Jan 10, 2017

Collaboration Amid Complexity

Partnerships
Professors Margaret Herridge (l) and Jill Cameron (r)

Dean Trevor YoungAs we begin 2017, I’m reflecting on the value we all derive from our hospital partners. Collectively, the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) represents one of the largest and most productive academic health centres in North America. With our 13 affiliated academic hospitals, we are able to conduct groundbreaking research and deliver innovative care to Torontonians, all while training the next generation of health professionals.

Some may think the division of labour between universities and hospitals is clear and distinct. Universities are meant to do the teaching and bench science; hospitals deliver care and clinical innovation. But it’s a complex milieu. What TAHSN delivers is the strength and possibilities that are unlocked through partnerships. And that’s expressed by the invaluable learning and discovery that occurs not only on campus but in hospital locations across the city.

In education, for example, the Mississauga Academy of Medicine, has deepened our relationship with Trillium Health Partners and added the clinical teaching skills of 500 Trillium physicians; the benefits to our learners and faculty are tremendous. And the strong programs at U of T’s Surgical Skills Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital provide an exceptional platform for continuing education in surgical skills as well as a laboratory for research in surgical innovation. These are valuable examples of what strong, committed partnerships can yield.

On the research side, U of T students and faculty benefit from our comprehensive mix of on-campus as well as hospital-based core facilities. And the talent runs deep — from Sunnybrook Research Institute to the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH through to teams at new facilities like the Krembil Discovery Tower at UHN’s Toronto Western Hospital campus, SickKids’ Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital; U of T Medicine is richer for the collaborations these spaces facilitate. But we are also able to contribute through core facilities on campus like the Microscopy Imaging Laboratory, the Flow Cytometry Facility and the Division of Comparative Medicine.

At the same time, U of T is key to multi-hospital partner networks that harness and amplify collective strengths around important new initiatives like the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, the Medical Psychiatry Alliance and the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance.

The complexity is challenging, no question. TAHSN CEOs, as well as committees for Medical Affairs, Research and Education, all grapple with difficult issues across a range of domains; each a balancing act between autonomy and integration. The Hospital University Education Committee (HUEC), as a university-based committee, is another essential forum to ensure the delivery of high quality medical education across TAHSN.

The landscape is one of shared responsibility and reciprocity. For 2017, let’s recognize the mutual benefits derived from our collaborative efforts and commit to keep those ties strong.

Trevor Young
Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Vice-Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions