Congratulations to the Vascular Surgery Team at UHN's Toronto General Hospital on being recognized for an "unwavering commitment to excellence in vascular care."
The team, in UHN's Sprott Department of Surgery and Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, was one of the recipients of the Dr. Larry Kraiss Quality Award, named for a pioneer in the field of vascular surgery.
The award from the United States-based Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) "is not only a reflection of outstanding performance but also symbolizes a long-term dedication to improving patient outcomes, advancing clinical excellence and setting a new standard for vascular care," the SVS said.
The award was presented at the SVS Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) conference in New Orleans.
Toronto General was the first centre in Canada to join the VQI database, which contains anonymized patient data from cardiac centres across the U.S., Canada and Singapore, helping vascular surgery teams determine how to best focus and inform quality improvement initiatives. Several more centres in this country have since joined the VQI and there is now a Canadian regional group.
It not only has a direct impact on the care patients receive but also offers the opportunity to benchmark performance and give scientists larger samples for research. Since first enrolling in VQI in 2010, more than 4,600 UHN patients and approximately 6,400 procedures have been entered into the database.
Centres participating in the VQI earn up to three stars on criteria leading to better care. Toronto General was one of six centres recognized with the Dr. Larry Kraiss Award for maintaining a three-star rating for eight consecutive years or more.
For the eighth consecutive year, UHN's Procurement and Supply Chain team has earned international recognition, receiving the 2025 National Procurement Institute (NPI) Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award.
This prestigious award celebrates organizations that go above and beyond standard procurement practices with professionalism, productivity and leadership. By keeping the supply chain running efficiently, they enable TeamUHN to maintain full focus on delivering the very best in patient services and care.
The journey to obtaining the award included a comprehensive application process, led by sourcing associate Liliana Andre. She spearheaded the process by consolidating the supporting documents that highlight how the team met 13 categories of the award criteria, including procurement strategies, electronic sourcing processes and sustainable procurement programs.
Recent accomplishments, including the implementation of fully digital and automated systems for overseeing data and finances, purchasing and invoice processing and managing supplier contract agreements, were crucial in giving the team an advantage to win the award.
This achievement represents the collective strength of a team committed to innovation and integrity in procurement.
Together, UHN's Procurement and Supply Chain team members continue to ensure the necessary supplies and equipment are available and delivered to all departments across the network.
Congratulations to UHN researchers awarded more than $27 million in the Spring 2025 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant
funding competition.
The Project Grant program is designed to offer scientists, at any stage of their careers, funding for ideas with the greatest potential to advance health-related knowledge, research methodologies, patient care and overall outcomes.
The results of this round of funding were significant — 31 research teams at UHN were awarded more than $27 million through 26 full research grants and five priority announcement grants.
Totalling $411 million, 435 full research grants were awarded across Canada. An additional investment of $5.1 million supported 46 priority announcement grants, and 9 supplemental prizes totalling $310,000 were also awarded.
Some of the funded projects from UHN researchers include:
Thanks in part to the generous support of the CIHR, UHN researchers are breaking barriers across the full spectrum of health research.
From improving our understanding of cancer biology to creating wearable devices that can help detect heart failure remotely, UHN is proud to see its researchers' dedication and contributions recognized on a national level.
Congratulations to all the awardees for their continued contributions to advancing health research.
Congratulations to various members of UHN's Laboratory Medicine Program, who were recognized for their outstanding achievements in teaching, research and service at the University of Toronto's (U of T) Annual Celebration of Excellence ceremony on June 19.
Each year, U of T's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology hosts this ceremony to highlight the exceptional members of its affiliated institutions, including UHN.
The following members of TeamUHN were celebrated for their achievements this year:
- Dr. Gabor Kovacs, Neuropathologist: Awarded the Richard G. Hegele Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation
- Dr. Ilan Weinreb, Division Head, Anatomic Pathology: Awarded the LMP Sustained Excellence Award
- Dr. Stephen Smith, Head & Neck, Anatomic Pathologist: Awarded the Clinical Teaching Excellence in Residency Teaching Award
- Dr. Michael Seidman, Cardiovascular Pathologist & Director of Autopsy: Awarded The John B. Walter Prize for Course Design and Development
- Dr. Jan Delabie, Division Head, Hematopathology & Transfusion Medicine: Awarded the Clinical Teaching Excellence in Hematological Pathology Award
- Dr. Ozgur Mete, Endocrine Pathologist: Awarded the Clinical Teaching Excellence in Fellowship Teaching Award
- Dr. Anjelica Hodgson, Gynecologic Pathologist: Awarded the Early Career Teaching Award
This recognition reflects UHN's commitment to excellence in education, investment in students and the future of laboratory medicine.
