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UHN at a Glance

Transplants from living patients, pacemakers to regulate brain waves, balloons to open blood pathways, rice-sized radioactive kernels to treat cancer, disease-tracking databases that provide insight into physiological, environmental and psychological aspects of arthritis – seems like science fiction, but at University Health Network (UHN), it is science fact.

UHN is the combined expertise of three leading hospitals. Over 10,000 healthcare professionals at Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital search for answers every day by sharing knowledge and resources. We train over 3,500 healthcare professionals a year. We dedicate more than $100 million each year to research. We attract and retain some of the most brilliant surgeons and specialists in the world. Together we are dedicated to finding the answers to some of the most complex questions in healthcare.

Who We Are
What makes UHN so effective at caring for patients with the most complex illnesses is the strength of the people who devote their time, passion and expertise to improving patient care. Together, these individuals – clinicians, scientists, volunteers, donors, patients and other healthcare professionals– share strengths that make UHN one of the leading healthcare centres in the world. Three research institutes sharing insight and creative approaches, three foundations all dedicated to supporting UHN’s priorities and three hospitals working together — creating a sum that is greater than its many parts.

• Toronto General Hospital, founded in 1829, has a proud heritage of creativity that has led to innovative treatments for some of the most complex medical conditions.
• Toronto Western Hospital, represents the future of health care, a fusion of groundbreaking basic research with new models of care that promote integration across a range of health services.
• Princess Margaret Hospital, a pre-eminent international authority, provides expert cancer care in a compassionate setting inspiring hope in cancer patients.

Our Research Institutes
Canada’s finest medical researchers work at our three research institutes:

• Ontario Cancer Institute
• Toronto General Research Institute
• Toronto Western Research Institute

Approximately 1,500 scientists, technical staff, students and trainees work together to solve fundamental and applied research problems in a variety of biomedical fields.

Healthcare Trends
UHN is positioned to address the future challenges of healthcare trends. Our large patient base provides our hospitals with exceptional research potential for new discoveries and therapies. Our medical staff are committed to passing on the art and science of their specialties to students who come to learn from around the world.

World Firsts

• First clinical use of insulin for diabetes (1922)
• Clinical use of the anticoagulant Heparin (1935)
• First external heart pacemaker developed in conjunction with UofT and the National Research Council and used in open heart resuscitation during surgical operations (1950)
• First successful heart valve transplant (1955)
• First to lower body temperature to surgically repair a brain aneurysm (1956)
• First identification of the blood stem cell (1961)
• First Coronary Intensive Care Unit (1962)
• First single lung transplant (1983)
• Discovery of the T-cell receptor, key to immune recognition (1983)
• Discovery of the multi-drug resistant gene (1985)
• First cystic fibrosis patient to undergo a double-lung transplant successfully (1988)
• First genetic test for viral heart disease (1990)
• First out-patient craniotomy for brain tumour removal (1996)
• First combined single lung transplant and lung volume reduction procedure for emphysema (1996)
• Identification of the IL-13 as the driver of Hodgkin’s Disease (2000)