UHN on the Go is our monthly feature highlighting news and events at UHN.
Student-led group leads fundraising initiative in support of UHN
Students Supporting University Health Network (SSUHN) is a student-led group that fundraises for patient care, research, and education at UHN.
SSUHN is active at six different university campuses, including Guelph-Humber, York, McMaster, Ryerson and University of Toronto's (U of T) St. George and U of T Scarborough locations. At U of T Scarborough (UTSC), the most popular event is the Barbershop on Campus (BOC) event that invites professional barbers from across the GTA to provide students and staff with haircuts to raise money.
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SSUHN team at UTSC planned and executed a BOC event to support the Intensive Care Unit at the Toronto General Hospital (TG). Two of the student leaders, Mariam Issa and Hassan Ahmad, had the opportunity to spend the day with Dr. Ewan Goligher on rounds at TG. The heroic work of the interprofessional team inspired them to organize the event to support ongoing critical care research.
"The whole student group started September of 2016-2017," Mariam says. "What inspired us to choose UHN are the many positive experiences we each had being part of this network.
"Many of us have been volunteers, research assistants, visitors and even patients at UHN and really want to contribute back and help make a difference in a place that is so focal to downtown Toronto."
Many barbers donated their time to help raise more than $600 in donations. In the past, SSUHN has supported causes, such as World Cancer Day and Prostate Cancer for Movember, to aid medical institutions in getting the resources needed to provide optimal care.
With all of the chapters combined, SSUHN has raised more than $8,000. SSUHN hopes that these funds help patients have access to the resources and care they need.
"Although very busy with their undergraduate studies, Mariam and Hassan and their fellow students took time to make an important and inspiring contribution to the care of critically ill patients," says Dr. Goligher, Critical Care physician at UHN.
"We can celebrate their valuable efforts as a reminder of the importance of our mission."
Toronto Rehab experts give future professionals an inside look
Much of what it means to be a professional engineer and scientist is just too nuanced to learn in a classroom setting.
That's why students from University of Toronto's Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (ILEAD) had the opportunity to learn first-hand what it's all about.
Last month, Toronto Rehab's research institute hosted a leadership education seminar for 40 undergraduate students, including workshops in mechanical engineering in healthcare and interactive meetings with scientists and engineers.
"Our key mission is to solve real-life challenges; preventing injuries, restoring functions, and promoting independence as we age are some of our main goals," says Dr. Behrang Keshavarz, a scientist at Toronto Rehab. "In order to achieve these goals, we use advanced technologies to find novel and innovative solutions.
"It was wonderful to be able to show students the research diversity at Toronto Rehab and how we make use of technology and our research capacity. Getting young, eager, and motivated students excited about our work is a tremendous success for us."
Thanks to all organizers and speakers, including Jahvanna Ryan, Dr. Behrang Keshavarz, Tim Giblin, Barry Westhead, Dr. Bruce Haycock, Dr. Jose Zariffa, Dr. Cezar Marques, Amanda Bell, Mortah Nabavi Niaki, Martin Par, and Jessica Li.
Lead-Up Leadership Program invests in UHN managers
When Lead-Up program graduate Maria Ricupero was selected to speak on behalf of her cohort at the graduation ceremony, she said she felt very lucky and thankful to UHN and her manager, Frances Hoy, for the opportunity to participate in Lead-Up.
Lead-Up wasn't just about the courses or the skills obtained, Maria says, "it was about the people in it. We formed connections and built relationships and all this happened because of the support we received and offered one another along the way.
"The program helped expand our vision around leadership and made us realize how these skills are critical to being the great leaders we are and strive to be," she says. "We learned that the success of a leader is the success of the team, and as leaders, we play a key role in the growth, development, and success of others."
Lead-Up is a 10-month program designed for managers who are new to a leadership role or new to UHN (less than one year). It's also for experienced leaders who have not participated in formal leadership training and want to enhance their leadership capabilities.
Since participants are already in leadership roles, they have a chance to use the knowledge and skills they learn in the program in real time, every day.
Congratulations to our graduates:
Nadia Auciello, Tharshini Chandra, Nicole Craven, Matthew Eldridge, Kamal Garcha, Maggie Hanlon, Linda Holsmer, Katherine Irvine, Shorbana Kumarasamy, Sean Marshall, Paul Massaroni, Tracy McQuire, Lauren Meschino, Linh Nguyen, Maria Cristina Nostro, Seham Noureldin, Christopher Read, Maria Ricupero, Upasana Saha, Debbie Seychell, Kristina Smart, Cindy Tran, Sara Vasconcelos, Larysa Wolanyk-Jackson, Sandra Yue.
Online nomination forms for the
2018-2019 Lead-Up Program are now available
[Editor's Note: Link is no longer available]. Managers, please submit your nominations by July 20, 2018. If you have any questions about the nomination process, please email tregister@uhn.ca.
