Health

Deputy prime minister visits clinics at U of T Faculty of Dentistry

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 20:45:04 +0000

Deputy prime minister visits clinics at U of T Faculty of Dentistry

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 07/10/2024 - 16:45

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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland meets with graduate students at U of T's Faculty of Dentistry (all photos by Sean Liliani)

Rachel Boutet

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Dentistry

Health

Subheadline

Chrystia Freeland highlighted that children under 18 and persons with disabilities are now eligible for coverage under the Canadian Dental Care Plan

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland visited several of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry clinics on Tuesday, July 9, and highlighted how updates to the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) are helping Canadians get the dental care they need – no matter their ability to pay.

At 14 clinics, the Faculty of Dentistry treats more than 15,000 new patients each year, many of whom experience barriers to accessing dental care. The deputy prime minister visited the Children’s Clinic and several others, speaking to pediatric specialty graduate students who help treat nearly 2,000 children annually.

The faculty has been closing the gap in access to dental care for the past 50 years with more than 400 doctor of dental surgery students working with vulnerable populations at a cost dramatically lower than that of a private practice.

Minister Freeland meets a student at the Faculty of Dentistry's Children's Clinic

Following the tour, Freeland said that effective June 27, uninsured children under 18 and adults with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate who have an annual adjusted net family income of less than $90,000 are eligible for the CDCP. Prior to this announcement, the plan already rolled out to more than 2.1 million uninsured seniors aged 65 or over – of whom about 250,000 have already received dental care.

“The Canadian Dental Care Plan aligns with our mission to provide dental care to those in need,” said Professor Laura Tam, the Faculty of Dentistry’s interim dean. “We have accepted many patients through the CDCP since we enrolled several months ago and are happy to say that our experience has been positive. Now, we look forward to providing the same wide-ranging scope of treatment to our youngest patients.”

Minister Freeland (L) highlighted updates to the Canadian Dental Care Plan – which interim Dean Laura Tam (R) noted aligns with the Faculty of Dentistry's mission to provide dental care to those in need

The deputy prime minister highlighted how the federal government is making it easier for oral health providers to treat patients and to submit CDCP claims. Providers who prefer not to sign on to the plan will now have the option of providing services on a claim-by-claim basis, opening up new channels for patients to access care. Canadians covered by the CDCP will be able to see the provider of their choice, as long as their provider agrees to bill Sun Life directly.

“Too many Canadians are going without the dental care they need – but ability to pay shouldn’t be a barrier to staying healthy,” said Freeland. “That is why we launched the Canadian Dental Care Plan – a transformative expansion of Canada's social safety net – and already, millions of seniors have signed up. Now, with children under 18 and persons with disabilities eligible to apply, even more Canadians will get the dental care they need.”

A dentistry student demonstrates a training mannequin to Minister Freeland

By 2025, the CDCP will be fully implemented to cover all uninsured Canadians with an annual adjusted net family income under $90,000, providing oral health care for up to nine million eligible Canadians.

U of T receives $10 million from Ontario government for modernization of high containment facility

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:15:01 +0000

U of T receives $10 million from Ontario government for modernization of high containment facility

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 03/18/2024 - 14:15

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(photo by Julia Soudat)

Betty Zou

Topic

Our Community

Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Sinai Health

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Unity Health

Health

Hospital for Sick Children

Research & Innovation

University Health Network

Subheadline

Renewal of the 20-year-old facility, which allows researchers to study high-risk pathogens, will provide increased capacity to develop new vaccines and therapeutics

Canada’s ability to respond rapidly to emerging infectious diseases is taking a step forward with a $9.9-million investment from the Ontario government to support critical research infrastructure updates to the Toronto High Containment Facility (THCF), which houses the largest containment level 3 lab in the province.

The facility, located at the University of Toronto, is specially equipped to allow researchers to study high-risk pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, HIV, tuberculosis and mpox, in a safe and secure way.

Research undertaken at the current facility has advanced our understanding of infectious diseases and strengthened our ability to respond to emerging health threats.

“The THCF strengthens Ontario’s position as a prime location for globally leading companies and top talent to discover and commercialize cutting-edge technologies, while improving our preparedness for future health challenges,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “The updated facility will enhance Canada’s health infrastructure and health security, and ensure that Canadian researchers are trained and ready to respond to emerging infectious diseases.”

The provincial funding builds on a previous $35-million investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to support efforts to revitalize and expand the THCF and to transform it into the largest academic high-containment research centre in Canada.

The renewal of the 20-year-old facility will provide increased capacity to use state-of-the-art approaches supporting academic research projects as well as collaborative industry-led efforts to develop new vaccines and therapeutics for Canadians. The new provincial investment will also allow the facility to meet the growing demand from industry and public sector partners while maintaining ongoing research projects and an agile responsiveness to future outbreaks.

“The new THCF will allow our researchers to work on the most urgent infectious disease threats, provide greater opportunities to engage with government agencies and industry partners, and allow us to provide unique training opportunities for the next generation of infectious disease leaders, building a strong foundation for Canada’s response to future outbreaks,” says Scott Gray-Owen, academic director of the THCF and a professor of molecular genetics in U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

The provincial support is part of a suite of investments through the Ontario Research Fund and the Early Researcher Awards that also include support for quantum and artificial intelligence projects at U of T. Support has also been extended to advance an infrastructure renewal of the province’s Advanced Research Computing (ARC) systems, including U of T’s Niagara ARC supercomputer, used by researchers across the country.

As the only high containment facility of its kind in the Greater Toronto Area, the THCF is a unique asset to the life sciences ecosystem in the region, which is home to 55 per cent of Canada’s pharmaceutical companies. The modernized facility will be able to support greater engagement with industry partners to advance made-in-Ontario therapeutics such as the experimental drug paridiprubart from Markham-based Edesa Biotech, which is currently being tested in a Phase 3 clinical trial to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome, a common complication from COVID-19 or influenza infections.

In addition to industry partners, the THCF has been used by federal and provincial agencies including the Public Health Agency of Canada, Bank of Canada, Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

The THCF renewal will also be undertaken in collaboration with U of T’s hospital partners: The Hospital for Sick Children, Sinai Health, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Unity Health Toronto and University Health Network. Construction of the facility has begun but the university is seeking additional funding to complete the project.

Based at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, the THCF is the cornerstone of the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium, a U of T institutional strategic initiative that brings together the university and Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) hospital partners to drive innovative approaches to infectious diseases and prepare for future pandemics. It is also a key infrastructure resource for the Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases (HI3) which was established through the Canada Biomedical Research Fund. The hub brings together over 90 partners across several sectors to bolster Canada’s biomanufacturing capacity to ensure a fast and co-ordinated response to future pandemics and infectious threats.

The revitalized THCF will also have the capacity to train more than 100 new highly qualified professionals over a five-year period with industry-relevant skills, including manufacturing practices and vaccine and therapeutics development.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the THCF was the first lab in Canada – and one of the first in the world – to isolate the new coronavirus in March 2020. The facility and its highly trained staff played a key role in accelerating research breakthroughs that guided the pandemic response including, for example, methods to allow safe reuse of personal protective equipment in health-care settings and to ensure safe human milk banking for premature infants.

The THCF was also a core element of EPIC’s mpox rapid research response, housing a biobank of samples from patients with mpox which are being used by researchers to better understand the dynamics of viral shedding and other important questions about the disease.

In addition to a larger physical space, the updated facility will include a state-of-the-art high containment insectary to enable research on mosquito-borne viruses like Chikungunya, dengue, Zika and yellow fever. With its modular design and enhanced safety features, the new facility will also be better positioned to respond to emerging pathogens like highly pathogenic avian influenza.

U of T partners with leading African universities and Mastercard Foundation to advance health care in Africa

bresgead — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 18:44:25 +0000

U of T partners with leading African universities and Mastercard Foundation to advance health care in Africa

bresgead Tue, 01/16/2024 - 13:44

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The Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative Executive Steering Committee, including U of T’s Joseph Wong and Wisdom Tettey, fourth and third from right, met in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2023 (photo courtesy of Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative)

Topic

The University of Toronto, the Mastercard Foundation and a network of leading African universities are embarking on a 10-year initiative to enhance primary health care workforce education, entrepreneurship and innovation across Africa.

The partnership, known as the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative (AHEHC), was launched in 2022 and aims to bolster the continent’s health sectors as part of efforts to improve care for millions while supporting youth employment and economic growth. Participating institutions from Africa include Addis Ababa University, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, African Leadership University, Amref International University, Ashesi University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Moi University and the University of Cape Town.

The AHEHC partners are committed to reshaping the health-care landscape in Africa by preparing young people for meaningful work in health and wellness through contextually appropriate and sustainable primary health care.

According to a 2022 survey of 47 countries in Africa, there’s an average of only 1.55 doctors, nurses, and midwives per 1,000 people, significantly below the WHO’s recommended ratio.

AHEHC was a key topic at a 2023 meeting in Cape Town, South Africa that focused on a collective goal of enhancing the health sector to benefit African societies. The gathering included several U of T leaders: Joseph Wong, vice-president, international; Trevor Young, dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine who is now vice-president and provost; and Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough. Representatives from all partnering institutions also participated.

“The Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative is part of a larger movement – driven by Africans for Africans – aimed at enhancing the continent's economic vitality, improving access to health care and generating fulfilling employment in the health sector,” Wong said.

"The members of this collaborative are working hand-in-hand to advance local priorities and leverage our collective resources to create a healthier, more sustainable future, with each partner contributing to and learning from the others.”

Wong added that AHEHC’s work is guided by the idea of co-creation – an approach that was evident at the October 2023 convening as the partners cemented the mutual relationships, laying the foundation for the widespread adoption of African-led solutions across the network.

U of T’s participation in the AHEHC aligns with the university’s broader Africa strategy, which encompasses various initiatives from entrepreneurship exchanges to high-level summits involving representatives from universities, governments and various international development groups. It is guided by the President’s International Council on Engagement with Africa and is outlined in the university’s International Strategic Plan 2022-2027, focused on global reach, global learning and global impact.

"We aim to tap into the tremendous young talent and vast opportunities across the continent while addressing challenges facing Africa’s primary healthcare systems, including severe worker shortages,” said Penina Lam, U of T’s senior director of international relations, who is leading AHEHC’s implementation.

AHEHC’s initial focus will be in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa, aiming to strengthen health sectors. Through hands-on training in various disciplines, AHEHC seeks to prepare the next generation of health-care practitioners. The approach aims to enhance the delivery of high-quality primary care, stimulate economic growth and develop robust societies. This aligns with the Mastercard Foundation’s Health Strategy, which seeks to create three million dignified and fulfilling jobs in primary care, with an emphasis on employment opportunities for women and young people.

The 2023 Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, & Adaptation (MELA) co-creation workshop was held in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2023 (photo courtesy of Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative)

As the secretariat for the initiative, U of T plays a supportive role in co-ordinating collaborations and programs tailored to each partner’s local health priorities, needs, assets and expertise. This involves facilitating learning, development and implementation across the network, managed by a team in Canada and through three regional hubs in Africa.

For example, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s department of family and community medicine partnered with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Together, they co-delivered continuing education courses for primary care workers in critical areas such as palliative care. About 100 Ghanaian primary care professionals participated in the courses this fall.

This program is among many guided by AHEHC’s three pillars: health employment, focusing on workforce development; health entrepreneurship, which supports the creation of businesses that will produce health innovations and self-employment opportunities; and health ecosystems, which engages partners in government, corporations, non-profits and other institutions in the collective effort to transform the health sector.

AHEHC will also build on the success of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, ushering in a new cohort of graduate students from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to pursue their studies at U of T over ten years.

AHEHC leverages U of T’s longstanding, mutually beneficial relationships with institutions in Africa, such as the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration, which brings together U of T faculty members with colleagues at Addis Ababa University to co-develop graduate programs and train professionals, many of whom remain in Ethiopia to contribute to various sectors.

Wong said the initiative is an important one for the university.

“This collaborative aligns with our institutional mission to foster an academic community in which the learning and scholarship of everyone flourishes,” he said. “We are committed to the principles of equal opportunity, equity and justice – not just here in Canada but globally.”

U of T breaks ground on state-of-the-art building for training health professionals in Scarborough

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 19:23:00 +0000

U of T breaks ground on state-of-the-art building for training health professionals in Scarborough

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 11/06/2023 - 14:23

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A rendering of the SAMIH building's ground floor (image courtesy of Diamond Schmitt Architects and MVRDV)

Advancement Staff

Topic

Our Community

David Palmer

Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health

Wisdom Tettey

Division of University Advancement

Health

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Meric Gertler

U of T Scarborough

Subheadline

A dynamic new facility will house the vital Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health – and help meet an urgent need for health professionals in the Eastern GTA

The University of Toronto has made history, breaking ground on a building that will house a much-needed new medical academy.

The first of its kind in Scarborough, the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) will train physicians, nurse practitioners and other health-care professionals right in the region – to serve the region.

A recent $25-million gift from Orlando Corporation will support the construction of the building. SAMIH itself has received funding as part of the Government of Ontario’s plan to increase the number of health-care workers in the province.

“We are so grateful for the gift from the Orlando Corporation and the investment by the Ford Government, which have led us to this exciting day,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “This state-of-the-art building will enable U of T to cultivate a bold new generation of health leaders who reflect the communities they serve.”

“We expect that the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health will attract many local students from Scarborough and the Eastern GTA,” said Wisdom Tettey, U of T vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough. “These talented individuals will play an important role in meeting the health-care needs of under-served communities and helping to advance health equity.”

The purpose-built, five-storey building will occupy 144, 482 square feet and sit at the corner of Military Trail and Morningside Avenue – a prominent gateway to U of T Scarborough, directly across from the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

“This vibrant new hub for health education in Scarborough is critical to increasing access to health care,” said Patricia Houston, interim dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and interim vice-provost, relations with health-care institutions. “It will help provide equitable, integrated and compassionate care in the Eastern GTA – and, ultimately, it will help improve lives across the region.”

To support the vision for this new academy, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and U of T’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing will expand their training to U of T Scarborough. Building on the university’s history of educating tens of thousands of health professionals – a legacy that extends back over a century – SAMIH will graduate approximately 40 physicians, approximately 60 physician assistants, 30 nurse practitioners and 40 physical therapists per year. More than 300 new health sciences students will join U of T Scarborough’s campus, further strengthening SAMIH as a key hub for health education in the Eastern GTA. The newly revamped health sciences undergraduate program offers unique placement opportunities and paid co-ops, enabling students to learn in a close-knit campus setting.

This new generation of health-care professionals will help fill a serious gap, with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care having identified Scarborough as an area in high need of physicians. The shortage includes family doctors, as well as other specialists such as child and adult psychiatrists, geriatricians, nurse practitioners and emergency medical physicians.

“Our government is proud to support this historic medical school expansion,” said Premier Doug Ford. “The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health will build on the investments we’re making to help ensure Scarborough and the Durham Region have the health care workers they need now and into the future.”

The impact on the region will be significant. Projected to open in September 2026, the building will include a clinical psychology clinic; a pharmacy clinic (Discovery Pharmacy) led by faculty and students from U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy; and clinical settings in which nurse practitioner students, under supervision, can provide direct care to the community. The building will also feature an anatomy lab for medical students, two large technology-enhanced active learning (TEAL) classrooms, a 21-bed clinical skills lab and 10 case-based learning instructional labs.

“A dynamic learning space can make all the difference in education – especially when attracting the best and brightest students,” said Anna Kennedy, chair of U of T’s Governing Council. “This building is an example of one such space. We anticipate that many of the students who will fill its hallways will go on to become some of the region’s top health-care professionals.”

Construction began on the site in early fall 2023, with a ground blessing conducted by U of T Scarborough’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives in October. Excavation is anticipated to start in January 2024. The project team includes the construction services company EllisDon and the architecture firms Diamond Schmitt and MVRDV.

The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health will strengthen connections across numerous hospitals and networks. Its partners will include the Scarborough Health Network, Michael Garron Hospital, Lakeridge Health and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. U of T will build upon existing relationships with local community partners to develop new research and teaching opportunities.

This dynamic hub will bring U of T’s nurse practitioner program to the region. The program is highly sought after for its approach to providing personalized, holistic and high-quality health care to clients and patients across their lifespans.

“This incredible building will help foster a vital pipeline for nurse practitioners,” said Linda Johnston, dean of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. “Nurse practitioners play a critical role in the health of communities, and future graduates of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health have the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of people in Scarborough and the Eastern GTA.”

Similarly, the Discovery Pharmacy at SAMIH will provide pharmacy services and interprofessional experiential learning opportunities for students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program. It will also help enhance connections with practising pharmacists in health networks in the surrounding area.

“As the scope of practice for pharmacists in Ontario continues to expand, finding new ways to collaborate across health professions is central to redefining health education and how we deliver health care” said Lisa Dolovich, dean of Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

The new building is poised to bring enormous benefits to the region. In addition to enabling the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health to meet the health-care professional shortage by creating a pool of talented graduates, the new facility will help drive innovation and economic growth.

“The Orlando Corporation’s benefaction stands as a model for visionary philanthropy,” said David Palmer, U of T’s vice-president of advancement. “It’s a beacon of extraordinary generosity with the potential to inspire other transformative investments in Scarborough and the Eastern GTA.”

PhD candidate aims to advance health equity for marginalized populations

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 19:10:14 +0000

PhD candidate aims to advance health equity for marginalized populations

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/26/2023 - 15:10

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For her PhD research, LaShawn Murray will examine the role of automation in primary care – with an eye to making sure it’s designed in a way that benefits marginalized populations. She says plans to focus in particular on the health of Black communities (photo by Tyler Irving)

Tyler Irving

Topic

Our Community

Equity

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Health

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Subheadline

“I am here to make a difference in the lives of others”

LaShawn Murray comes from a long line of engineers and educators – and though she grew up in Toronto and Oakville, she always felt connected with her family’s roots in the Caribbean and South America.

“My family taught me the importance of understanding my identity and being proud of who I am and the legacy of my community,” says Murray, who is a PhD candidate in the University of Toronto’s department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

“I have been reminded that I am here to make a difference in the lives of others.”

That motivation led Murray to the health sciences. She recently completed her master’s degree in health informatics at DePaul University in Chicago. It was there that she first became aware of the field of human factors engineering in health care.

“I took a course called System Design in Healthcare, taught by Professor Enid Montague,” she says.

“My research for the course examined unintentional acetaminophen errors and overdose in children through a system analysis of the role of parents and caregivers in the home administration of acetaminophen. This project demonstrated the interdisciplinary nature of human factors engineering.”

Murray is one of three 2023 recipients of the IBET Momentum Fellowships, along with fellow graduate students Raylene Mitchell and Chantel Campbell. Fellowship recipients receive financial support, mentorship, training and networking opportunities to foster a robust professional community.

For her PhD at U of T, Murray will once again be working with Montague, who joined U of T’s department of mechanical and industrial engineering as an associate professor in 2022. She will also work with Assistant Professor Myrtede Alfred. Both professors are working to understand disparities and improve safety and outcomes in marginalized populations both within Canadian and American contexts.

“My proposed doctoral research aims to explore the role of human factors engineering in advancing health equity for marginalized populations with an intentional focus on the health of Black communities,” Murray says.

“Specifically, I’ll be examining the role of automation in primary care. Automating certain types of clinical work can improve clinician work life and professional well-being, mitigating burnout. This in turn can improve access to quality care for patients.

“But in order to decide what to automate and how to go about it, we need to first understand whether historically and currently marginalized communities have equitable primary care experiences, and then design our systems accordingly.”

Murray says that she is proud to be a recipient of the IBET Momentum Fellowship.

“I am appreciative that the university recognizes the historic and systemic barriers faced by Black and Indigenous students,” she says.

“This fellowship affords me the opportunity to deepen my scholarship through mentorship opportunities with industry leaders and professors whose work focuses on artificial intelligence and human factors engineering.”

In addition to her scholarly work, Murray says that helping to nurture the next generation will be a key focus over the next few years.

“Working within the community is part of my lived experience, and I expect to continue with this endeavor through mentorship with young students who will be able to see this as a pathway for the future,” she says.

“I’m hopeful that through this fellowship and my doctoral studies, I can encourage others who look like me to pursue opportunities within the intersection of STEM and academia.”

New nursing simulation project promotes gender-affirming care for 2SLGTBQIA+ community

siddiq22 — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:06:07 +0000

New nursing simulation project promotes gender-affirming care for 2SLGTBQIA+ community

siddiq22 Thu, 06/29/2023 - 13:06

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Nursing student Richard Tang (centre) with Laura Fairley (left) and Erica Cambly, assistant professors in the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (photo by Neal MacInnes)

Rebecca Biason

Topic

Our Community

Experiential Learning

health care education

Simulation

Health

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

LGBTQ

Richard Tang, a student in the Master of Nursing program at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, has led the co-creation of a new simulation – a type of experiential learning – for undergraduate nursing students that is focused on providing specialized care to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Tang, who recently won the poster competition at the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) Conference for the project, was motivated to create the new simulation to bring queer health to the forefront of the nursing curriculum.

“Gender dysphoria is an ingrained conceptualization in the care that is sometimes provided to the transgender community, and we wanted to shift that perspective among our nursing students,” Tang says.

Learning in a simulation environment, adds Tang, provides students and educators a chance to understand best practices for trans care and identify pre-existing assumptions and biases without harming or traumatizing a patient.

The new simulation module takes place in the community health unit of the Bloomberg Nursing Simulation Lab, which can be transformed into a home care setting.

Faculty collaborators, including Laura Fairley and Erica Cambly – both assistant professors – helped to create the simulation environment that features a client who is a trans man recovering from top/chest surgery at home.

Using a state-of-the art mannequin complete with drainage tubes and the ability to speak (voiced by Fairley), students learn how to look after the client through what Tang describes as a joyous approach to care.

The project used a mannequin to simulate post-operative recovery from chest surgery (photo by Richard Tang)

Students must also address some of the complex challenges that arise for their client, which include management of post-operative complications, lack of access to a primary care provider, as well as the need to address additional social determinants of health.

“In all of our current work in the simulation lab, we lay a solid theoretical groundwork for students to learn how to provide trans-competent care,” says Fairley, who is a nurse with extensive experience caring for people recovering from transition-related surgeries.

“What is unique about this new simulation is that it goes beyond the theoretical and allows for students to visibly challenge cisnormativity and recognize that trans health care is ubiquitous in all types of nursing.”

Fairley further points out that members of the trans community experience significant discrimination when attempting to access transition-related medical care, but with Toronto considered a national hub for transition services, this is a specific type of knowledge that nurses will need to know – whether in primary care, the ER, acute care, or home-care settings across the province.

Creating this type of simulation requires intense collaboration – from the development of the storyline and preparatory materials, to the input of community members that it impacts.

In addition to Cambly and Fairley’s expertise in simulation learning and trans health care, a member of the trans community was also invited to review the simulation for accuracy alongside community-health nurses with expertise in transition-related care.

Cambly, who leads the simulation curriculum in the faculty, says that the clear standards and best practices for developing a simulation – which include looking for hidden biases and ensuring that there are clear learning objectives – are what help make a new simulation rollout successful.

She says this particular simulation was piloted with first- and second-year students in the undergraduate nursing program, with students being given an opportunity to debrief and provide feedback about how the simulation flowed, and what could be done better.

“I think one of the things we noticed during the pilot was that the students were really pleased we were doing this work and making this simulation available to all students,” Cambly says.

“Some of our students are living with transphobia, or have seen examples of it in their everyday life, and they see how important this knowledge is for health-care providers.”

The new simulation will likely be ready to be added to the 2023-2024 nursing curriculum – an important step in ensuring students are well-equipped to provide equitable and inclusive health care.

For Tang, the opportunity to blend his passion for teaching and learning with a chance to make a positive impact for students and the queer community is rewarding.

“I’m reassured that we are headed in the right direction in achieving these community-practice goals,” Tang says.

“We are not only making positive changes to the curriculum, but also addressing the diverse needs of the populations we serve.”

Nature ranks U of T among top three institutions in the world for health sciences research output

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 13:08:37 +0000

Nature ranks U of T among top three institutions in the world for health sciences research output

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 06/16/2023 - 09:08

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(photo by Matthew Dochstader/Paradox Images)

Topic

Global Lens

Leah Cowen

Health

Research & Innovation

The University of Toronto is the third-most prolific institution in the world – and second among universities – for health sciences research, according to new rankings by the publisher of Nature.

U of T’s ranking in the Nature Index Annual Tables for health sciences research output placed it just behind Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. government’s primary agency for health research.

The Nature Index Annual Tables 2023 evaluates the research contributions of countries and institutions to top-tier scientific journals across a variety of disciplines.

Across all subjects – health sciences, physical sciences, chemistry, Earth and environmental sciences and biological sciences – U of T was the only Canadian university to score among the top 25 institutions across the globe.

For its first health sciences ranking, the Nature Index tracked the author affiliations of 9,200 articles in 64 medical journals.

U of T stood out on a top-10 list dominated by U.S. institutions.

Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president of research, innovation, and strategic initiatives, told Nature that U of T’s top-three ranking reflects its commitment to collaboration in the health sphere.

Through its unique relationships with the 14 research hospitals in the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN), interdisciplinary Institutional Strategic Initiatives and industry partnerships, U of T has brought together researchers, clinicians and entrepreneurs to take medical innovations from theory, to testing to treatment, said Cowen.

That includes world-leading research on cancers, heart failure, regenerative medicine, aging and personalized medicine.

“We’re really committed to engaging on the full spectrum of research, all the way from state-of-the-art pioneering fundamental research through to clinical research, knowledge translation, clinical trials, drug discovery and bio-innovation,” Cowen said.

U of T has benefitted from government support. That includes a recent $200-million grant from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund to support the Acceleration Consortium, which is using AI and robotics to discover new sustainable materials and drugs with a strong plan for equity, diversity and inclusion guiding project implementation and research design. Yet, Cowen told Nature that “there is plenty of advocacy” for improving Canadian funding of health science research, which has lagged behind the pace of inflation.

“Despite limited investment, we’re really punching above our weight,” she said. “We’re achieving exceptional impact, so further investment would yield extraordinary additional reward.”

Read the story in Nature

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Tips from an exercise physiologist on how to stay fit safely when air quality is poor

siddiq22 — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:26:22 +0000

Tips from an exercise physiologist on how to stay fit safely when air quality is poor

siddiq22 Thu, 06/08/2023 - 11:26

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(photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Subheadline

With wildfires causing air pollution in the GTA and across North America, is it safe to exercise outdoors? Professor Ira Jacobs offers his expert advice

The air in Toronto and across parts of North America has become so polluted due to forest fires in Quebec and Ontario that Environment Canada recently issued an air-quality advisory, suggesting people with asthma or heart disease, older adults and children wear a face mask when outside to reduce exposure to smoke particles. In response, many organizations have decided to reschedule outdoor activities or move them indoors.

Ira Jacobs

Ira Jacobs, a professor of exercise physiology in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education and the director of the Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport, spoke with faculty writer Jelena Damjanovic about how everyday fitness and exercise routines can be modified to suit such conditions. Jacobs’ area of expertise includes physiological responses and adaptations to environmental extremes.

Should we exercise outside when the air is smoky from wildfires? What are the risks?

The short answer is no. The main issues of concern are the absolute amount and size of the particles in the air that are associated with both acute respiratory health risks, as well as accumulating increases in those risks with repeated exposures.

The other important aspect is our body’s ventilation rate – how much air is being drawn into our lungs. When it comes to the effects of the forest fires on our outdoor air quality during the last few days … the news is actually fairly bad. Reports indicate that over 90 percent of the air particulate content of forest fire smoke consists of very fine particles that are about less than 2.5 microns in size (about 40-50 times smaller than a grain of sand). The smaller the particulate size, the deeper down into our lungs that those particles can be drawn and deposited. And the deeper they go, the greater the pulmonary/respiratory health risks.

The health risks are compounded because most of us become primarily “mouth breathers” when we exercise, so some of the body’s natural particulate trapping and filtering mechanisms in the nasal cavity become ineffective at the high ventilation rates that we generate during exercise – at least 10 times the normal resting ventilation rates, and much higher for athletes who are training or competing.

What’s a good alternative?

Much of the problem is avoided – or significantly reduced – by exercising indoors, particularly in more recently constructed buildings that are well sealed and where the indoor air is recirculated and cooled as part of the recirculation process. Some large older buildings draw in outdoor air continuously and cool it after it has been drawn into the building – so given today's air-quality challenges, it’s good to know what the status of the air circulation is wherever you’re exercising indoors.

Even in this worst-case scenario, appropriate filters can be installed to trap the particulate matter of concern. In summary, for now and until the air quality index improves, exercise in a air-conditioned building or at home.

For those not easily dissuaded, are there any adjustments they can make to reduce the risks of exercising outdoors?

Reducing the duration of exercise at high ventilation rates will commensurately reduce the risk.

And wearing a respirator like a N95 that traps particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in size is also effective, but admittedly not very pleasant on a warm day. And some people find that a respirator or any face mask seriously impedes the ability to maintain the kind of exercise intensities that high-performance athletes need to maintain their training effects.

Alumna Anjum Sultana says U of T gave her 'the tools to be a global citizen'

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:16:53 +0000

Alumna Anjum Sultana says U of T gave her 'the tools to be a global citizen'

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 04/17/2023 - 09:16

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With degrees from U of T Scarborough and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Anjum Sultana, pictured here at the UN, works as Plan International Canada's inaugural director of youth leadership and policy advocacy (supplied image)

David Goldberg

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Global

Health

Anjum Sultana credits her University of Toronto education for giving her the global perspective to make an impact as the inaugural director of youth leadership and policy advocacy at Plan International Canada.

An alumna of U of T Scarborough and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Sultana advocates for the health of young women and children at development and humanitarian organization.

“We help young people to activate their global leadership by providing them with the skills, tools and networks to make meaningful change on children's rights. My team and I also do work influencing Canadian and global decision-makers on children's rights and equality for girls,” Sultana says.

“As a G7 nation, Canada can make a difference. Our world’s experiencing climate change, COVID-19 and conflict – what many are calling the ‘Triple C’. I want to figure out what positive role our country can play because we want to be that platform for global citizenship.”

During her undergraduate degree at U of T Scarborough, Sultana took advantage of the university’s wide range of academic offerings after realizing that studying across disciplines could better position her to effect change by bringing new perspectives. She graduated with a double major in health studies and neuroscience, and a minor in psychology.

"Studying at U of T gave me the tools to be a global citizen,” Sultana says. “We must understand how what happens in one part of the world impacts all of us.”

Sultana also completed a master’s of public health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health with a focus in health promotion, global health and public health policy.

“I wanted to know how elements outside our bodies impact health and well-being,” says Sultana. “It was great to learn about the biology behind good health such as neurotransmitters, but it was also important to understand public policy and economics and how these variables influence health.”

While at U of T, Sultana volunteered with the University of Toronto International Health Program and War Child Canada, and was a first-year director with the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, among many other activities. She received the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award in and the D.R. Campbell Merit Award.

“U of T instilled the importance of learning in the classroom,” says Sultana. “But it also inspired me to soak up everything I could through extracurriculars, which compounded my understanding of public service.”

Anjum Sultana, left, wth Plan International Canada coworker Stu Solomon (supplied image)

Suzanne Sicchia, an associate professor, teaching stream, in U of T Scarborough’s department of health and society, says she enjoyed sharing her classroom with Sultana.

“Her critical and creative contributions to our collective learning still stand out,” Sicchia says. “It has been wonderful to watch her career unfold. She’s doing important policy and advocacy work to the benefit of us all.”

Sultana makes time to give back to her alma mater. She has volunteered as a member of several mentorship programs at U of T and offered her expertise as a guest speaker.

“I also work with the Public Good Initiative located on the St. George campus,” Sultana says. “It’s a pro bono consulting service for students who want to learn more about how they can support charities and non-profits. It's been such a joy to be part of that because I’m helping students think about how they want to contribute and play a role in those sectors, but also give back while they're at U of T.”

Growing up in Scarborough, Sultana remembers wanting to attend U of T from a young age. Both her and her brother attended the university for their undergraduate and graduate degrees.

“I’m grateful my family achieved these milestones in higher education,” says Sultana, who was the first in her family to graduate from a university program in Canada. “And we were able to do it in our hometown.”

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With support of Connaught award, U of T researchers to tackle health disparities in Black communities

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 17:34:07 +0000

With support of Connaught award, U of T researchers to tackle health disparities in Black communities

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 03/14/2023 - 13:34

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Notisha Massaquoi, an assistant professor at U of T Scarborough, will lead a large tri-campus project focused on Black health equity research (submitted photo)

Don Campbell

Topic

Our Community

Black Research Network

Connaught Fund

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Health

Research & Innovation

U of T Scarborough

A new research project supported by the University of Toronto’s Connaught Fund and developed in collaboration with the Black Research Network (BRN) will bring together experts from across the university to address Canada’s racial health gap.

The project, which will receive $250,000 through the inaugural Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers, will support Black health equity research across U of T’s three campuses.

“We have researchers across U of T doing excellent work, but much of it is being done in silos,” says Notisha Massaquoi, an assistant professor in the department of health and society at U of T Scarborough and member of the BRN who will lead the project.

“We’re taking an interdisciplinary approach by focusing on the social determinants of health and then coming up with positive solutions to change health outcomes in Black communities.”

The project will involve a collaboration among 13 U of T researchers who are looking at the social determinants of health, which are the personal, social, economic and environmental factors that affect individual and population health. Massaquoi says some of the research areas will include looking at access to quality education, the social economy and poverty alleviation, as well as post-homicide support services.

More importantly, the project will look at creating tangible solutions.

“The hope is that we can start moving away from doing research that tells us over and over again that we have higher rates of illness and move towards finding solutions for these health disparities,” says Massaquoi, who launched the Black Health Equity Lab at U of T Scarborough in 2022.

“If Black women have higher rates of breast cancer, what programs or educational campaigns can we develop to address the issue? We want to use the research process to mobilize and provide solutions to these disparities that we know exist.”

Massaquoi says that in addition to developing a coherent research agenda, the researchers will also develop a framework for working collaboratively with Black communities and community organizations. The project will also leverage the expertise of Black researchers across U of T by co-ordinating efforts and prioritizing research objectives, while also increasing success in research funding through external grants.

The project includes a significant training element, especially for young and emerging researchers, by offering students a chance to work on large research projects focused on Black health.

“It’ll be the first time there will be a large-scale conversation between U of T researchers and the Black community on the future of Black health research. I’m really excited about the possibilities that will come from this project,” Massaquoi says.

In addition to this award, the BRN is providing support to projects by Janelle Joseph, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, and to Brice Lionel Batomen Kuimi, an assistant professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. The BRN is an Institutional Strategic Initiative launched in October 2021 to promote Black research excellence.

The Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers is supported by the Connaught Fund – the largest internal university research funding program in Canada. Established 50 years ago through the sale of Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, the fund has since provided more than $182.3 million to U of T scholars through a range of funding programs that support the university research community across all disciplines and career stages.