN could deliver the best possible care for all those we are so fortunate to serve. I hope that everyone at UHN will enjoy the rest of the summer and find time to rest and recharge.
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The Toronto Western Family Health Team and UHN Connected Care will host vaccination clinics for children between the ages of six months and four years old who are now eligible for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. The clinics, open to all members of the public including families of TeamUHN members and all Mid-West OHT partners, will run Wednesday through Sunday at the Toronto Western Family Health Team (Bathurst site) until further notice.
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Location: Toronto Western Family Health Team, 440 Bathurst Street, 3rd floor (use the FreshCo entrance on the West side of the street)
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Dates: Wednesday to Sunday each week starting Wed August 3, 2022
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Clinic Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 4pm – 8pm; Saturday and Sunday from 9am – 6pm.
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Vaccine: Pediatric Moderna will be provided, and is given in doses one-quarter the size of those approved for adults (for ages 6 months to under 5 years)
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Please book your appointment here:
https://bit.ly/3OM3Its
This vaccine is given in doses one-quarter the size of those approved for adults. For more information on COVID-19 vaccines for children, please
visit the Health Canada website. As I've said before, TeamUHN members are also strongly encouraged to book their booster shots, which can be done on
the Government of Ontario website.
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UHN has launched the
Stand with Ukraine Program to support Ukrainian scientists, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and exchange students displaced by Russia's invasion of their country. This program, made possible thanks to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and UHN Foundation, will support scientists and research trainees whose scientific focus aligns with UHN Research. This program is meant to complement efforts from the federal government and the University of Toronto to support researchers caught in this humanitarian catastrophe, which has seen millions of people displaced and tens of thousands of people killed in just five months. Please visit the
Stand with Ukraine website for more details, including eligibility criteria and the application process. Questions? Please reach out to
standwithukraine@uhnresearch.ca. As I said at the beginning of the invasion, our steadfast belief in A Healthier World will not be deterred by the outrageous actions of Russia's government. I am proud that UHN has stepped up to help, not just with this program but with earlier initiatives to
get medical supplies to Ukraine through Operation Green.
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This week marks the kickoff of UHN's high-priority business transformation focused on empowering the business of healthcare delivery. Much like Synapse, the benefits of this program will be felt across the many different layers of our organization. Led by Darlene Dasent, EVP & CFO, and Sarah Muttitt, VP & CIO, the transformation ushers in a new generation of Supply Chain, Procurement, and Financial enterprise resource systems with real-time data collection and powerful analysis tools greatly improving our delivery of goods and services critical to patient care, research and education. For the next 18 months, the team will work with Deloitte, a recognized global leader in organizational transformation. Our colleagues in Finance, Digital, and Supply Chain are fundamentally reimagining how we can "unleash the power of technology and innovation" in support of our vision of A Healthier World. The ability to successfully and rapidly adopt and benefit from new technologies is critical to UHN's future. We are in the enviable position of having a deep talent pool within our teams, to successfully manage this immense undertaking.
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Be sure to check out the 2021 Annual Report for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at the University Health Network. The document, which is
available online, captures how dedicated TeamUHN members at Princess Margaret were able to move forward on key strategic objectives despite the enormous challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and while delivering cancer treatment, counselling, and care. The report highlights the strong achievements of researchers and educators, with more than 1,000 papers published in the top journals, as well as the bold steps taken to expand the reach and impact of Princess Margaret at UHN. Please read the
full report online or
download a PDF.
Closing Notes
On Monday, August 1, we marked Emancipation Day, the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect across the British Empire, as it was known then. In time, more than 800,000 enslaved Africans and their descendants were freed throughout the British colonies, including what is now Canada. While Canadians are proud of the Underground Railroad that saw more than 30,000 enslaved African Americans find refuge in Canada until the end of the U.S. Civil War,
the enslavement of African and Indigenous peoples in British North America and colonial Canada is often forgotten or erased. Emancipation Day reminds us of the importance of reflecting on our history and the incredible strength and resilience of Black communities in Canada, who we know continue to face discrimination and systemic obstacles. It also calls on us to rededicate ourselves to dismantling systemic discrimination and anti-Black racism.
I'm pleased to announce the UHN podcast 'Behind the Breakthrough' has, for the third year in a row, been nominated for two Canadian Podcast Awards, including Outstanding Science Series. The podcast focuses on the groundbreaking medical research at UHN and the people behind it. It is a co-production by UHN Research and UHN Public Affairs. Winners will be announced in the Fall. Stay tuned for Season 4 of the podcast rolling out this October. For more visit: Behind the Breakthrough (uhn.ca)
Speaking of podcasts,
don't miss the 10th and final episode of Season 1 of 'Your Complex Brain,' a podcast from the team at UHN's Krembil Brain Institute. This episode explores what UHN scientists and physicians are discovering about the brain-related symptoms of long COVID.
Listen to the episode and be sure to subscribe on
Apple podcasts.
And, thanks to UHN News last week, I learned about
a podcast from an ovarian cancer patient at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at UHN. Her podcast, 'Knowing Your Way,' is described as an educational resource and support system for women and family members affected by this complex disease, considered a "silent killer" because of how difficult it is to screen at an early stage.
Read more at UHN News.
Feedback?
Your feedback is welcome and valued. Please reply directly to me or
leave anonymous feedback here.
Have a good week,
Kevin
