University Health Network

University Health Network
Geography
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
Organization
Care systemMedicare
TypeTeaching, research
Affiliated universityUniversity of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
Services
StandardsTertiary care
Beds1286
History
Opened1986[1]
Links
Websitewww.uhn.ca

University Health Network (UHN) is a public research and teaching hospital network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is the largest health research organization in Canada, ranking first in Canada for total research funding.

The network includes four hospitals – Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – West Park Healthcare Centre, the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and The Michener Institute, a post-secondary institution granting diplomas and certificates in health sciences and leadership. In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, there were over 39,000 acute inpatient stays and close to 121,000 emergency department visits across the three acute care hospitals.[2]

Newsweek has consistently named UHN's Toronto General Hospital as among the world's top hospitals, most recently ranking Toronto General as the world's 3rd best hospital in 2024, and first in Canada.[3] The hospital was named Canada's top research hospital by Research Infosource from 2015 to 2022.[4][5]

History

A series of mergers over many years has resulted in the UHN in its current form. In 1986, the Toronto Western Hospital and the Toronto General Hospital merged to form the Toronto Hospital. In 1998, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre joined, with the resulting institution named the University Health Network in 1999. The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute joined in 2011, facilitating rehabilitation services for patients as they transitioned out of acute care. All four hospitals are affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and serve as teaching hospitals for resident physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professions. 2016 saw the integration of The Michener Institute into the UHN. The Michener Institute for Education was originally established in 1958 and is the first non-medical unit to join the UHN. On April 1, 2024, West Park Healthcare Centre joined the UHN.[6]

Programs

UHN and Sinai Health System jointly run the SHS-UHN Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, advocating for improved patient access to appropriate antibiotics while combating antimicrobial resistance.[7] The program is led by infectious diseases specialist Andrew Morris,[8] who joined as founding director at its inception in 2009.[9]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, UHN received a $323,981 grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada's Immunization Partnership Fund to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among personal support workers and their patients.[10]

References

  1. ^ "OUR HISTORY". University Health Network. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  2. ^ "CIHI". yourhealthsystem.cihi.ca. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. ^ "World's Best Hospitals 2024". Newsweek. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Research Infosource". www.researchinfosource.com. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  5. ^ "UHN RANKED NO. 1 IN CANADA'S TOP 40 RESEARCH HOSPITALS FOR 2017". UHN. UHN. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  6. ^ "UHN and West Park integration about 'building Canada's leading rehabilitation ecosystem'". uhn.ca. 4 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Who we are, what we do". SHS+UHN ASP. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Our Team | SHS-UHN Antimicrobial Stewardship Program | Ontario". SHS+UHN ASP. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Dr. Andrew Morris". Critical Care Canada Forum. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ Public Health Agency of Canada (12 October 2022). "Immunization Partnership Fund". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.